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Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks
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Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 87716

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wei Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: land use change and simulation; ecological effects of land use change; land use policy; rural land consolidation; land use planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Hualin Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Ecological Civilization, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: land use; ecological security; resource and environmental policy; cultivated land protection; geographic information system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global population has been increasing dramatically since the 1950s. The huge population pressure not only goes along with an unprecedented scale of resource consumption, but also aggravates the exploitation of the ecological environment by humans. As an important link between human activities and ecosystems, the land use mode and intensity are not only an important driving factor of global ecological environment changes but also a result of environmental changes, and there is a close interdependent relationship between land use and global environmental changes. At global and regional scales, humans are increasingly realizing that a functional ecological environment is an important basis for the sustainable development of a social economy and for improving human wellbeing. In recent years, numerous studies have focused on land use changes and the corresponding ecological responses, including the identification of regional land use change processes based on remote sensing technology, the discussion of landscape effects on land use changes, and the construction of a series of ecosystem service evaluation models.

However, before the concept of ecological management can be integrated into studies of land use resources, it is necessary to systematically (1) reveal the typical land use change processes, such as the reclamation and abandonment of marginal arable land, in ecologically fragile areas, (2) assess ecosystem vulnerability, (3) identify important ecological sources and key ecological corridors, (4) clarify the concept and connotation of land use ecological risks, (5) reveal the quantitative relationship between land use change and ecological risks, and (6) evaluate the ecological responses and potential risks of regional land use changes. Such results can provide a scientific basis for the establishment of adequate policies.

Dr. Wei Song
Prof. Dr. Hualin Xie
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • land use changes
  • reclamation and abandonment of cropland
  • urban expansion
  • ecologically fragile areas
  • ecosystem risk
  • fragility of ecosystems
  • ecological corridor
  • ecosystem service
  • ecological security

Published Papers (33 papers)

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17 pages, 6603 KiB  
Article
The Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Driving Forces of Land Use in the Context of Urbanization in China: Evidence from Nanchang City
by Yuxi Liu, Cheng Huang and Lvshui Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2330; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20032330 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1360
Abstract
Land use change has been one of the common problems in the context of urbanization in China. Social economy and land use interact with each other, and it is especially important for human society to adhere to sustainable development, and to deal with [...] Read more.
Land use change has been one of the common problems in the context of urbanization in China. Social economy and land use interact with each other, and it is especially important for human society to adhere to sustainable development, and to deal with the contradictory relationship between the social–economic needs and land use change. The objectives of this study are: (1) Obtain time-series land-use classification data and its spatial distribution in Nanchang City; (2) Identify the characteristics and driving force of spatial–temporal land use changes in Nanchang City from 2000 to 2020; (3) Discuss the relationship between the urban expansion and social economy in Nanchang City. The results show that the spatial distribution of land use in Nanchang City has changed significantly from 2000 to 2020, and the largest area of land-use type in Nanchang City has been cropland. The cropland has continuously declined, and the urban area has increased significantly. A lot of cropland has been transformed into urban areas, and land use degree in Nanchang City has significantly increased. The spatial pattern of land use has greatly changed, and the city spatial pattern has become more aggregated, while the spatial distribution of cropland, forest and grassland has become more fragmented. Moreover, there has been an obvious correlation between social-economic development and the level of land use, and GDP has been the main driver of land use change. The central urban area of Nanchang city has been the main hotspot of land use change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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17 pages, 9059 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Wetland in Dongting Lake Based on Multi-Source Satellite Observation Data during Last Two Decades
by Liwei Xing, Liang Chi, Shuqing Han, Jianzhai Wu, Jing Zhang, Cuicui Jiao and Xiangyang Zhou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14180; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph192114180 - 30 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1266
Abstract
Monitoring the dynamics of wetland resources has practical value for wetland protection, restoration and sustainable utilization. Dongting Lake wetland reserves are well known for both their intra-annual and inter-annual dynamic changes due to the effects of natural or human factors. However, most wetland [...] Read more.
