Human-land Relations Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Tapio Decoupling Analysis of Energy-Related Carbon Emissions Using Nighttime Light Data: A Quantitative Case Study at the City Scale in Northeast China

As the world’s second-largest economy, China has experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization, resulting in high energy consumption and significant carbon emissions. This development has intensified conflicts between human-land relations and environmental conservation, contributing to global warming and urban air pollution, both of which pose serious health risks. This study uses nighttime light (NTL) data from 2005 to 2019, along with scaling techniques and statistical analysis, to estimate city-scale energy carbon emissions over a 15-year period. Focusing on Northeast China, a traditional industrial region comprising 36 cities across three provinces, we examine spatial patterns of energy carbon emissions and assess spatiotemporal evolution through spatial autocorrelation and dynamic changes. These changes are further evaluated using standard deviation ellipse (SDE) parameters and SLOPE values. Additionally, the Tapio decoupling index is applied to explore the relationship between city-scale emissions and economic growth. Our findings for the 36 cities over 15 years are: (1) Heilongjiang shows low, declining emissions; Jilin improves; Liaoning has high, steadily increasing emissions. (2) The global spatial autocorrelation of energy carbon emissions is significant, with a positive Moran’s I, while significant local Moran’s I clusters are concentrated in Heilongjiang and Liaoning. (3) The greatest emission changes occurred in 2015, followed by 2019, 2005, and 2010. (4) Emission growth is fastest in Heilongjiang, followed by Liaoning and Jilin. (5) Tapio analysis shows positive decoupling in Heilongjiang, declining decoupling in Jilin, and no change in Liaoning. This study provides a quantitative basis for dual carbon goals and offers emission reduction strategies for government, industry, and residents, supporting energy transition and sustainable urban planning.

New Interpretation of Human–Land Relations: Evidence from the Impact of Population Aging on Resource Utilization Efficiency in the Yellow River Basin

New Interpretation of Human–Land Relations: Evidence from the Impact of Population Aging on Resource Utilization Efficiency in the Yellow River Basin

A dataset of 1km-grid comprehensive indexes of land use degree density in China (2020)

The comprehensive index of land use degree quantitatively reflects the development and use degree of the ecological environment by human activities from the aspect of land use. The dataset is derived from the 30-meter land use raster data produced based on the 2020 national land change survey data. We used the land use comprehensive index model to quantitatively analyze the national land use degree evaluation by dividing the land use into four degrees: unused land, the land used for forestry, meadow and waters, agricultural land, and urban settlement land. We comprehensively calculated the degree of human intervention in regional land use. In order to ensure data correctness and accuracy, we adopted unified and standardized data processing methods, sample collection rules, and quality control systems to control the quality of the data results. This dataset can be used for a valuable reference for the research on territorial spatial planning, regional development and development evaluation, main body functional area evaluation, and coupling analysis of human-land relations.

Characteristics of bare rocky land evolution in karst mountain areas of Southwest China based on socio-ecological system perspectives: The case study of Huajiang Canyon

Rock exposure is a prerequisite for the emergence of bare rocky land (BRL), a severe ecological and environmental problem in karst mountain areas (KMA) of Southwest China, severely restricting the region’s sustainable development. An in-depth analysis of the evolution of BRL in KMA of Southwest China based on socio-ecological perspectives is significant for promoting the region’s sustainable development. This paper firstly analyzes the evolution of the social-ecological system and BRL and the transition of human-land relations in KMA of Southwest China, then selects a typical KMA, Huajiang Canyon in Guizhou Province, for a case study and applies ArcGIS to analyze the dynamics of the BRL of Huajiang Canyon in the past 60 years from 1969 to 2020, and reveals the reasons for the evolution of BRL. The results show that: (1) The evolution of BRL in KMA of Southwest China is closely related to the changes in the local socio-ecological environment. (2) The number, spatial distribution, and landscape pattern of BRL in the Huajiang Canyon from 1969 to 2020 underwent significant changes, with the area of BRL transitioning from an expansion phase to an accelerated shrinking phase and with prominent spatial dispersion characteristics. (3) The transition of the BRL of the Huajiang Canyon into forest grassland and economic and fruity forest land, and the transition of land use from production to ecology and eco-economy, have proved the greening of the KMA of Southwest China from a microscopic perspective. (4) This paper shows that the expansion and contraction of BRL areas can reflect the human-land relations in KMA of Southwest China. Finally, the development path proposed in this paper has a certain positive effect on promoting the future sustainable development of the KMA of Southwest China and can also provide a reference for developing other mountainous areas with similar situations.

