Analysis of the Spatial Adaptability of Gross Ecosystem Production, Gross Domestic Production, and Population Density in Chinese Mainland

Abstract

As China is currently in a critical period of transition to green development, a quantitative analysis of the coupled synergy between economic growth, population migration, and environmental protection performance can provide a rational reference for the formulation of macro-policies in relevant regions. Based on these objectives, this study built a matching analysis framework between gross domestic production (GDP) density (GD), population density (PD), and gross ecosystem production (GEP) density (ED) to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of these three indicators among 362 municipal units in different regions of the Chinese Mainland from 2000 to 2020 based on satellite remote sensing images and statistical data. The spatial adaptability between them was explored by employing a center-of-gravity model. The findings of this study show that: (1) the GD, PD, and ED on the Chinese Mainland exhibited varying degrees of spatial heterogeneity on both sides of the Hu Line during the investigation period, with the general feature of being higher in the southeastern region and lower in the northwestern region; (2) the centers of gravity of GD, PD, and ED were all located in Hubei Province during the investigation period. The centers of gravity of PD and GD shifted 79.39 km and 109.72 km to the southwest, respectively, whereas the center of gravity of ED, remained relatively stable during the investigation period; and (3) the center of gravity distances between PD–GD, ED–PD, and ED–GD in 2020 were 99.31 km, 247.52 km, and 346.27 km, respectively, and the percentages of highly matched units ranked among the 362 samples were 72.93%, 23.48%, and 25.69% for GD–PD, GD–ED, and ED–PD, respectively. This study concluded that a synergistic spatial pattern of the population, economic layout, and land use on the Chinese Mainland has not yet been formed. Therefore, this study suggests that future policies should be committed to promoting the northwest Chinese Mainland movement of the center of gravity of GD and PD, as well as the southeast movement of the ED center.