Coupling Relationship between Rural Settlement Patterns and Landscape Fragmentation in Woodlands and Biological Reserves—A Case of Nanshan National Park

Bo Li, Hao Ouyang, Tong Wang () and Tian Dong
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Bo Li: School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Hao Ouyang: School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Tong Wang: Management in the Built Environment Department, Architecture and Built Environment Faculty, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
Tian Dong: School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: Exploring the influence of settlement patterns on the landscape fragmentation in woodlands and biological reserves is key to achieving ecologically sustainable development. In this research, we chose the Nanshan National Park in Hunan Province, China, as a case study, to explore the influence mechanisms. First, we identified the biological reserves through the landscape security patterns of biological conservation. Second, we constructed a coupling coordination model to analyze the coupling relationship between the settlement patterns and landscape fragmentation in the woodlands and biological reserves. The analysis showed that, overall, the effect of the settlement area on the landscape fragmentation in the biological reserves was more pronounced, while the effect of the settlement spread and shape on the landscape fragmentation in the woodlands was more obvious. From a type-specific perspective, we analyzed the coupling relationship between the settlement patterns and (1) the landscape fragmentation in different woodlands and (2) the landscape fragmentation in the biological reserves, namely concerning Leiothrix lutea and Emberiza aureola . We found that the effect of the settlement patterns on the landscape fragmentation of the Leiothrix lutea biological reserve was more significant than that of the landscape fragmentation of its main habitat, the evergreen broad-leaved forest. The effect of settlement patterns on the landscape fragmentation of the Emberiza aureola biological reserve was more significant than that of the landscape fragmentation of its other habitats. In addition, the results demonstrated that the habitat protection of the woodlands was not a substitute for the systematic protection of biosecurity patterns. This research could assist in developing more efficient conservation measures for ecologically protected sites with rural settlements.

Keywords: settlement pattern; woodland ecosystem; landscape security pattern; landscape fragmentation; coupling coordination degree (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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