Comprehensive assessment of rocky desertification treatment in Southwest China karst

AbstractRocky desertification is a prominent ecological issue in Southwest China's karst region, ranking among the nation's three primary ecological challenges alongside soil erosion and desertification. The government initiated the Rocky Desertification Treatment Program in 2008, lacking a comprehensive evaluation of its benefits. This study evaluates the program's impact on ecosystem services over the last two decades using remote sensing, ecosystem models, and field data. The results indicated a continuous net decrease of rocky desertification, 48% in the eight southwestern provinces from 2005 to 2021. The average annual growth rate of vegetation cover reached 2.54% in key counties for rocky desertification control, significantly higher than that of all the 451 rocky desertification counties from 2016 to 2020. Additionally, ecosystem productivity increased by 35.8% in rocky desertification counties from 2000 to 2020, which is 1.34 times greater than that observed in non‐rocky desertification counties. It was found that the ecosystem service promotion after the net reduction of rocky desertification area in 2010–2020 is more significant, especially the carbon sequestration in 2010–2020 of key counties for rocky desertification control is 2.7 times than that in 2000–2010. It indicates that the rocky desertification treatment enters the stage of ecosystem service promotion on the basis of achieving rapid “greening,” leading to significant improvements in ecosystem structures and services in the karst region of Southwest China. To mitigate the risk of rocky desertification, tailored measures must be implemented considering local climate, lithology, landform types, and human–land relations for effective treatment zoning and classification.

Aridification and Its Impacts on Terrestrial Hydrology and Ecosystems over a Comprehensive Transition Zone in China

Abstract In China, the topography, climate, ecology, hydrology, and human environment vary greatly from southeast to northwest, and a typical natural and social environmental transition zone (i.e., comprehensive transition zone) exists near the “Hu Huanyong line,” which is a famous demographic dividing line in China, known as the Hu zone. Dry and wet climate changes in the Hu zone can have a significant impact on terrestrial ecosystems and hydrological conditions, ultimately affecting human–land relations. However, there is still a lack of clear understanding of environmental changes in the context of climate change in the Hu zone. Here, a quantitative analysis of climate change and its impacts on terrestrial hydrology and ecosystems from 1951 to 2020 is presented. The results showed that there exists a significant drying trend in the Hu zone and a dramatic decrease in terrestrial water storage (TWS), indicating that the environment has become worse. Conversely, from the perspective of significant greening, the environment has improved. This contradiction is mainly due to climate change dominating the depletion of TWS, while the increase in vegetation greenness is more driven by human activities including agricultural management and ecological restoration, offsetting to some extent the negative impact of water scarcity on vegetation growth. Significance Statement The Hu zone is a transition zone between southeast and northwest China, which is a sensitive area under climate change as well as key region for coordinated development. The purpose of this study is to reveal the long-term climate change in the Hu zone and its impacts on hydrology and ecology. Our results indicate a significant drying trend in this zone over the last 70 years, which led to a substantial reduction in water storage. However, the vegetation coverage increased due to human activities. This study provides guidance for agricultural structure adjustment and ecological protection in transition zones. Future research should focus more on the assessment and risk management of dry/wet changes in climate transition areas around the world.

‘Typical container’ of Chinese civilisation: ‘Yellow-Canal-Yangtze’ watershed community

The watershed is the earliest geographical unit of human activity and the tensest area in terms of human–land relations. Focussing solely on individual watershed spaces makes it difficult to comprehensively reflect and address complex human–land issues. For the complex processes of the origin, dissemination, communication and integration of civilisations, a more macroscopic scale is also needed for systematic understanding and analysis. The exchange and mutual learning amongst the Yellow River Basin, Yangtze River Basin and Grand Canal region promote the diversity and innovation of culture, making them the ‘typical containers’ of Chinese civilisation. Based on the uniqueness and correlation of regions such as the Yellow River Basin, Yangtze River Basin and Grand Canal, this study constructs the concept of a ‘Yellow-Canal-Yangtze’ watershed community, combining existing disciplinary advances and summarizing its spatial, temporal and elemental characteristics. This research is conducive to promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional culture, assisting in the protection of watershed cultural heritage systems and the governance of watershed ecosystems, and promoting regional coordinated and interconnected development.

