Taking two composite Landsat 5 TM (thematic mapper) images in 1986 and 2006 and land use map of Yinzhou town

Mizhi County in 1996 as data resources

land use/land cover changes (LUCC) of Yinzhou from 1986 to 2006 are studied using the Geograp hical Information System(ArcGIS 9.0) and ERDAS( remotesensing software). Results show that great changes have taken place in land use/ land cover in Yinzhou from 1986 to 2006. From 1986 to 1996

change of land use structure was characterized by increases in cropland and other land use types and on the contrary water area

by decreases in woodland and grassland. Cropland changed obviously and woodland and grassland were mainly converted into cropland. From 1996 to 2006

change of land use structure was characterized by increases in woodland and grassland increased. On the contrary

water area

cropland

and other land use types decreased. Cropland was mainly converted into woodland and grassland driven by the policy of returning farmland to forest and grassland. From 1986 to 2006

change of land use structure was characterized by increases in grassland and other land use types increase and on the contrary

by decreases in water area

cropland

and woodland. Water area

cropland

and woodland were mainly converted into grassland and other land use types. Land use change was mainly taken place in slope area and some croplands beside Wuding River were converted into other land use types. Although the ecological environment had been greatly improved in the area

it is still a long term task to protect and recover ecological environment by the policy of returning farmland to forest and grassland.