Identification of spatial coupling between cultivated land functional transformation and settlements in Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between cultivated land transformation and settlement development is of considerable significance to the agricultural utilization and rural development in the context of global rural revitalization. This paper tries to reveal intensive land use under the background of population contraction in China's mountainous areas and its transformation trend by defining the cultivated land functional transformation (CLFT). Given the representativeness of land-use change in mountains, Caotangxi watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) was taken as a case study, and ArcGIS spatial analysis techniques were used to explore the spatial coupling relationship between CLFT and settlements development in mountainous areas. The results show that: (1) CLFT shifts from the low elevation area of <800m to the high elevation area of 800–1000m, and the transformation process remains within the range of slope 15–30°. (2) The decline-type settlements with high elevation gradually moved to the vigor-type settlements in low elevation, and CLFT location is closest to the settlements with great ecological vitality. (3) The coupling types between CLFT and settlements can be divided into four patterns, the spatial distribution of various patterns shows significant differential characteristics with terrain changes. (4) The spatial coupling relationship between CLFT and settlements can reflect the general law of rural land use transition in mountainous areas, and thereby provide policy ideas for mountainous development. Overall, this study's content can provide scientific guidance for rural development, agricultural production, and land consolidation in mountainous areas.