Optimization strategies of ecological security patterns through importance of ecosystem services and ecological sensitivity—A case study in the Yellow River Basin

AbstractWith the aggravation of environmental conflicts, exploring the green development path is an inevitable choice to alleviate land tension, guarantee the harmony of human–land relations, and promote coordinated regional development. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is an important national ecological barrier area, but the impact of its environmental problems can no longer be ignored. Ecological security patterns (ESPs) provide remarkable means for the identification, configuration, and optimization of ecological spaces, which can help people identify the most central zone that needs to be protected. In this paper, we proposed environmental optimization strategies applicable to YRB as a case area. Firstly, the basic framework of ESPs was constructed based on the “three‐step” method, where ecological sources were delineated by importance/sensitivity, resistance surfaces were created by entropy weight method, and the distribution ranges of ecological corridors, nodes, and barriers were confirmed by circuit theory. Meanwhile, stepping stones were introduced to optimize the ESPs, which were obtained through hotspot analysis and buffer analysis. The results displayed that (1) ecological sources covered an area of 166,699.32 km2, occupying 21% of the basin area. They were widely distributed in the upper and middle junctions, southeast and east of the basin, and of the land types that make up them, cropland, woodland, and grassland account for 97.6%. (2) The spatial distribution of resistance values varied considerably with low values predominantly found along water systems and high values predominantly found in densely populated urban areas. (3) Through the Linkage Mapper tool, 344 ecological corridors were acquired, with dense and short corridors in the southeast and sparse and long corridors in the northwest; 146 ecological nodes were acquired, which were the priority areas for ecological protection; and 154 barriers were acquired, the improvement or removal of which can enhance the connectivity between sources. In addition, the application of stepping stones further enhanced the connectivity between landscapes. The ESPs assessment framework constructed in this paper can provide strong support for relevant departments to carry out ecological monitoring and formulate environmental protection strategies.

Spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanism of slope cultivated land in karst mountainous areas of Southwest China—A case study of Puding County, Guizhou Province

AbstractSlope‐cultivated land (SCL) is essential for food security and ecological protection in Southwest China's karst mountainous areas (KMA). Constructing a unified conceptual framework to study SCL's spatiotemporal evolution characteristics thoroughly and driving mechanisms can comprehensively reveal the development of regional human–land relations and sustainable land use. Therefore, this article first constructs a conceptual framework for the spatiotemporal evolution of SCL in the KMA of Southwest China and carries out a case study in Puding County, a typical karst mountainous area, based on high‐resolution remote sensing images from 2004 to 2020 and the digital elevation model (DEM), to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of SCL in different topographic gradients and introduce the Geodetector further to explore the driving factors of SCL evolution. The results show that the SCL is evolving toward fragmentation, driven by socio‐economic factors. The active policy of the state encourages to abandon steep SCL with poor productivity in the KMA, and the abandonment of SCL in high altitude steep slope areas into woodland and grassland brings remarkable ecological benefits, while the evolution of SCL in low altitude gentle slope areas toward economic fruit forest generates significant obvious ecological‐economic win‐win benefits. The evolution of SCL in southwestern karst mountains has promoted regional ecological restoration and made an important contribution to the greening of the world by reducing land degradation (karstic rocky desertification, KRD). The present research results can provide ideas for the utilization, functional transformation, and ecologically sustainable development of similar mountainous SCL.

Analysis of land use change and its driving forces in Nanjing metropolitan area

As the earliest inter-provincial metropolitan area started to be built in China, the Nanjing metropolitan area has become an important issue worthy of study in this region after 20 years of development. In order to quantify the characteristics of land use change and its driving factors, ArcGIS was used to calculate the land use transfer matrix and analyze the land use change in Nanjing metropolitan area for two time periods from 2000 to 2010 and 2010 to 2020, and the driving factors of land use change in the study area were explored by the method of principal component analysis. The results show that the Nanjing metropolitan area is dominated by arable land, forest land and water bodies, which account for more than 80% of the total area; the area of arable land decreases significantly and the area of construction land continues to increase during the study period, and the area of arable land transformed into construction land is the most numerous among the land use change types. The increase in population, socio-economic development and changes in climatic factors are the main driving factors for land use type conversion in the Nanjing metropolitan area. This study provides a theoretical basis for the sustainable and high-quality development of land resources and the coordinated development of human-land relations in the Nanjing metropolitan area.

