Effect of surrounding land-use change on the wetland landscape pattern of a natural protected area in Tianjin, China

The ecological and environmental relationship between a natural reserve (NR) and its surrounding area is a 'hotspot' in the human environment relationship. However, the effect of landscape pattern of the surrounding land-use changes on the NR has not been thoroughly explored. How to protect the NR has become an issue of major concern. This research analysed the land-use/land-cover (LULC) change of the NR and its surrounding area using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images and applied theories of landscape ecology to study the effect of the surrounding LULC on the wetland landscape of the NR in Tianjin, China. The results show that (1) the wetland area decreased from 122,461.11 ha in 1988 to 111,753.99 ha in 2008 while the built-up area expanded from 11,983.22 ha in 1988 to 20,197.71 ha in 2008; (2) landscape diversity will increase along with direct LULC in the NR and its surrounding area, where human activities have already diversified the original wetland landscape; and (3) the unitary landscape has been replaced by diverse landscapes and the land type that was once dominant has lost its status. Restoring the watershed wetland is a good method for realising protection of the NR.