Land use and land cover change along the topographic gradients and stream corridors in the LRGR.

With the Longitudinal Range-Gorge Region (LRGR) in the southwestern China as the object, this research studied how land use pattern varies with the complex topographic features. Based on the 1:50000 digital elevation model (DEM) data and the remote sensing images in 1980, 2001, and by using GIS map algebra method, we investigated the relationship between landform (e.g. elevation and stream networks) and land use, especially the correlation of human activities with the spatial arrangement of the stream networks. This paper reveals that land use and land cover changes in valleys with rich water source at lower elevations are characterized by distinct successional gradients from the river to the upland, which was possibly due to the distance and the availability of water resource. And by dividing the region into four vertical zones according to their elevations, we found that the land use and human activities in each zone were significantly different. Finally, it is indicated that the jamming effects of human activities in the LRGR were spatially heterogeneous and thus led to the barrier effect of stream corridors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]