Ecological pattern evolution of land use change in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei capital urban agglomeration, China

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to assess the urban ecological environment quality index of the Chinese capital metropolitan area and analyze the evolution of land use patterns. In previous works of the authors, NTL and population remote sensing imagery were used to delineate the outline of the metropolitan area. In addition, this paper utilizes MODIS land cover data to reclassify land occupation types. And based on the NDVI and NDBI remote sensing images in winter and summer, a dynamic ecological Environment Quality Index (EQI) evaluation system suitable for different regions in different periods was established. We found that in 2001-2005, the ecological environment quality of each region was the best, then began to deteriorate, and reached the lowest valley around 2015, but the environment improved after that. At the same time, in these three major metropolitan areas, the ecological environment in the central part has been mainly managed and treated, thereby improving it, while the peripheral areas have lacked attention and deteriorated seriously. In addition, the degradation of agricultural land is a problem worthy of people's attention and an urgent need to take control measures.