Evaluation of urban agricultural landscape based on analytic hierarchy process

摘要

Agricultural landscapes are both the earliest landscape that appeared and the most commonly distributed landscapes in the world. Agricultural landscapes are gaining increased attention from landscape researchers, especially those focusing on urban agricultural landscapes (UALs). UALs are significant in environment and ecological protection, as well as in leisure consideration and landscape utilization. Only a few studies have discussed the reasonable evaluation of UALs to date. This study considered the typical UAL of Harbin, China as the study site. The farmland, waterland, and wetland agricultural landscapes (hereafter denoted as farmland, waterland, and wetland, respectively) were established based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Ecological and aesthetic functions such as microclimate improvement, environment protection, comprehensive ecological benefit, environmental compatibility, community's richness, and ornamental plant diversity were selected as evaluation factors. Results of landscape ecology and AHP revealed the following: (1) the UAL scores followed the order waterland > wetland > farmland; (2) microclimate improvement and environmental compatibility factors were determined as the most important factors affecting ecological benefit and aesthetic function, respectively; and (3) the quality of farmland should be enhanced and wetland should be preserved, and tree species in waterland should be diversified. This study evaluated UALs through AHP for the first time. Evaluation results forward intentionality reference views and conservation management insights into guide UAL arrangement.