Tourism urbanization and landscape fragmentation in Taiwan’s Yilan Plain: an integrated analysis of intensity and landscape metrics
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Tourism urbanization prioritizes tourism consumption over traditional residential-focused development, reshaping land use patterns in destination areas. This research examines how tourism urbanization is associated with agricultural landscape change in Taiwan’s Yilan Plain from 1995 to 2020. Using intensity analysis and moving-window landscape metrics, results show that the agricultural landscape in Yilan underwent substantial change over the study period. Hotel land expanded from 0.8 to 5.9 km 2 between 1995 and 2020, with the highest interval change rate (177%) occurring in 1995–2006, partly reflecting growth from a very small base. Meanwhile, farmland decreased 14.5%, primarily converting to built-up areas. Intensity analysis identified accelerated change during 1995–2006 and 2015–2020, while hotels showed the highest gain intensity in every interval despite their small area. Landscape fragmentation intensified, with patch density increasing 57% while the aggregation index declined 9%, indicating a less clustered landscape. Moving-window and transect analyses revealed spatial heterogeneity in this change, with the landscape becoming more aggregated around urban peripheries but more fragmented across the outer plain. Land use planning should prioritize agricultural landscape integrity and minimize fragmented development patterns to balance tourism growth with environmental sustainability.
Source: Scientific Reports
Authors: Hao-Wei Chiu, Yanchun Chen
Institution: Fu Jen Catholic University
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
OpenAlex ID: W7223395132