Abstract:
There are currently a large number of small-scale farmlands scattered in mountainous cities, to which little attention is paid in reality despite the significant potential habitat value thereof. Given the diverse habitat values of small-scale farmlands, this research, through analyzing the habitat value of small-scale urban farmlands within the research area in Yongchuan District, Chongqing, discusses the influence of both the landscape pattern factors of small-scale urban farmlands and the utilization types of lands nearby on the habitat value of small-scale urban farmlands and the quantitative relationship there between. Research results show that: 1) the habitat quality index of small-scale farmlands in mountainous cities is relatively high, as shown by InVEST model, indicating that such small-scale farmlands constitute a liveable habitat for certain urban animals and plants, and can play the role of “ecological stepping stone” to improve the connectivity of surrounding green patches; 2) the habitat value of small-scale farmlands is correlated with batch area, batch perimeter and batch shape index, and the correlation coefficients between small-scale farmlands and the two factors of “adjacency to woodland” and “adjacency to urban construction land” are relatively high, which means that the combination of small-scale farmlands and woodlands is more beneficial to habitat protection. Based on the results above, the research finally proposes a series of suggestions on planning management and control technologies such as screening of high value small-scale farmlands, guidance of spatial form, and integration of “compatible” land types.