Expanded Residential Lands and Reduced Populations in China, 2000–2020: Patch-Scale Observations of Rural Settlements

The spatiotemporal transformations of rural residential lands and populations reflect changes in rural human–land relations. This study uses high-precision rural residential land patches and population distribution data to detect the area, population density, and spatial heterogeneity of newly added rural residential land (NARRL) in China from 2000 to 2020 through spatial local clustering and geographically weighted regression. The patch results were summarized into county-level units for regional comparison, spatial clustering identification, and policy recommendations. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The total rural residential area increased by 13.86% between 2000 and 2020. The average population density of NARRL (APDNARRL) at patch scale is 701.64 person/km2, significantly exceeding the 507.23 person/km2 of the remaining patches. (2) There are obvious spatial differences in the distribution of APDNARRL as per county-level statistics. There are significant differences in APDNARRL on both sides of the Hu Huanyong Line; the APDNARRL on the left is significantly lower than that on the right. (3) Spatial heterogeneity was found to be among the driving factors of APDNARRL. This study also detected the number and location of hollowing counties; it is significant for monitoring dynamic changes in rural residential lands, revealing their spatial distribution patterns and driving factors, thus improving the optimization of rural land resources.

Simulation Analysis of Land-Use Spatial Conflict in a Geopark Based on the GMOP–Markov–PLUS Model: A Case Study of Yimengshan Geopark, China

The foundation for accurately understanding regional land-use structures and pursuing the coordination of human–land relations is the scientific identification and simulation of temporal and spatial evolution patterns of land-use spatial conflict (LUSC). Based on the production–living–ecological space (PLES) perspective, a land-use spatial conflict identification and intensity diagnosis model (LUCSII) was constructed using a landscape ecology index. The methods of geographic information system (GIS), spatial autocorrelation analysis, and mathematical statistics were used to achieve the spatial pattern of LUSC over the last 20 years, and the GMOP–Markov–PLUS model was used to simulate the evolution of LUSC in the future under various scenarios. The results indicated that our established LUCSII could accurately identify potential land-use spatial conflict areas in geoparks. The GMOP–Markov–PLUS model constructed had also scientifically predicted the future land-use patterns under different scenarios, successfully demonstrating the changing process of spatial conflict pattern evolution. The research proposed three different plans for the long-term land use of YG, including ecological protection, economic development, and long-term development perspectives. Finally, the research further emphasized the importance for sustainable development of geoparks. More attention should be paid to the optimal allocation of land-use structure and the coordinated development of human–land relationships.

The Dirt Witches’ Counter-narrative: A Response to Murray Bail’s "Eucalyptus"

Murray Bail’s 1998 novel Eucalyptus is an exposition of land ownership, plant classification and human-land relations, using a fairy tale structure. Bail uses parodic excess to deftly undermine settler preoccupations and European traditions that have historically been transposed onto the Australian bush. However, upon a second reading twenty-four years after the first, this author detected an absence of decolonial context in the book, relative to the time of publication, and an unintended reinforcement of misogyny that requires fresh interrogation. This author’s own work as a member of a Dirt Witch collective presents as a dovetailed creative object—an urban forest artwork 2021—and allows a witchy reading of Bail’s 1998 book and more contemporary attempts to redress colonial failures. It also allows an interrogation of the way the novel re-stereotypes Australian women on the land, re-oppresses both land and women and reinforces the very misogyny it was purported to expose.

Research on the evolution and the driving forces of land use classification for production, living, and ecological space in China’s Qilian Mountains Nature Reserve from 2000 to 2020

With the rapid development of the economy, problems such as resource depletion, environmental degradation, and increasingly strained human-land relations have become increasingly prominent. The rational layout of the production, living, and ecological spaces is the basis for solving the contradiction between economic development and environmental protection. This paper analyzed the spatial distribution pattern and evolution characteristics of the Qilian Mountains Nature Reserve based on the theory of production, living, and ecological space. The results show that the production and living function indexes are rising. The most advantaged areas are in the northern part of the research area, where the terrain is flat and transportation is convenient. The ecological function index rises, falls, then rises again. The high-value area is located in the south of the study area, and its ecological function is intact. The study area is dominated by ecological space. During the study period, the area of production space increased by 858.5 km2 and the living space area increased by 341.12 km2. The intensification of human activities has separated the continuity of ecological space. The area of ecological space has decreased by 233.68 km2. Among geographical factors, altitude has a significant impact on the evolution of living space. Population density is the main socioeconomic factor in changing the areas of production space and ecological space. This study is expected to provide a reference basis for land use planning and sustainable development of resources and environment in nature reserves.

