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Arid Land Geography ›› 2022, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (1): 153-163.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.153

• Earth Surface Process • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatio-temporal differentiation and driving factors of cropland in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China

TAO Zefu1,2(),WANG Shiqing1,2,SUN Piling1,2,3(),LI Kaidi1,2,TIAN Wen1,2,HAN Xiaoxiao1,2   

  1. 1. School of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao 276826, Shandong, China
    2. Rizhao Key Laboratory of Territory Spatial Planning and Ecological Construction, Rizhao 276826, Shandong, China
    3. College of Land Science and Technology, China Agriultural University, Beijing 100193, China
  • Received:2021-04-06 Revised:2021-07-30 Online:2022-01-25 Published:2022-01-21
  • Contact: Piling SUN E-mail:tzf0824@126.com;spling86@qfnu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Cropland plays an important role in guaranteeing the food security of China. On the basis of remote sensing images from 2000, 2010, and 2020, transfer matrix, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and spatial statistics model were used to analyze the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of cropland and its driving factors during the period of 2000 to 2020 in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. The results showed the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the area of cropland increased from 268959.49 km2 to 269471.62 km2 in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. The changes in cropland exhibited transformations between cropland and forest land, and grassland, which were mainly distributed in the regions with an altitude of 1000-2000 m and a slope of 0-5°. (2) Obvious spatial agglomeration characteristics of the distribution of cropland were observed during the period of 2000 to 2020 in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. Meanwhile, the spatial pattern of cropland was higher in the east than in the west and was higher in the north than in the south. The cropland was mainly distributed in the junction areas among Jilin, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia, as well as the river valleys within Gansu and Ningxia, where a plate with a low altitude is found. However, the cropland was scattered in the edge mountains of the plateau and the loess hilly and gully regions, where the terrain was complex, including Huangzhong County, Jianzha County, Fenxi County, Xiangning County, Loufan County, and Gujiao County. (3) From 2000 to 2020, the spatiotemporal differentiation of cropland in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China resulted from the interaction of the natural environment, socioeconomic factors, and regional policy factors. The national environment was the primary factor in the spatial distribution of cropland, and socioeconomic factors and regional policy factors were the key driving factors in the spatiotemporal differentiation of cropland in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. The factors of annual average temperature, road density, ecological conversion policy, and land use control system had a positive influence on the spatiotemporal differentiation of cropland, whereas the factors of slope and economic density had a negative impact. This study will provide a scientific reference for cropland protection and sustainable development in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China.

Key words: cropland, spatiotemporal pattern, driving factors, agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China