Peri-urban vegetated landscape pattern changes in relation to socioeconomic development

Peri-urban vegetation, which delivers a diversity of fundamental services, sustains increasing pressures from human activities. Characterizing the socioeconomic drivers of vegetated landscape pattern changes can inform ecological management. Vegetated landscape pattern changes, (including paddy, dryland, woodland, forest, and perennial plantations) in Tiaoxi watershed (China) between 1985 and 2009, were characterized using a set of landscape metrics. Their relationships with socioeconomic development were quantified by multivariable regression. Results showed that Tiaoxi watershed experienced rapid socioeconomic development based on a set of indicators (demography, economy, and social activities). Vegetated landscapes were less abundant and connected, and became more irregular, fragmented, and diverse at landscape level. At class level, increasing fragmentation and isolation were identified for all vegetated landscape types. Paddy, dryland, and forest decreased in area and aggregation, while woodland and perennial plantations presented opposite trends. Socioeconomic drivers of vegetated landscapes pattern changes differed with metrics and with vegetated landscape types. Generally, population growth, road construction, income increase, and tertiary industry development were the major drivers. The identified socioeconomic drivers differed from those for urban areas in previous related report. The inconsistence could be attributed to the different socioeconomic conditions and their interactions with land use practice between urban and peri-urban areas. This study contributed to the identification of key socioeconomic indicators influencing vegetated landscape pattern changes in peri-urban regions.