Landscape ecological quality assessment and its dynamic change in coal mining area: a case study of Peixian

Coal mining area is a special man–land system, where the ecological environment is affected by coal mining and other human activities. While many studies have focused on landscape pattern change and its ecological effects, little attention has been paid to the comprehensive ecological quality and its dynamic change in coal mining area during long time periods, especially lacking an ecological effect assessment pre and post the land reclamation. This paper, taking the coal mining area of Peixian in Xuzhou, China, as a case area, presents a method of monitoring and assessing landscape ecological quality using a landscape ecological assessment model based on landscape ecological theories, remote sensing and geographic information systems technology. The results show that landscape ecological quality changed substantially, and the overall trend became worse gradually during 1990–2014. The landscape ecological quality gradually improved in the reclamation area but greatly deteriorated in the urbanized areas of Peixian between 2004 and 2014, indicating satisfactory reclamation activity. Coal mining, land reclamation and urban expansion were major factors that affected the ecological environment of Peixian. The present analyses result in a close range between the appraisal and actual situation, suggesting that the model is generally applicable. This work provides a quantitative method for assessing landscape ecological quality, and will contribute to future resource development, landscape planning and land reclamation in coal mining areas.