Landscape ecological quality of different lithological regions in karst mountains:A case study in the Luodian county of Guizhou Province

In order to reveal the characteristics of landscape patterns and landscape ecological quality of different lithological partitions in karst mountainous area, this paper takes Luodian county of Guizhou Province as a case through analysing the data of lithologies, landscape patterns and landscape distribution, obtained from the periods of 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, respectively, with the intention of understanding the influence of human activities on landscape ecological quality. In the meantime, change of the landscape ecological quality was comparatively analyzed for different lithological partitions from the perspective of landscape stability and anthropogenic interference degree, which can be used to reflect the difference of landscape ecological quality in different lithological regions. The study shows that in general the landscape stability of non-karst region is higher than that of semi-karst region, while landscape stability of typical karst region is the lowest. Moreover, artificial disturbance on the landscape in semi-karst region is higher than that of non-karst region, while the disturbance degree in typical karst region is the lowest. As a result, landscape ecological quality of non-karst region is better than that of semi-karst region, whereas this quality in typical karst region is the worst. From 2000 to 2015, the landscape ecological quality tended to declines in different lithological areas. In typical karst region, this 4-period landscape ecological qualities were 0.30, 0.18, -0.24, and -0.18, respectively, which had an obvious decline between 2000 and 2010, but rose from 2010 to 2015. In semi-karst region, these ecological qualities were 0.55, 0.17, 0.32, and -0.51, respectively; they declined during this period except for years from 2005 to 2010 when they slightly rose. In non-karst region, however, the 4period values were 0.66, 0.38, 0.27, and -0.30, respectively, had been declining in the entire period since 2000. The landscape ecological qualities of semi-karst region are more susceptible to the influence of both lithology and human activity. Therefore, for ecological environment governance, measures should be taken as the basis of the differences of lithological regions where more attentions should be paid on the landscape ecological quality of semi-karst.