Effects of topography on land use pattern in Karst areas

Based on RS and GIS, using landscape pattern method, this thesis researched the land use pattern in Karst area effected by topography, and also analyzed the land use pattern spatio-temporal change, taking the case of Guilin City. The research indicated that topography factors, such as elevation, slope and aspect influencing land use pattern respectively and differently. As the increasing of altitude, land use types diversity index declined but with the patch aggregation degree increasing. Land use types diversity declined while patch aggregation degree increasing with the slope from low to high. Obvious regularity existed on a certain scale in different aspect zone, influencing land use pattern. Land use diversity pattern changed little in low altitude and slope zone in different time. However, in higher altitude and slope zone, land use diversity index declined while the patch aggregation degree increased as time passing.