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Arid Land Geography ›› 2021, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (4): 1011-1021.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.04.14

• Earth Surface Process • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial pattern changes and influencing factors of land use in Yulin City in the past 40 years

LI Yali1,2,3(),YANG Fenli4,YANG Lian’an1,2,3(),SHANG Xiaoqing1,2,4,HU Guigui1,2,3,JIA Lujing1,2,3   

  1. 1. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, Shaanxi, China
    2. Institute of the Yellow River Research, Xi’an 710127, Shaanxi, China
    3. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, Shaanxi, China
    4. Academy of Agriculture Sciences of Xianyang, Xianyang 712000, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2020-04-01 Revised:2021-02-03 Online:2021-07-25 Published:2021-08-02
  • Contact: Lian’an YANG E-mail:2242688505@qq.com;yanglianan@163.com

Abstract:

Yulin City is located in the northern agro-pastoral zone of China and has a fragile ecological environment. It is an important barrier to ecological security. Land use patterns are affected by the allocation structure and management of the ecological environment. In this study, the land use patterns of Yulin from 1980 to 2018 were analyzed to identify the relationship between spatiotemporal changes and influencing factors. The primary data source was land use data at a 30-m resolution. The normalized difference vegetation index was used to represent vegetation. Data were taken from three industries to represent economic factors. Demographic data were used to reflect demographic changes. Kernel density analysis was used to calculate the density of data points with land use attributes. Different indices were used to analyze the speed, intensity, and structure of changes in land use patterns. The results showed that changes in land use patterns were mainly due to a decrease in cultivated land, substantial increase in construction, and decrease in unused land. Cultivated land decreased in the southeastern area but increased in the southwest. Forestland showed “multicore growth”. The grassland was most dense in the north and increased over time. Construction was most dense in six counties in the northwest and showed a large increase over time. Most unused land was in the northwest, which included the Mu Us Desert, and was significantly affected by land management. The spatial changes in land use patterns were attributed to the combined effects of policy, socioeconomic, and demographic factors. The results indicate that the waste of cultivated land should be prevented. Additionally, the relationship between policy implementation, cultivated land quality, and ecological protection should be coordinated, and traditional practices of agriculture and animal husbandry should be optimized. Man-made construction and development in desert areas should be reduced. The interweaving effects of human activities and changes in the ecological environment should be considered to promote ecological protection. We advocate the concept of ecological civilization, which can be defined as the mutual symbiosis between man, nature, and the geographical environment.

Key words: land use, spatial pattern, kernel density analysis, farming-pastoral ecotone, Yulin City