Single Land Use Dynamic Degree Research Articles

Relationship between regional economic development and its associated land use changes: A case study of Shaanxi province in China

Land use (LU) policies exert a profound influence on socio-economic dynamics. However, the intricate relationship between these two aspects has yet to receive comprehensive examination, especially when focusing on specific LU types and smaller-scale geographical regions. We, therefore, elucidate the complex interplay between economic development, urbanization levels, and LU changes, drawing from extensive datasets concerning LU and economic activities in Shaanxi, China. This region holds particular significance as it represents an emerging economy with a strategic role in the national economic landscape. The LU change was assessed by two indicators, comprehensive index of land use degree (CILUD) and single land use dynamic degree (SLUDD). Three findings were yielded. First, the rapid progress in socio-economic indicators is significantly underpinned by environmentally sustainable economic development practices, thereby underscoring the potential resolution of the perennial dilemma between economic growth and environmental conservation. Second, the tension between the conversion of arable land and the process of urbanization, which stimulates regional economic growth, poses a considerable challenge to maintaining sustainable agriculture and ensuring future food security. Third, the reserved land area should not be occupied without constrains for inland regions. We consequently propose suggestions aimed at addressing these dilemmas by constructing environment-friendly economy, halting urbanization expansion by increasing LU density, halting the occupation of reserved land, and increasing cropping efficiency. Together, these strategies potentially do not only advance progress towards the Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals but also greatly boost the regional economy.

Multi-scenario simulation analysis of cultivated land based on PLUS model—a case study of Haikou, China

Land-use changes have received increasing attention since the 1990s. Cultivated land is a vital land resource with both natural and economic features. Socioeconomic development profoundly affects the spatiotemporal evolution of cultivated land. In turn, the spatiotemporal change of cultivated land also reflects the socioeconomic development trend. This study took Haikou City, which has the highest degree of urbanization in Hainan Province, as the study area, analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of its cultivated land resources during the past 20 years of rapid socioeconomic development, and predicted the future spatiotemporal evolution trends of its cultivated land resources on this basis, to provide scientific reference for the rational use and sustainable development of the cultivated land resources in Haikou. This study applied the single land-use dynamic degree (SLUDD) and land-use transfer matrix to explore the spatiotemporal evolution of cultivated land in Haikou from 2000 to 2020. The patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model was introduced to predict the patterns of cultivated land under different development scenarios in 2030. The results showed that: (1) although rapid socioeconomic development has contributed to Haikou's urbanization rate over the past 20 years, the accompanying expansion of construction land has caused damage to cultivated land resources, especially in urban suburbs. Site conditions, differential land benefits, and urban economic radiation may be potential influencing factors leading to the loss of peri-urban cultivated land; (2) it was verified that the PLUS model applies to the land-use patterns prediction in Haikou; and (3) the simulation results of both natural and urban development scenarios not only predicted the continued loss of cultivated land in the original zone but also exposed new sites of cultivated land loss. Although construction land expansion is an inevitable trend, there is still hope that the expansion rate can be controlled, for example, under the cultivated land conservation scenario. The simulation results of the three scenarios have essential reference values for the future maintenance of cultivated land resource security in Haikou.

Dynamic Changes of the Bush Encroachment in Low Altitude Area of Ethiopia

Bush encroachment is widely distributed in arid and semi-arid regions, and it has a serious impact on livestock production, especially in Africa where livestock is a primary source for the livelihoods of many people. In this study, methods of supervised classification and decision tree classification, and indexes of a land use change significance index (Ci) and a single land use dynamic degree, were applied to remote sensing imagery of Ethiopia for 1986–2016. The results show the dynamic characteristics of grassland bush encroachment in low altitude areas (pastures <1500 m above sea level) of Ethiopia in the 30 year period studied. The results revealed several interesting features of this phenomenon. (1) The area of bush encroachment showed an increasing trend, with a maximum of 3.74×103 km2 in 2003, which represented 68.97% of the total area, and declined slightly from 2003∼2016. (2) Among classification types, the area of severe shrub grassland was the largest, accounting for 28.36–49.10% of the total area, while the area of moderate bush encroachment accounted for 9.77–16.68%, and slight bush encroachment accounted for 5.52–7.57%. (3) The expansion rate of shrubby grassland was 0.74% for the 30 year period, while the average annual expansion rate was 2.16% for the 8 years from 1995–2003. (4) Forest land and grassland were the two main land use types of shrub grassland transformation in low altitude areas and bush encroachment changed large amounts of forest land into grassland due to shrub grassland management. The results of this study provide basic data for revealing the impacts of development processes on subsequent bush encroachment and can inform better management for the sustainable development of grasslands in low altitude systems.

Analysis of the influential factors for changes to land use in China’s Xingwen Global Geopark against a tourism development background

This study employs geographic information system software to explore the influences of elevation, slope, the river system, traffic arteries and the central development zone on the land-use changes in Shihai between 1995 and 2010. Data were drawn from statistics from the first two remote sensing investigations of land use in the town of Shihai in China’s Xingwen Global Geopark and its digital elevation model data. An analysis of the relationships between changes in land use was performed using relevant models, including a comprehensive land-use dynamic degree model, a single land-use dynamic degree model and a comprehensive index model for the extent of land use. The results suggest that a combination of natural and human factors influenced the changes in Shihai’s land use during the time from 1995 to 2010. First, elevation and slope exerted environmental resistance. Specifically, as elevation or slope increased, the extent of change in land use decreased, despite local policies that have reduced the extent of this resistance. Second, the river system influenced land use such that, as distance from the river increased, changes in land use decreased and then increased, suggesting that the river has a resistant as well as propulsive influence. Third, traffic arteries and the central development zone created an environmental motivation to the changes in Shihai’s land use; specifically, the evolving tourism industry results in increasing numbers of tourist trails and roads and continually expanding Geopark services’ infrastructure. Thus, relatively more dramatic changes are experienced in the Geopark’s proximate land use than in its surroundings.