Changes of Population, Built-up Land, and Cropland Exposure to Natural Hazards in China from 1995 to 2015

Abstract

By using the latest China population grid and land-use data, we assess the changing exposure of China’s population and land uses to the hazards of storm surges, droughts, earthquakes, floods, and landslides from 1995 to 2015. We found that the single-hazard areas and the multi-hazard areas covered 43% and 26% of China’s territory, respectively. Population grew faster in the hazard-prone areas than in the non-hazard areas. Built-up area expanded more rapidly in the areas prone to earthquakes and landslides. Cropland changed rapidly in many hazard-prone areas. The hazard-prone areas affected by floods featured the highest cropland loss rates, while the areas prone to earthquakes and landslides featured the highest cropland growth rates. We detected areas with significant exposure changes by using hot spot analysis. It was found that population and built-up land in the Pearl River Basin were increasingly exposed to storm surges, floods, and landslides. The Haihe River Basin and Huaihe River Basin also showed a consistent increase of population and built-up land exposure to droughts and earthquakes. These findings can provide a foundation for the design and implementation of protection and adaptation strategies to improve the resilience of Chinese society to natural hazards.