Spatial pattern of Karst rock desertification in the Middle of Guizhou Province, Southwestern China
Karst rocky desertification is a typical type of land degradation in the Southwestern China. It has great ecological and economical implications for the local people. Landsat images from the middle of Guizhou Province collected in 1974, 1993 and 2001 were used for change detection of the pattern of Karst rocky desertification. The results show the following findings: (1) Desertification area expanded drastically in 27 years, at an increasing rate about 116.2 km²/year. (2) High areas (900-1,500 m) are the most affected.