Monitoring the dynamics of wetland resources has practical value for wetland protection, restoration and sustainable utilization. Dongting Lake wetland reserves are well known for both their intra-annual and inter-annual dynamic changes due to the effects of natural or human factors. However, most wetland monitoring research has failed to consider the seasonal wetlands, which is the most fragile wetland type, requiring more attention. In this study, we used multi-source time series remote sensing data to monitor three Dongting Lake wetland reserves between 2000 and 2020, and the seasonal wetlands were separated from permanent wetlands. Multispectral and indices time series were generated at 30 m resolution using a two-month composition strategy; the optimal features were then selected using the extension of the Jeffries–Matusita distance (JBh) and random forest (RF) importance score; yearly wetland maps were identified using the optimal features and the RF classifier. Results showed that (1) the yearly wetland maps had good accuracy, and the overall accuracy and kappa coefficients of all wetland maps from 2000 to 2020 were above 89.6% and 0.86, respectively. Optimal features selected by JBh can improve both computational efficiency and classification accuracy. (2) The acreage of seasonal wetlands varies greatly among multiple years due to inter-annual differences in precipitation and evaporation. (3) Although the total wetland area of the three Dongting Lake wetland reserves remained relatively stable between 2000 and 2020, the acreage of the natural wetland types still decreased by 197.0 km2, and the change from natural wetland to human-made wetland (paddy field) contributed the most to this decrease. From the perspective of the ecological community, the human-made wetland has lower ecological function value than natural wetlands, so the balance between economic development and ecological protection in the three Dongting Lake wetland reserves requires further evaluation. The outcomes of this study could improve the understanding of the trends and driving mechanisms of wetland dynamics, which has important scientific significance and application value for the protection and restoration of Dongting Lake wetland reserves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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25 pages, 5380 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Landscape Ecological Risks of Land-Use Change
by He Gao and Wei Song
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 13945; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph192113945 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1822
Abstract
In recent years, a changing global climate and the continuous expansion of the intensity and scope of human activities have led to regional differentiation in the surface landscape. This has caused numerous ecological risks under multiple pressure sources, gradually becoming an important factor [...] Read more.
In recent years, a changing global climate and the continuous expansion of the intensity and scope of human activities have led to regional differentiation in the surface landscape. This has caused numerous ecological risks under multiple pressure sources, gradually becoming an important factor restricting the sustainable development of economic and social health. With the continuous development of the social economy, land use and associated ecological risks will inevitably change. According to the forest transformation theory and the environmental Kuznets curve, we put forward the theoretical framework of ecological risk transformation of land-use change and took Zhangjiachuan County (China) as an example to verify it. Therefore, on the basis of Landsat satellite data, this paper used landscape structures to calculate an ecological risk index, and evaluated the ecological risk of land-use changes through pattern index analyses. The results show that, from 2000 to 2020, the ecological risk index of land-use change in Zhangjiachuan County exhibited an increasing and then decreasing trend, showing an overall “inverted U-shaped” trend of change consistent with the transformation theoretical framework of ecological risks of land use change. Secondly, in terms of patterns, the ecological risk of land-use change in Zhangjiachuan County showed a distribution feature of high in the west and low in the east. In 2000, high-risk areas were mainly concentrated in the central and northern areas, while low-risk areas were mainly concentrated in the eastern areas. From 2000 to 2015, the medium-risk areas expanded to the west and midwest, and the geographic centers of the risk areas were slightly offset. From 2015 to 2020, the overall pattern of ecological risk areas was basically the same as that of the previous stage, but the medium-risk areas were slightly reduced. In terms of quantity, from 2000 to 2015, the areas of the lowest risk level and low risk level decreased, while the areas of medium risk level, high risk level, and the highest risk level increased; from 2015 to 2020, the areas of the lowest risk level and low risk level increased, and the areas of medium risk level, high risk level, and highest risk level decreased. Lastly, the spatial aggregation of ecological risks in Zhangjiachuan County weakened slightly from 2000 to 2005, gradually increased from 2005 to 2015, and then slightly weakened from 2015 to 2020. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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20 pages, 4794 KiB  
Article
Ecosystem Health Responses of Urban Agglomerations in Central Yunnan Based on Land Use Change
by Binpin Gao, Yingmei Wu, Chen Li, Kejun Zheng and Yan Wu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12399; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191912399 - 29 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1644
Abstract
Land use change in urban agglomerations is gradually becoming a major cause and a key factor of global environmental change. As a consequence of the interaction between land use and ecological processes, the transformation in natural ecosystem structure and function with human activity [...] Read more.
