The investigation into ecotones enabled a better understanding of the causal relationships between certain landscape elements, landscape utilisation categories and ecotones. By studying ecotones, we wanted to expand understanding of patterns having an influence on the landscape condition, structure, functions, landscape elements and their relationships. For better understanding and modelling of...

With Taiwan’s steep terrain and fracture geology, natural disasters are likely to occur after heavy rainfall. To reduce the effects of upstream sediment on human surroundings, check dams are an essential transverse structure for streams in watersheds. However, there is likely to be a detrimental visual impact on the landscape without consideration of the integration of dams with the environment...

Quantifying landscape pattern and its change is essential for the monitoring and assessment of ecological consequences of land use change and human interference. The changing characteristics of landscape structure in the Haihe River Basin (HRB), China, during 1990 to 2000 were detected by using satellite remote sensing based land use data. Key landscape indices were selected to characterize the...

The ecosystem services approach is an established framework for the balanced evaluation of ecological, economic and social landscape resources. It promotes functional synergies (win–win situations) as well as trade-offs among various benefits resulting from ecosystem processes. Spatial aspects of heterogeneity and configuration play a major role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem service...

Based on the components and program of VRVA (Visual Resources Values Assessment), a behavioral history of the visitor's perception of the American desert is examined. Emphasis is placed upon contrasts between traditional eastern "garden-park" viewpoints and contemporary desert scenery experiences. Special attention is given to the influence of John Wesley Powell's writings and the art of Georgi...

introduction “green infrastructure” is a term that describes the abundance and distribution of natural features providing ecological services necessary for community wellbeing specially in urban areas where these are limited. green infrastructure is increasingly espoused by landscape conservation and metropolitan planning because it is an effective way to surrogate ecological network functions ...

Wetlands are very sensitive to ecosystem changes, so integrated analyses and modeling of their process dynamics as well as their interaction with other hydrologic and ecological components provide valuable information for impact assessment. However, since wetland processes are complex, research methods aiming to improve the understanding of wetland dynamics in a landscape perspective must compr...