Spatiotemporal pattern of Neolithic-Bronze Age settlements and its driving mechanisms in Northern Haidai Region, China: Natural environment, social organization, and subsistence strategies

The spatiotemporal distribution of settlements and their environmental context since the Neolithic is one of the vital components for exploring past changes in human-land relations. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between the evolution of the social organization, settlement patterns, and the corresponding environmental settings. In this study, the spatiotemporal distribution and rank-size of settlements revealed crucial aspects of the hydrogeomorphic conditions, cultural inheritance, and social evolution in northern Shandong Province based on the GIS analytical methods. The prehistoric settlements were primarily distributed in the pre-mountain plains and low mountain hills due to the change of water volume of big rivers and sea level fluctuations until the expansion to the northern plains during the Longshan period. Determined cultural sequences were demonstrated to be accompanied by different settlement development patterns. Most settlements in an older period were abandoned in the subsequently younger period except the Shang-Zhou period, indicating poor inheritance. The emergence of a middle and high-rank regional settlement system in the Dawenkou-Longshan period suggests a fundamental change in social organization, reflecting the transition from complex chiefdoms to early city-state kingdoms. Such a regional social stratification was intensified during the Shang-Zhou periods when a four-tier settlement system emerged. In addition, the solid cultural importation from the Dawenkou-Longshan period to the central and southern regions brought about the exchange and advancement of production technologies, which once established a solid position in agriculture. However, this was broken by drought and cold climatic events, and the complexity of the Yueshi cultural settlement system that subsequently emerged was substantially weakened. As an important area of Haidai culture, the natural driving force and social organization of ancient culture development from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age are of great significance for understanding the interrelationship between the origin and process of Chinese civilization and environmental evolution.

Environmental Adaptation in the Process of Human-Land Relationship in Southeast China's Ethnic Minority Areas and Its Significance on Sustainable Development.

The relationship between regional human development and geographic environment is the basis for dynamic social change, and studying the evolution of human-land relations in typical regions can provide background knowledge for global change studies. This study is based on GIS and spatio-temporal statistical techniques, combined with the analysis of toponymic cultural landscapes, to study ethnic minority regions of southeastern China. The results show that: (1) The geographical environment of the region will affect the naming of villages, and the orientation and family name are the most common; the frequency of plants, pit (keng), animals, and flat (ping) is also very high. (2) Han settlements and She settlements have obvious spatial differentiation, and in general the Han distribution area is lower than that of the She. Han settlements are mainly distributed in plain areas along rivers with elevations less than 200 m; She settlements are mainly distributed in hilly areas (200~500 m) and low mountain areas (500~800 m). (3) The results of quadrat analysis and nearest neighbor index analysis show that both Han and She settlements are clustered in the spatial distribution pattern, and the distribution of She settlements is more clustered than that of Han, with more dense settlements at a certain spatial scale. The regional cultural landscape is the result of the development and evolution of human-land relationship, and the comprehensive analysis of cultural landscape can understand the process of human-land relationship in a small region. The settlements in the region are indicative of the geographic environment in terms of village naming, spatial pattern, elevation differentiation and relationship with rivers, which can reflect the environmental adaptation process of human activities.

A Comparative Study on the Coevolution and Drivers of Environmental Risks and Man–Land Relationship between China and the United States from the Perspective of LUCC

The study of geography is centered on the regional system of the human-land relationship, and the core of the study of the geographical system of the human-land relationship is land use change. Land use is the most direct manifestation of human activities, accompanied by changes in land cover. This is the most appropriate entry point to reveal the evolution of human-land relationships. The past 300 years have been the most intense period of social change in China and the United States. In this study, we investigated the differences and evolution of human-land relations between China and the United States from the perspective of land cover change. We found: (1) Cultivated land, forest land, and grassland areas in China and the United States have changed significantly in the past 300 years. The cultivated land area has generally increased, and the extent of forest land and grassland has declined. According to the speed of land cover change, it can be roughly divided into three different stages. The change in cultivated land in China is mainly based on the enhancement of cultivation intensity. The change in cultivated land in the United States is mainly based on expansion of cultivated land. (2) The difference in land cover change between China and the United States in the past 300 years is mainly caused by the difference in social development, interpreting human-land relationships with honest feedback and social feedback. In general, with the continuous development of land, environmental issues have become increasingly prominent, and people’s awareness of environmental protection has also increased. (3) The evolution of human-land relations in China and the United States has been influenced by natural and social factors for nearly 300 years. China is dominated by population, whereas the United States is dominated by technology. The relationship between humans and land differs between the two countries in some respects, with similarities in other areas. In both countries, this relationship can be characterized by the stages of relying on the environment, understanding the environment, transforming the environment, and protecting the environment. This evolution is in line with the law of social development, according to which human beings constantly recognize, utilize, and adapt to nature.