Land use change in urban agglomerations is gradually becoming a major cause and a key factor of global environmental change. As a consequence of the interaction between land use and ecological processes, the transformation in natural ecosystem structure and function with human activity disturbances demands a systematic assessment of ecosystem health. Taking the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration, undergoing transition and development, as an example, the current study reveals the typical land use change processes and then emphasizes the importance of spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem services in health assessment. The InVEST model-based ecosystem service assessment is incorporated into the ecosystem health evaluation, and hotspot analysis is performed to quantitatively measure the ecosystem health response degree to land use according to spatial latitude. The study had three major findings: First, the urban land expansion in the urban agglomeration of central Yunnan between 1990 and 2020 is the most significant. Further, the rate of the dynamic change of urban land is 16.86%, which is the highest among all land types. Second, the ecosystem health of the central Yunnan urban agglomeration is improving but with obvious spatial differences, showing a trend of increasing from urban areas to surrounding areas, with the lowest ecosystem health level and significant clustering in the areas where the towns are located. The ecosystem health level is mainly dominated by the two classes of ordinary and well grades, and the sum of the two accounts for 63.35% of the total area. Third, the process of land transfer, mutual transfer between forest and grassland, and conversion from cropland to forest land contributed the most to the improvement of ecosystem health across the study area. Furthermore, the conversion from cropland and grassland to urban land is an important cause of the sustained exacerbation of ecosystem health. Significantly, the study provides a scientific reference for maintaining ecosystem health and formulating policies for macro-control of land in the urban agglomerations of the mountain plateau. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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16 pages, 6114 KiB  
Article
How Does Topography Affect the Value of Ecosystem Services? An Empirical Study from the Qihe Watershed
by Li Li, Yonghui Li, Lan Yang, Ying Liang, Wenliang Zhao and Guanyu Chen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 11958; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191911958 - 22 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1356
Abstract
Topographic position indices (TPIs) measure essential impacts on ecosystem service supply capacity. The identification of changes in ecosystem services and value metrics under varying TPIs has become a topical subject of global change research. Multidimensional changes in spatiotemporal and geographical aspects of ecosystem [...] Read more.
Topographic position indices (TPIs) measure essential impacts on ecosystem service supply capacity. The identification of changes in ecosystem services and value metrics under varying TPIs has become a topical subject of global change research. Multidimensional changes in spatiotemporal and geographical aspects of ecosystem service values (ESVs) are assessed in this article using land cover/use data from 2000–2015. Effects of land-use/cover changes and topographic indices on ESVs are explored using the Chinese terrestrial unit area ecosystem service value equivalence table combined with topographic factors. A sensitivity index is introduced to quantify the robustness of total ESV to land-use/cover and topographic indices. The results show that: (1) The total ESV in the Qihe watershed declined with a change in land-use/cover during the period 2000–2015. The maximum ESV was CNY 1.984 billion in 2005 and the minimum was CNY 1.940 billion in 2010; (2) The response of ESV to land/use cover varied greatly across TPIs, with the most significant change in ESV occurring in the 0.6–0.8 TPI range and the greatest change in a single ecosystem service occurred in water areas; (3) The sensitivity indices of ESVs are all less than 1. The sensitivity indices of unused land and water tended to zero. Woodland sensitivity indices were the highest at 0.53, followed by those of arable land and grassland, owing to the large proportion of arable land and grassland areas in the overall area of land-use categories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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22 pages, 9684 KiB  
Article
Metacoupling of Water Transfer: The Interaction of Ecological Environment in the Middle Route of China’s South-North Project
by Qingmu Su, Hsueh-Sheng Chang, Xiang Chen and Jingjing Xiao
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10555; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191710555 - 24 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1530
Abstract
At present, nearly half of the population of China live in water-deficient areas where water needs to be transferred from surrounding or remote water sources to meet local water demands. Although the water transfer project has alleviated the demands for water in the [...] Read more.
