Multifunctional trade-off and compensation mechanism of arable land under the background of rural revitalization: a case study in the West Mountain Regions of Hubei Province.

Abstract

Exploring the spatial relationship and ecological compensation mechanism of each function of arable land in poor mountainous areas is important to promote rural revitalization and enhance arable land protection. Taking the mountainous region of Western Hubei (MRWH) as an example, this study quantified the "three living" functions of arable land and its secondary functions. Using the root mean square deviation method to calculate the trade-off index, a quantitative method can more scientifically reflect the trade-off relationship between arable land functions and measure the overall ecological compensation. Studies have shown that (1) the value of the production function exhibits a growing and subsequently a falling trend, whereas the value of living function and ecological function exhibits an increasing trend over time, with an average functional value of 5310, 220 and 6496 million yuan, respectively. The spatial pattern of the "three living" functional values decreases from west to east. Among them, water conservation and soil conservation function values show a high distribution in the south and low in the north, gas purification and agricultural pollution functional values show a scattered spatial pattern, and the value of other functions shows an increasing trend from southeast to northwest; (2) among the primary functions, the trade-off between production and ecological functions is the strongest, decreasing, and then increasing over time, with an average trade-off index of 0.89. Among the secondary functions, there is the most obvious trade-off between the food supply function and the five ecological functions, which requires coordination; (3) overall, the total amount of ecological compensation has shown an upward trend, with priority areas for level I ecological compensation increasing year by year. Optimized compensation zones and potential compensation zones are concentrated in the northwest, ecological balance zones are located in the central part, and optimized development compensation zones and key development compensation zones are located in the southeast. According to the research, MRWH is oriented to ecological function, followed by the production function, supplemented by the living function. Green agriculture should be vigorously developed and ecological function space should be compressed by strictly limiting the excessive expansion of production activities. Promoting the improvement ofproduction function through ecological function, while exploring the potential value of living function. Ecological compensation in strict accordance with the priority of ecological compensation, zoning. Realizing cross-regional cooperation, low compensation areas drive high compensation areas to achieve sustainable development of arable land.