Decoupling cultivated land loss by construction occupation from economic growth in Beijing

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For more than three decades, China has experienced large-scale expansion of construction land (i.e., land used for building structures and infrastructure) and a rapid loss of cultivated land, especially in metropolises. The present study assessed cultivated land loss due to construction occupation (i.e., the expansion of construction land) in Beijing. The effects of economic growth on cultivated land losses were also examined using a decoupling approach. It was found that the expansion of construction land in Beijing occupied an additional 845.2 km2, 304.5 km2 and 869.0 km2 of cultivated land during the periods 1986–1995, 1995–2000 and 2000–2005 respectively. During 1986–1995, cultivated land was mainly taken over by the expansion of urban areas, whereas during 1995–2000 it was mainly replaced by the expansion of rural settlements, and, during 2000–2005, by uses in the “other construction” land use category (e.g., roads, railways, or industrial facilities located apart from urban areas or rural settlements). Beijing's economy and population growth were prominently decoupled from cultivated land losses during 1995–2000, but became negative decoupled during 2000–2005.