At present, nearly half of the population of China live in water-deficient areas where water needs to be transferred from surrounding or remote water sources to meet local water demands. Although the water transfer project has alleviated the demands for water in the water-deficient areas, and brought water-supply income to water source regions, it has also posed some cross-regional negative impacts, including the changes in the original ecology within the water source, the impacts on the downstream water demands, and the risk of biological invasion in the distant water receiving areas. Therefore, it can be seen that the impact of water transfer is complicated and will be manifested in various aspects. The Middle Route of China’s South–North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP-MR), as the world’s largest cross-watershed water transfer project, exerts particularly important effects on regional sustainable development; however, it also produces complex interactions within the ecological environment itself, downstream and in the distant water receiving cities. Thus, this work attempts to apply a metacoupling analysis framework of water transfer to explore the ecological interaction of water transfer in SNWTP-MR on each system. The metacoupling framework can be divided into intracoupling, pericoupling and telecoupling. This study focuses on the analysis of the causes and effects of the intracoupling, pericoupling and telecoupling of SNWTP-MR from the perspective of ecological values and ecological risks. We found that the coupling of water transfer brings about 23 billion yuan of ecological service value to the water source annually, but also increases the internal ecological risk index by 9.31%, through the calculation of changes in land use; secondly, the power generation benefit significantly increases, and the flood control standards have shifted from once-in-20 years to once-in-a-century. However, the ecological risks are also significant, such as poor water quality, eutrophication of water resources, competition for water between industry and agriculture, deterioration of waterway shipping, and threats to biodiversity, etc. Considering only water supply, the population carrying capacity of the water resource in distant water receiving cities is increased by 16.42 million people, which enhances the value of water resources and creates a cross-regional green ecological landscape belt. Nevertheless, the biological invasion and water pollution have greatly affected the safety of water supply. It can be seen that the cross-regional water transfer does not always damage the interests of the sending system and the spillover system while benefiting the receiving system; its impacts are complex and variable. Through this paper, it is hoped to provide a reference for the analysis of the ecological compensation, resource development and allocation in SNWTP-MR by revealing the metacoupling relationship of SNWTP-MR. This paper will provide new ideas for researching the metacoupling relationship, thereby offering valuable reference for the study of the interaction generated by large-scale water transfer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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14 pages, 1773 KiB  
Article
Land Use Dynamic Evolution and Driving Factors of Typical Open-Pit Coal Mines in Inner Mongolia
by Lijia Zhang, Zhenqi Hu, Dazhi Yang, Huanhuan Li, Bo Liu, He Gao, Congjie Cao, Yan Zhou, Junfang Li and Shuchang Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9723; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19159723 - 07 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1744
Abstract
Although coal is difficult to replace in the short term, the large-scale production and consumption of coal have significant impacts on the ecological environment. The severe disturbances, such as land excavation and occupation, that accompany the mining of mineral resources have caused dramatic [...] Read more.
Although coal is difficult to replace in the short term, the large-scale production and consumption of coal have significant impacts on the ecological environment. The severe disturbances, such as land excavation and occupation, that accompany the mining of mineral resources have caused dramatic changes in land cover and a significant pressure on the sensitive and fragile ecological environment. To analyze the temporal and spatial evolution trends and the differences in land use in different typical mining areas in Inner Mongolia, as well as the evaluation system and driving mechanisms of land use evolution, this study takes the typical open-pit coal mines in Inner Mongolia as the research objects and, based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, analyzes the dynamic evolution characteristics and driving factors of land use in typical open-pit coal mines in Inner Mongolia from 2001 to 2020. The change trend of land use in typical open-pit mining areas in Inner Mongolia for the past 20 years is obvious, with the highest fluctuations for grassland, mining land, cropland, and residential/industrial land. Land use in the open-pit coal mining area is greatly affected by mining factors. From the perspective of spatial variation, the most important driving factor is the distance from national roads and railways, followed by the annual average temperature and annual average precipitation and topographical conditions, such as elevation. In terms of policy, land reclamation and ecological restoration in mining areas have a positive impact on land use change. Improving the mechanism for environmental compensation in mining areas can promote the efficient and rational use of mining areas and the protection of ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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27 pages, 7881 KiB  
Article
Construction and Optimization Strategy of an Ecological Network in Mountainous Areas: A Case Study in Southwestern Hubei Province, China
by Qian Zuo, Yong Zhou and Jingyi Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9582; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19159582 - 04 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1599
Abstract
High-intensity urban development and economic exploitation have led to the fragmentation and isolation of regional habitat patches, and biodiversity is under serious threat. Scientific identification and effective optimization of ecological networks are essential for maintaining and restoring regional ecosystem connectivity and guiding sustainable [...] Read more.
