Abstract
Land-use cover is undergoing intense change under global climate change and rapid urbanization, especially in the Loess Plateau, where ecological restoration policies like Green for Grain Project (GFGP) have been vigorously implemented since the 1980s. The main objective of this study was to distinguish the difference of spatio-temporal variation of land-use change in the two study periods of 1980–2000 and 2000–2020 at the county scales. Geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) was employed to handle both the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the driving forces for land use change. The results showed that the quantity of construction land, woodland and grassland experienced continuous growth, but arable land declined substantially. The results of GTWR model showed that the dominant influencing factors of land-use change had temporal and spatial differences in the Loess Plateau. Specifically, the implementation of GFGP and precipitation accelerated the changes in arable land, grassland and woodland. For construction land, its growth was mainly promoted by gross domestic product (GDP) and population, both of which had more obvious positive effects in the last 20 years. The findings provide a scientific basis to put forward countermeasures emphasizing sustainable land use in the Loess Plateau.
Highlights
Land-use/land-cover change is the most direct manifestation characterizing the interplay between anthropogenic activity and the natural environment [1]
Land-use dynamic degrees for arable land, woodland, grassland, waterbody, construction land and unused land were calculated for the two periods of 1980–2000 and 2000–2020
The findings showed that dramatic changes especially occurred in arable land, woodland and construction land
Summary
Land-use/land-cover change is the most direct manifestation characterizing the interplay between anthropogenic activity and the natural environment [1]. The “Grain for Green program” (GFGP) initiated in the year of 1999, aiming at alleviating overuse of farmland and restoring the damaged ecological environment, has been carried out on a large scale throughout the country [25,26]. It has promoted the conversion of arable land with slopes greater than 25◦ into grassland and woodland, changing both the structure and spatial distribution of regional land use [27]
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.
