Quantification Visual Criteria of Land Cover Using Landscape Metrics (Case Study: Tonekabon Forests of Dohezar-Sehezar )

Despite the increasingly trend of developmental activities that are likely to change the structure and change or eliminate landscape functions and processes in Iran ultimately, it seems necessary to consider the visual effect in EIA studies especially in northern ecosystem of the country.

This study aimed to quantify the visual criteria of naturalness and complexity using SHDI, SHEI, PLAND, LPI, PR, PD, and NP measurements in the area of Tonekabon's Dohezar-Sehezar watershed from two viewpoints. The visible range, after land use mapping and production of DSM and transmitting of visibility points to GIS, was obtained using the Visibility instruction in GIS, which analyzed the visible range at two points.

According to the PLAND index, the highest amount pertained to forest land use, and their amounts for forest, agriculture, and rangeland land uses found 0.1499, 0.0001, and 0.0021 respectively that detected the naturalness in the first- viewpoint was more than the second viewpoint, and this area has been less affected by human interferences. At the second point, except for the SHEI value which was less than the first point ( 0.0927), the amount of SHDI (0.0927), PR(7000), PD (2.507), and NP(2058000) indices grater than second point obtained.

The use of landscape metrics with regard to their capabilities can be a useful step to early identification of the impacts of development on the structure of landscape. The proposed approach can be the basis for developing a new method to understanding the effects of landscape changing in planning and management fields.