High-intensity urban development and economic exploitation have led to the fragmentation and isolation of regional habitat patches, and biodiversity is under serious threat. Scientific identification and effective optimization of ecological networks are essential for maintaining and restoring regional ecosystem connectivity and guiding sustainable socio-economic development. Taking the mountainous areas of southwest Hubei Province (MASHP) in central China as an example, this study first developed a new integrated approach to identify ecological sources based on a quantitative assessment of ecosystem services and the morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) method; it then used the Linkage Mapper tool to extract ecological corridors, applied the principle of hydrological analysis to identify ecological nodes, evaluated each ecological element to quantify its importance, and finally constructed the ecological network and further proposed some optimization countermeasures. The results show that the ecological network in the MASHP is dominated by ecological resources composed of forestland. Connectivity in the central region is significantly better than in other regions, including 49 ecological sources with an area of 3837.92 km2, 125 ecological corridors with a total length of 2014.61 km, and 46 ecological nodes. According to the spatial distribution of crucial ecological landscape elements, a complete and systematic ecological framework of “two verticals, three belts, three groups, and multiple nodes” was proposed. The internal optimization of the ecological network in mountainous areas should focus on improving ecological flow, and strategies such as enhancing the internal connectivity of ecosystems, unblocking ecological corridors, and dividing ecological functional zones can be adopted. Based on the above analyses, this study also made recommendations for ecological protection and development and construction planning in mountainous areas. This study can provide realistic paths and scientific guidelines for ecological security and high-quality development in the MASHP, and it can also have implications for the construction of ecological networks and comprehensive ecological management in other mountainous areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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18 pages, 3423 KiB  
Article
Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment Based on Land Use Change in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi, China
by Zhiyuan Zhu, Zhikun Mei, Xiyang Xu, Yongzhong Feng and Guangxin Ren
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9547; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19159547 - 03 Aug 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2132
Abstract
The Yellow River Basin in Shaanxi (YRBS) has a relatively fragile ecological environment, with severe soil erosion and a high incidence of natural and geological disasters. In this study, a river basin landscape ecological risk assessment model was constructed using landscape ecology principles [...] Read more.
The Yellow River Basin in Shaanxi (YRBS) has a relatively fragile ecological environment, with severe soil erosion and a high incidence of natural and geological disasters. In this study, a river basin landscape ecological risk assessment model was constructed using landscape ecology principles to investigate the temporal and spatial evolution, as well as the spatial autocorrelation characteristics of landscape ecological risks in the YRBS over a 20-year period. The main findings from the YRBS were that the land use types changed significantly over the span of 20 years, there was spatial heterogeneity of the landscape pattern, and the ecological risk value was positively correlated. The threat of landscape ecological risks in YRBS is easing, but the pressure on the ecological environment is considerable. This study provides theoretical support administrative policies for future ecological risk assessment and protection, restoration measures, and control in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi Province. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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17 pages, 1194 KiB  
Article
Land Fragmentation, Technology Adoption and Chemical Fertilizer Application: Evidence from China
by Liang Chi, Shuqing Han, Meili Huan, Yajuan Li and Jifang Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 8147; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19138147 - 02 Jul 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2226
Abstract
Although it has been widely recognized that land fragmentation has increased chemical fertilizer application, little is known about the role of technology adoption in mitigating these adverse effects. To empirically examine the relationship between land fragmentation, technology adoption and chemical fertilizer application, we [...] Read more.
Although it has been widely recognized that land fragmentation has increased chemical fertilizer application, little is known about the role of technology adoption in mitigating these adverse effects. To empirically examine the relationship between land fragmentation, technology adoption and chemical fertilizer application, we developed a mediation model. We applied our analysis to a survey data set encompassing 1388 farm-level samples collected in 14 Chinese provinces in 2019. Our study demonstrated that land fragmentation can not only directly increase chemical fertilizer application but also indirectly increase it by hindering the adoption of agricultural mechanization technologies (AMT’s) and soil testing fertilization technologies (STFT’s). Both are recognized as potent drivers of fertilizer use reductions. Moreover, the adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT’s) can help mitigate the negative effects of land fragmentation on technology adoption, thus reducing chemical fertilizer application intensity (CFAI). However, the direct effects of land fragmentation on CAFI was unaffected by ICT’s. Our findings suggest that ICT’s have revolutionized farmer recognition, promotion and adoption of agricultural technologies by increasing awareness and diffusion of agricultural technology information. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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17 pages, 3466 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Risk Assessment of Typical High-Temperature Cities in Various Provinces in China
by Xueru Zhang, Qiuyue Long, Dong Kun, Dazhi Yang and Liu Lei
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 4292; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19074292 - 03 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2097
Abstract
Global climate change results in an increased risk of high urban temperatures, making it crucial to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the high-temperature risk of urban areas. Based on the data of 194 meteorological stations in China from 1986 to 2015 and statistical [...] Read more.
