城市河流的景观生态学研究:概念框架

城市河流作为城市景观中一种重要的生态廊道,其功能的正常实现与否关系到整个城市的可持续发展。通过分析当前城市河流的研究概况,发现应用景观生态学原理对城市河流展开多尺度、多学科的综合研究是实现“自然-人类-水体”可持续发展的必然趋势。从景观生态学的角度出发,结合城市河流的特点,提出了更为综合的、景观水平上的城市河流研究的概念框架。特别针对景观生态学研究的核心问题,对城市河流的研究尺度、格局分析、干扰程度等重要方面进行了详细论述,以期在景观水平上构建城市河流的可持续发展预案。

A conceptual framework for the study of urban river based on landscape ecology

As a physical element, urban rivers are important ecological corridors. They not only play important ecological roles such as providing habitats, acting as filters and barriers, and being water sources and water sinks but they also are bases of stability, comfort, and sustainability in urban development. Whether the functions of urban rivers are fully realized or not impacts the sustainable development of an entire city. On the basis of a review of current studies on urban rivers, this paper points out that it is necessary to use a multi-disciplinary and multi-scale approach to analyze urban rivers. By using landscape ecological theory to study urban rivers, we can acquire a comprehensive understanding of urban rivers and help achieve sustainable development with regards to urban rivers. There are two main areas of research into urban river landscapes. One is a spatial structure analysis of river corridors and river networks, the other is an ecological analysis of water quantity and quality. This paper presents a conceptual framework for researching urban river landscapes. This framework consists of five steps: diagnosis, analysis, planning, evaluation and optimization. The first two steps, river landscape diagnosis and river landscape analysis, aim at describing urban river conditions by choosing a set of measurable indicators. The third step, river landscape planning, combines planning targets with certain criteria to create the function zoning of urban river landscapes. The next step is river landscape evaluation, which would choose the most feasible planning program for an urban river landscape. Finally, with the integration of monitoring, construction and management of urban river landscapes, river landscape optimization will be realized. In light of core topics in landscape ecology studies, this paper probes problems concerning the scale, patterns, processes and functions of urban river landscapes. The scale of urban river landscape analysis can be classified into small, medium and large types. In the pattern analysis, this paper discusses a variety of landscape metrics used to analyze the spatial structure of urban rivers and emphasizes strategic points. Because urban rivers are deeply influenced by human activities, it is important to research the disturbance process and its degree in the process analysis. The implementation of urban river landscape ecology planning depends on urban river landscape construction, which can be carried out by adding new points or ways to urban river network and harmonizing the mutual relationship between urban river landscape and other elements in the urban landscape. This paper does not answer all questions regarding the study of urban river based on landscape ecology. Due to the complexity of interactions between different elements, it is necessary to develop further studies on hierarchical structures, connectivity, value diversity and so on.