Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was established as a model city in 1979 and it has become a modern industrialization urban during the past three decades. The rapid urbanization has a significant effect on the landscape

and Shenzhen Bay is a typical example. In this paper

the urbanization process in Shenzhen special zone was divided into four stages: early urbanization phase

developed urbanization phase

accelerated urbanization phase and later urbanization phase. Based on five periods of remote sensing data located at Shenzhen Bay

including MSS in 1979

and TM in 1989

1998

2003

2009

respectively the dynamic characteristic of three main wetland landscape types

Gei Wei

Mangrove and Intertidal Zone in Shenzhen Bay

was analyzed with a series of techniques including landscape classification

landscape transfer and landscape index analysis.The software platforms including ERDAS IMAGINR

ARCGIS and FRAGSTATS. The results are as followed: ① There are higher diversity landscape types at Shenzhen Bay

while the area of different landscape type varied greatly. Human disturbance is a major factor in the change of landscape pattern of Shenzhen Bay

the reclamation work projects and urban construction had seriously destroyed the coastal wetlands

the coastline of the Shenzhen Bay also had extended to the shallow water. ② During the past three decades

the built-up area increased from 508.95 hm

2

to 2 072.52 hm

2

accordingly the largest patch area index increased from 2.94 % to 17.55 %. ③ Gei Wei suffered the greatest human disturbance

its cover area increased in the early urbanization phase. Its proportion was 7.72 % in 1989

the highest value during the past three decades. With the acceleration of urbanization

Gei Wei gradually evolved into built-up areas or other landscape types with the patch shape turn regular. In the last two phases

Gei Wei maintained at a low level of the move in or out and mainly occurred in Nanshan District where several large-scale reclamation work projects proceeded. ④ The total mangrove area decreased constantly in the first two phases of urbanization

but began to increase after 1998

with 52.65 hm

2

of area to 81 hm

2

in 2009. Landscape index analysis showed that the mangrove landscape did not become fragmented

but shaped larger landscape patches and the landscape connectivity increased. ⑤ There was a relatively large fluctuation and iterancy for intertidal zone in the past three decades

with the area reduced from 634.5 hm

2

in 1979 to 377.28 hm

2

in 2009

and the fragmentation increased with the stability declined.