Landscape structure and bird's diversity in the rural areas of Taiwan

Issue title: Landscape change and human activity — Selected papers from the 2nd International Conference on Landscape Ecology of Asia and Pasific Region, Lanzhou, China, Sept. 22–25, 2001

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chun, Yen-Chang

Affiliations: Department of Horticulture, "National Chung Hsing University", Taichung, Taiwan, China

Abstract: This study tries to discuss the relationship between landscape structure and organisms in the perspective of landscape architecture. The research hypotheses were then proposed as (1) there are relationships between landscape structure indexes and birds' diversity in the rural areas of Taiwan; (2) the relationships between landscape structure and birds' diversity will be different in different hierarchical levels. In order to increase the bird species, landscape planners could tries to increase the density of water bodies, but decrease the farms and human planted woods. Decrease the density of constructed and human planted grasslands. Increase the area of un-worked acres, natural grasslands, and the area of water bodies and circular the water bodies and natural forest. In order to increase birds' diversity, landscape planners could decrease the concentration of paved areas. Concentrate the human planted trees to increase the core areas of woodlands. Increase the area of natural grassland circular. In order to increase the total number of birds in the planning areas, landscape planners could scattered the paved areas and lengthen the constructed areas. Decreases the core region of the constructed areas. Increase the area of un-worked acres and water bodies. Decrease the disturbance of both the interior area of natural and human planted woodlands and try to increase the density of water bodies. The analysis results showed that the small grain size indexes are more suitable for the rural areas of Taiwan to capture the influential factors of bird communities. The high fragmentation of land usages in Taiwan lessens the influences of the regional landscape pattern.

Keywords: landscape structure, bird diversity, Taiwan

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 241-248, 2003