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Managing landscape heterogeneity in different socio-ecological contexts: contrasting cases from central Loess Plateau of China and southern Finland

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Abstract

Context

Landscape transition drives environmental change across the globe. However, landscape and its change are complex with high spatial heterogeneity, which challenges strategic decision-making.

Objectives

This paper aims to derive management meaningful units based on landscape status and change analysis and the generalization of landscape spatial heterogeneity.

Methods

Based on contrasting cases from Finland (Vanajavesi) and China (Baota District), this paper analyzed the landscape attributes and change since 2000. A k-means clustering approach was used to generalize the landscape types based on indicators of landscape composition and its change, spatial pattern, population, and income.

Results

Most significant change in land covers was the expansion of artificial surfaces, and the bi-directional transitions between agricultural areas and forests and semi-natural areas in Vanajavesi, while the expansion of artificial land and shrinkage of cropland were most significant in Baota District. Larger changes in landscape metrics were also observed in Baota District. Finally, three landscape clusters were generalized in both of the case areas. For each cluster, the landscapes and their change characteristics were interpreted as pertinent to the average land cover pattern and its change and socioeconomic conditions. Brief landscape management recommendations were also given for the resulting clusters.

Conclusions

This paper contributes to enriching the understanding of the analysis and management of landscape spatial heterogeneity based on the information from both landscape status and change. The contrasting case analyses from an international perspective indicate the usefulness of clustering approach in accommodating spatial heterogeneity, which imply a regionalized need for landscape monitoring, assessment, and management.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the External Cooperation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. GJHZ1215), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41171156), and the Academy of Finland (No. 256231).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 2871, Beijing, 100085, China

    Yihe Lü, Feixiang Sun, Jianglei Wang & Bojie Fu

  2. Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Yuan Zeng

  3. Natural Environment Centre, Data and Information, Finnish Environment Institute, PO Box 140, 00251, Helsinki, Finland

    Maria Holmberg, Kristin Böttcher & Pekka Vanhala

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  1. Yihe Lü
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  2. Feixiang Sun
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  3. Jianglei Wang
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  4. Yuan Zeng
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  5. Maria Holmberg
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  8. Bojie Fu
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Correspondence to Yihe Lü.

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Lü, Y., Sun, F., Wang, J. et al. Managing landscape heterogeneity in different socio-ecological contexts: contrasting cases from central Loess Plateau of China and southern Finland. Landscape Ecol 30, 463–475 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-014-0129-5

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