Changes of local agricultural landscape patterns induced by land consolidation in hilly and mountainous Southwestern China

Land consolidation (LC), as a type of human disturbance, improves land production efficiency and changes landscape distribution through land parcel reallocation. The objective of this study was to comparatively analyze the changes of landscape patches before and after a land consolidation project (LCP) and the effects of land levelling, irrigation and drainage work and road engineering on the landscape structure. FRAGSTAT3.3 and buffer zone analysis were used to investigate those changes. The results suggest that the heterogeneity of landscape depressed, and tended to simplification after LC. Dry land was the most highly variable land use pattern, and the change of forestland was least due to its locations at a gradient larger than 25°. LC resulted in a more rational use of land, and could be an important step in promoting rural development in depressed and fragmented agricultural areas through unused land exploitation, small-patch combination, irrigation and water conservancy, and road construction. Land levelling leveled off the gradient field surface and decreased the slope. The fragmentized patches were much more incorporated with increasing slope. On the other hand, the ridge of a field became longer so that the length of field surface and area of patch were increased. Land levelling regulated, simplified and combined patches, so that the complexity degree was reduced. It is found that the buffer distance of 35 m was a turning point of human disturbance by irrigation and drainage systems, and patches presented flaky distribution when the buffer distance was smaller than 35 m. Meanwhile, the distance range between 25 m to 50 m was an impressible area for road engineering, which was sensitive to human actions, and the changes of all landscape metrics were larger than those in other buffer zones. In general, LC not only reallocated fragmented parcels, but also improved agricultural conditions.

Protective and Constructive Strategies of Rural Landscape Elements in Local Landscape Planning

As a carrier of traditional techniques and local culture, local landscape contains profound theofies of garden aesthetics and landscape ecology. Creating a local landscape is not only important to modem urban landscape design and utban planning, but also an. important part of the construction of current distinctive towns. Based on the analysis of the application of native landscape elements in urban gardens, the research points out the innovative design and application of the local landscape elements. Moreover it uses the artistic expression techniques of extracting the native landscape elements into the garden landscape as the entry point, and analyzes the designing principle and planning key points in die ptocess of creating a local landscape of the cultural square park in charactenstic towns, providing constructing and protecting strategies for creating a landscape of rural landscapes in China＇s landscape planning.

Investigation of Diversity of Local Landscape Plants in Tibet and Analysis of Their Application Potential

To study the basic situation of application of local landscape plants in Tibet, local landscape plants in Tibet was investigated firstly by using "biological five-point method". The results show that 213species(including breed) of local landscape plants were applied in Tibet, belonging to 148 genera and 66 families. In the arbor layer, shrub layer and herbaceous layer, the importance of Picea likiangensis Pritz.var. likiangensis Cheng et L. K. Fu, Platycladus orientalis Franco cv. Sieboldii, and Poa pratensis L. were the highest, namely 43.050, 19.696 and 45.950. Rosaceae, Salicaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Pinaceae, Asteraceae,and Cupressaceae were applied mostly, including 25, 16, 12, 11, 10, 9 and 8 species of plants, accounting for11.73%, 7.51%, 5.63%, 5.16%, 4.69%, 4.23% and 3.76% of the investigated plants respectively. Based on this, 11 species of good local landscape plants in Tibet were selected to analyze their application potential in gardens. Rational suggestions about the development and utilization of local landscape plants in Tibet were proposed finally.

Protection and Inheritance of Native Culture in the Landscape Design of Characteristic Towns

Chinese culture has a long history. Native culture, as an important part of China's traditional culture heritage, is rich in variety. In characteristic towns, native culture has strong local characteristics, and its protection and heritage has great value. This paper aimed to inherit traditional culture, protect the local characteristics of the towns, endow the town landscape with a unique cultural value, enhance people's cultural cohesion and identity of local culture and create characteristic towns with strong cultural characteristics.