The paper gives an overview on the trends in the usage of landscape metrics as indicators for: land use changes, habitat functions (biodiversity, habitats), landscape regulating functions (fire control, microclimate control, etc.), and information functions (landscape aesthetics). We reviewed papers published in international peer-reviewed journals that are indexed by the Institute of Science Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge from 2000 to 2010. The terms “landscape metricsâ€, “landscape indexes†and “landscape indices†were searched. Our analysis showed that application of the landscape metrics to characterize various ecosystem services and landscape functions has broadened during the last 10 years. Number of studies related to regulating and information functions of landscapes is increasing. However, the main exploitation field of the metrics is evaluation the change in land use/land cover.
Journal articles from the Grassland Society of Southern Africa (GSSA) African Journal of Range and Forage Science as well as related articles and reports from throughout the southern African region.