Coordinated development of cultivated land use and ecological protection in cities along the main stream of the Yellow River in Henan Province, China

Abstract

The protection and sustainable management of cultivated land are cornerstones of ensuring ecological balance. In implementing cultivated land protection policies, spatially defined land-use strategies can aid in the sustainable utilization of these land resources. Yet, recent agricultural activities have affected the water quality of the Yellow River and pose a significant challenge to the Yellow River basin. Many policy considerations have overlooked the ecosystem integrity. To address this oversight, we targeted cities bordering the main course of the Yellow River in Henan Province and constructed an ecological security pattern (ESP) defined by “five zones, one belt, multiple corridors, multiple points” to coordinated development cultivated land use and ecological protection. Ecological sources were identified via four ecosystem services (ESs) and the ordered weighted average (OWA) method. The ESP was built using the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model and circuit theory, while cultivated land protection and natural development scenarios were simulated using the FLUS model. The results showed that the cultivated land protection scene under ecological security pattern restriction (ESPR-CP) was beneficial to the ecological environment. Prior to enacting cultivated land protection measures, developments within priority conservation areas should be restricted. Cultivable areas should be at the forefront of stringent land protection policies. In addition, cultivated land situated along key ecological corridors and pinch points should improve in soil quality while prohibiting conversion to other types of land use, and the conversion of cultivated land in barriers to green space should be promoted further. This study provided a theoretical basis for how the government may enforce the cultivated land protection policy while promoting ecological protection, and it is also relevant to other areas located on both sides of the river.