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Arid Land Geography ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (5): 885-897.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2023.479

• Regional Development • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evolution characteristics and its driving mechanism of territorial spatial pattern in the Hexi Corridor from 2000 to 2020

BO Liming1(), YIN Li2, WEI Wei1,2,3(), ZHAO Lang2, XIA Junnan4   

  1. 1. China Institute of Development Strategy and Planning, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
    2. School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
    3. Center of Hubei Human Habitat Engineering and Technology, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
    4. School of Resource and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
  • Received:2023-09-05 Revised:2023-11-16 Online:2024-05-25 Published:2024-05-30
  • Contact: WEI Wei E-mail:boliming@whu.edu.cn;weiwei@whu.edu.cn

Abstract:

The Hexi Corridor, as China’s most densely populated arid region, necessitates a thorough understanding of the evolution of its spatial patterns and the underlying driving mechanisms to reconcile regional development with environmental protection within a three-zone framework. This research employs a suite of quantitative methods, including the spatial transition matrix, landscape pattern index, and optimal parameter geographical detector, to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics and determinants of territorial spatial pattern changes in the Hexi Corridor from 2000 to 2020, focusing on “quantitative change” and “form change”. The findings reveal as follows: (1) The Hexi Corridor’s urban, agricultural, and various ecological spaces have expanded, accompanied by a notable decline of 2758.87 km2 in green ecological areas. Despite heightened developmental activities across the three-zone space, ecological conservation efforts have yet to yield significant results. (2) The predominant form of territorial space transition is the internal “desert-green land” dynamics within ecological zones, marked by considerable variability in the extent of cross-transformation across different functionally oriented zones. This cross-transformation of territorial spaces is characterized by increasing fragmentation, dispersion, and complexity in landscape patterns. (3) The territorial spatial pattern evolution in the Hexi Corridor is influenced by multifaceted factors. “Quantitative change” is primarily driven by national policy directives, natural geographic conditions, transportation-related constraints, and socio-economic drivers, whereas “form change” is shaped by natural geography and further modified by transportation and socio-economic factors.

Key words: major function oriented zone, three-zone space, land desertification, cultivated land expansion, Hexi Corridor