Global climate change results in an increased risk of high urban temperatures, making it crucial to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the high-temperature risk of urban areas. Based on the data of 194 meteorological stations in China from 1986 to 2015 and statistical yearbooks and statistical bulletins from 2015, we used GIS technology and mathematical statistics to evaluate high-temperature spatial and temporal characteristics, high-temperature risk, and high-temperature vulnerability of 31 cities across China. Over the past 30 years, most Chinese cities experienced 5–8 significant oscillation cycles of high-temperature days. A 15-year interval analysis of high-temperature characteristics found that 87% of the cities had an average of 5.44 more high-temperature days in the 15-year period from 2001 to 2015 compared to the period from 1986 to 2000. We developed five high-temperature risk levels and six vulnerability levels. Against the background of a warming climate, we discuss risk mitigation strategies and the importance of early warning systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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25 pages, 18657 KiB  
Article
Cultivated Land Fragmentation and Its Influencing Factors Detection: A Case Study in Huaihe River Basin, China
by Jiale Liang, Sipei Pan, Wanxu Chen, Jiangfeng Li and Ting Zhou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(1), 138; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19010138 - 23 Dec 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2826
Abstract
The booming population and accelerating urbanization in the Huaihe River Basin have sped up the land use transformation and the cultivated land fragmentation (CLF), seriously impeded the advancement of agricultural modernization, and threatened regional stability and national food security as well. The analysis [...] Read more.
The booming population and accelerating urbanization in the Huaihe River Basin have sped up the land use transformation and the cultivated land fragmentation (CLF), seriously impeded the advancement of agricultural modernization, and threatened regional stability and national food security as well. The analysis of CLF degree and its spatiotemporal distribution characteristics, along with the influencing factors in the Huaihe River Basin, is of great significance for promoting the intensive and efficient utilization of cultivated land resources and maintaining food security. Previous studies lack the measurement and cause analysis of CLF in Huaihe River Basin. To bridge the gap, this study introduces Fragstats4.2 and ArcGIS10.3 to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of CLF in county units in the Huaihe River Basin from 2000 to 2018 through the Lorentz curve, entropy method, and spatial auto-correlation method while the causes of the spatiotemporal differentiation of CLF in the basin were explored with the help of a geographic detector. The results show that the spatial distribution of cultivated land in the Huaihe River Basin is relatively balanced, and the Gini coefficients of cultivated land from 2000 to 2018 were 0.105, 0.108, and 0.113, respectively. More than 56% of the counties in the basin have a location entropy greater than 1. the percentage of landscape, area-weighted mean patch area, patch cohesion index, and aggregation index decrease year by year while the patch density and splitting index show an upward trend. The landscape pattern of cultivated land is highly complex, and the overall fragmentation degree is increasing. The county distribution pattern of the CLF degree with random and agglomeration is generally stable. The spatiotemporal differentiation of CLF in the Huaihe River Basin is affected by multiple factors, among which the influences of the normalized difference vegetation index, per capita cultivated land area, and intensity of human activity obviously stronger than other factors, and the contribution rate of the factors reached more than 0.4. The interaction effect among the factors is stronger than that of single factor, with dual-factor enhancement and nonlinear enhancement dominating. The results of this study have important implications for optimizing the agricultural structure in the Huaihe River Basin and alleviating the CLF in important grain production areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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16 pages, 2638 KiB  
Article
Spatial-Temporal Pattern and Evolution Trend of the Cultivated Land Use Eco-Efficiency in the National Pilot Zone for Ecological Conservation in China
by Zhenggen Fan, Chao Deng, Yuqi Fan, Puwei Zhang and Hua Lu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(1), 111; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19010111 - 23 Dec 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2953
Abstract
The cultivated land use eco-efficiency (CLUE) is an important indicator to evaluate ecological civilization construction in China. Research on the spatial-temporal pattern and evolution trend of the CLUE can help to assess the level of ecological civilization construction and reveal associated demonstration and [...] Read more.