Reconstructing spatial pattern of historical cropland in karst areas of Guizhou, Southwest China

Karst regions are exceptionally responsive to global change with their harsh natural environment, fragile ecology, and acute human-land conflicts. The reconstruction of cropland spatial pattern in karst areas during the historical period is typical for studying human-land relations in karst areas and has important practical significance for climate study. The ecological environment changes at regional and global scales, primarily to provide essential data and a theoretical basis for studying the inverse evolution of rock desertification in karst areas. Guizhou province, a typical karst area, was selected as the research area in 1820. Based on the correction of historical population data and cropland data, a reconstruction model of cropland spatial pattern in karst areas during the historical period was constructed by selecting factors such as elevation, slope, soil types, organic matter content, climatic productivity potential, distance to river and distance from settlements to reconstruct the spatial pattern distribution of cropland in 1820 of Guizhou. The results show that the data on cropland recorded in Guizhou during the Qing dynasty is too low, mainly due to Yin-Ni and the policy of Tu-Di-Mian-Ke. In 1820, the total area of revised cropland in Guizhou was 1,851,792 hm2, with the highest proportion of 14.32% in Dading Fu and the lowest in Songtao Ting at 1.6%. Only 30% of the grid in Guizhou has a cropland distribution. It is mainly concentrated in the central part of Qianzhong District (Anshun and Guiyang Fu), the southern part of Qianbei District (Pingyue Fu and southern Zunyi Fu), the western part of Qiandongnan District, the central and eastern parts of the Qiandongbei District. The overall average reclamation rate of land in Guizhou is 10.93%, the highest reclamation intensity in Qianzhong District, with 8.5% of grids ≥ 50%, and the smallest in Qianxinan District, with only 1.65% of grids ≥ 50%. The analysis is validated by comparing the reconstruction model and the reconstruction results. It can be seen that the reconstruction model and research results of this paper can more objectively reflect the distribution of cropland in karst areas during the historical period, and the reconstruction model is suitable for karst areas with low productivity levels.

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of County Population Shrinkage and Influencing Factors in the North–South Transitional Zone of China

Population is the foundation of socio-economic development. However, continued population shrinkage has made the problem of unbalanced and insufficient regional development more prominent, threatening human well-being. How to solve the contradiction between population shrinkage and regional development has become an urgent scientific problem. Therefore, taking a typical underdeveloped mountainous region, the North-South Transitional Zone of China, as an example, we analyzed the spatial and temporal evolution of regional population shrinkage from 2000 to 2020, classified the types of regional population shrinkage, and revealed the key influencing factors and driving mechanisms for the formation of population shrinkage patterns in poor mountainous counties. The results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the number of counties in the North-South Transitional Zone of China with population shrinkage grew, and the degree of shrinkage increased. The shrinking counties were mainly municipal counties, and the shrinkage types were mainly continuous shrinkage and expansion followed by shrinkage. (2) Spatially, the shrinking counties had significant and strengthening spatial autocorrelation, with obvious characteristics of the contiguous shrinkage of county units, and the shrinkage center of gravity and shrinkage agglomeration areas showed an evolutionary trend of shifting from east to west. The shrinking counties had obvious divergence in both the "east-west" and "north-south" directions. (3) Natural factors had an endogenous rooting role, while human factors had a strong driving role, and the impact of different influencing factors varied significantly. (4) The formation and evolution of the spatial pattern of county population shrinkage was subject to the synergistic effect of natural factors and human factors. The interaction between natural and human factors had a non-linear enhancement effect and a two-factor enhancement effect. The results of this study are expected to provide a scientific basis for coordinating regional human-land relations in order to optimize population-flow governance and sustainable regional development in the North-South Transitional Zone and less-developed regions of China.

The Dream of Property: Law and Environment in William T. Vollmann’s Dying Grass and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead

Abstract This article describes how the law inflects the narration of environmental conflict in William T. Vollmann’s Dying Grass (2015) and Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead (1991). By focusing on the legal common sense of settler colonialism—its emphasis on private property in land and its subjugation of Indigenous peoples to the guardianship of the state—the article explores the ways in which Vollmann’s and Silko’s novels present counternarratives to the law’s story of justified conquest. Combining a law and literature approach with ecocriticism, this article highlights the importance of the legal imagination in defining human-land relations in the United States. It demonstrates how The Dying Grass and Almanac of the Dead critique this legal imagination while also using it as a model for changing environmental politics through discourse.