Landscape metrics for assessment of landscape destruction and rehabilitation

This investigation tested the usefulness of geometry-based landscape metric s for monitoring landscapes in a heavily disturbed environment. Research wa s carried out in a 75 so km study area in Saxony, eastern Germany, where th e landscape has been affected by surface mining and agricultural intensific ation. Landscape metrics were calculated from digital maps (1912, 1944, 197 3, 1989) for the entire study area and for subregions (river valleys. plain s), which were defined using the original geology and topography of the reg ion. Correlation and factor analyses were used to select a set of landscape metrics suitable for landscape monitoring. Little land-use change occurred in the first half of the century, but political decisions and technologica l developments led to considerable change later. Metrics showed a similar p attern with almost no change between 1912 and 1944, but dramatic changes af ter 1944. Nonparametric statistical methods were used to test whether metri cs differed between river valleys and plains. Significant differences in th e metrics for these regions were found in the early maps (1912, 1944), but these differences were not significant in 1973 or 1989. These findings indi cate that anthropogenic influences created a more homogeneous landscape.