Abstract

Wetland ecosystem is known as the “kidney” of earth and the “gene pool” of species. It has the functions of regulating climate, flood storage and degradation of pollution. In this paper, based on GIS technology and landscape ecology, wetland changes and its driving forces in the Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone of China are analyzed. The analysis of landscape pattern demonstrates that there is an increase in the degree of fragmentation of wetlands in the study area. At the same time, the overall aggregation degree of the lake is in the rise. The increased Perimeter-area fractal dimension indicates that the shape of wetland becomes more and more rules. The main driving forces of wetland changes in the Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone include natural factors and human activities. This study also indicates the main natural factor is the changes of precipitation, though for now, there is increase of average temperature. At the moment, the rapid population growth, regional economic development and other human activities are also the key driving forces of wetland landscape changes in the Poyang Lake Eco-economic Zone.

Key words: Wetland change, landscape pattern, climate change, ecosystem management, Poyang Lake.