Landscape pattern in Zhangjia valley of the low tabular mountains and hills in Western Chongqing Municipality is studied by using five set s of land use data in 1957

1976

1982

1992 and 1998

quantitative methods of landscape ecology and techniques of RS & GIS. Firstly

landscape is classified into six types of irrigable land

dryland

orchard

woodland

village and watershed

respectively

by using remote sensing images. Secondly

a geographical information system(GIS) is designed and set up based on digital data ext racted f rom remote sensing images

field investigation data and other types of data

and then a digital map of landscape is figured out. Thirdly

depended on spatial analysis function of GIS

indexes for diversity

dominance

f ragment

isolation and f ractal dimension of each landscape type in different periods are calculated. It is found that with time elapsing and economical development

changes in the indexes become complicated and anomalistic. The rhythms of the changes are consistent with agricultural policies

increase in population and economical development. Fractal dimensions of landscape types f rom high to low are village

woodland

irrigable land

dry land

orchard and watershed in turn. Such a rank explicitly shows the complexity of landscape types. It is an effective method to study the processes

patterns and mechanisms of the changes in regional land use and land cover using landscape ecology and the techniques of GIS & RS.