Abstract
Studies on land use structural optimization can support the sustainability of land resources. The Taipusi Banner lies in the arid and semiarid area of northern China, with rapid economic development and a vulnerable ecological condition. Taking the Taipusi Banner as a research case, we adopted a land use map and statistical data, and employed the ecosystem process model to establish five scenarios, including an economically optimal scenario, an ecologically optimal scenario, a comprehensively optimal scenario, a status quo, and a projected scenario. Based on multi-objective linear programming, the land use demand was optimized; then, the CLUE-S model and adaptability evaluation were adopted to establish spatial patterns. The ecological and economic benefits were then analyzed and policy suggestions are provided. The main results include the following: (1) The optimization outputs of various scenarios show that under optimization, cropland and forestland increased by 9.13% and 18.9%, respectively, and grassland decreased by 9.81%. (2) The land use optimization shows that comprehensive optimization aimed at achieving comprehensive benefits, ecological benefits, and economic benefits increased these benefits by 3.89%, 2.1%, and 6.2%, respectively. Compared with other scenarios, focusing on the comprehensive benefits of land use can result in the greatest increase in benefits to improve sustainability land resources. Land use optimization must consider not only the optimization of both the quantity and configuration but also the dimensions of both ecology and the economy. Land use should be based on a land suitability evaluation and optimization of the land use spatial configuration to update ineffective land uses and should gradually adjust both the ecological and engineering measures.
Highlights
Land use and land cover is defined by an assemble of anthropogenic and natural factors, and, as an essential part of the terrestrial ecosystems and the place of human activities, it can provide abundant ecological services and economic profits [1,2]
In order to quantify the complex influence and constraint of economy and ecology factors to land use changes, the analysis methods in our research focused on the multiple land use sector, multiple perspectives of economy and ecology, and multiple indices
The relationship between the optimization goal and the proportion of land use for all kinds of land shows that forestland had the greatest effect on ecological benefits; cropland had a significant effect on economic benefits; and grassland had a medium effect on comprehensive benefits
Summary
Land use and land cover is defined by an assemble of anthropogenic and natural factors, and, as an essential part of the terrestrial ecosystems and the place of human activities, it can provide abundant ecological services and economic profits [1,2]. With the acceleration of population growth and urbanization, both the quantity and quality of land are facing severe challenges [3,4]. In terms of the quantity of land use, intensive human activities have greatly increased the demand for land resources, but the supply of land resources is limited due to scarcity [5,6]. Regarding the quality of land use, human over-exploitation of land resources has led to land degradation [7,8,9]. In the Agro-Pastural Transitional Zone of Northern China (APTZNC), the ecological condition is fragile and sensitive to human interactions [10,11]. China has vigorously promoted the Grain for Green Program, which is one of the ecological conservation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
