Abstract: In many developing countries, landscape management decision based on according to the administrative boundary and considered political documentation as a crucial element instead of the record of features and elements of landscapes. In this research, we applied and developed an integrated landscape characterization approach to enhance spatial knowledge for managing and conserving landscape in the context of Teknaf peninsula, Bangladesh. Aimed at the study was to characterize landscape by using physical characters and find out socio-economic relation with the characterized landscape. The characterization was based on combining multiple data of the watershed area, landform, vegetation, (physical character) occupation type, income from each occupation type and duration of living time in the current area of households (socio-economic characters). Physical character data sets were generated from Digital Elevation Model, 2015 and Landsat 8 image, 2013 respectively. Socio-economic data were collected by using a structured questionnaire during August 2015-July, 2016. After analyzing physical character data, a map was prepared that showed Teknaf peninsula is divided into 4 landscape character area (LCA). Then calculated socio-economic data for each LCA and made a table presented dominated occupation type, average income, and duration of living time of each LCA. Another map and table were prepared to show a socio-economic relation with particular watershed units among the four LCA. With this results, we found a spatial pattern of landscape and local people’s relation with them that assists to decide which area is used mostly by local people and the status of required conservation and can be used as a potential source of income for livelihood. We concluded that landscape characterization approach in the context of Teknaf is highly potential for managing landscape as well as natural resources.