The cultivated land use eco-efficiency (CLUE) is an important indicator to evaluate ecological civilization construction in China. Research on the spatial-temporal pattern and evolution trend of the CLUE can help to assess the level of ecological civilization construction and reveal associated demonstration and driving effects on surrounding areas. Based on the perspective of the CLUE, this paper obtains cultivated land use data pertaining to National Pilot Zones for Ecological Conservation in China and neighboring provinces from 2008 to 2018. In this study, the SBM-undesirable, Moran’s I, and Markov chain models are adopted to quantitatively measure and analyze the CLUE and its temporal and spatial patterns and evolution trend. The research results indicate that the CLUE in the whole study area exhibited the characteristics of one growth, two stable, and two decline stages, with a positive spatial autocorrelation that increased year by year, and a spatial spillover effect was observed. Geographical spatial patterns and spatial spillover effects played a major role in the evolution of the CLUE, and there occurred a higher probability of improvement in the vicinity of cities with high CLUE values. In the future, practical construction experience should be disseminated at the provincial level, and policies and measures should be formulated according to local conditions. In addition, a linkage model between prefecture-level cities should be developed at the municipal level to fully manifest the positive spatial spillover effect. Moreover, we should thoroughly evaluate the risk associated with CLUE transition from high to low levels and establish a low-level early warning mechanism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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22 pages, 5081 KiB  
Article
Knowledge Mapping of Research on Land Use Change and Food Security: A Visual Analysis Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer
by Peng Cheng, Houtian Tang, Yue Dong, Ke Liu, Ping Jiang and Yaolin Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13065; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182413065 - 10 Dec 2021
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 5503
Abstract
Many scholars have conducted in-depth research on the theme of land use change and food security, and formed fruitful research results, but there is a lack of quantitative analysis and comprehensive evaluation of research achievements. Therefore, based on the relevant literature on the [...] Read more.
Many scholars have conducted in-depth research on the theme of land use change and food security, and formed fruitful research results, but there is a lack of quantitative analysis and comprehensive evaluation of research achievements. Therefore, based on the relevant literature on the theme of land use change and food security in the core collection of the Web of Science (WOS) database, this paper takes the advantage of CiteSpace and VOSviewer bibliometric software to draw the cooperative network and keyword cooccurrence map to analyze the research progress and frontier. The results reveal that: (1) The research started in 1999 and can be divided into three stages: initial research, rapid development, and a stable in-depth stage. This topic has increasingly become a research hotspot in the academic community. (2) The distribution of research institutions is concentrated and forms a small cluster, and the research networks between developed and developing countries have been established, and developed countries are in the core position, but the cooperation network is not prominent. (3) The research content is becoming increasingly organized and systematic, and the research hot topics are divided into seven aspects. (4) The research area of the subject covers multiple levels, such as global, national, and specific natural geographical regions, and has formed a research system of geographic information technology and satellite remote sensing technology. It also presents the trend of cross integration with economics, land management and soil science. In the future, theoretical innovation still needs to be strengthened, and we should strengthen the research on the impact of agricultural chemical fertilizers on food security and study the impact of urban expansion on land use change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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19 pages, 3418 KiB  
Article
Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Landscape Ecological Risks in the Ecological Functional Zone of the Upper Yellow River, China
by Fuwei Qiao, Yongping Bai, Lixia Xie, Xuedi Yang and Shuaishuai Sun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 12943; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182412943 - 08 Dec 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2033
Abstract
The Ecological Functional Zone of the Upper Yellow River (EFZUYR) is a critical water-catching area in the Yellow River Basin, the ecological security of which affects the sound development of the ecosystem in the entire basin. Recently, significant land use changes have aggravated [...] Read more.
The Ecological Functional Zone of the Upper Yellow River (EFZUYR) is a critical water-catching area in the Yellow River Basin, the ecological security of which affects the sound development of the ecosystem in the entire basin. Recently, significant land use changes have aggravated regional ecological risks and seriously affected the sustainable development of EFZUYR. In this context, this paper provides an in-depth study of the ecological risks caused by land use landscape changes. With the help of land use data and dynamic degree analysis, the land use transfer matrix, and the landscape pattern index, this paper quantifies the distribution trends of land use landscape patterns in EFZUYR from 1990 to 2018. In addition, this research explores the temporal and spatial dynamic distribution characteristics of landscape ecological risks in this functional zone. The research results show the following: (1) The transfer of land use in EFZUYR from 1990 to 2018 mainly occurred among cultivated land, grassland, and woodland, with the transferred area accounting for 87.16% of the total changed area. (2) The fragmentation degree of built-up areas is 0.1097, 0.1053, 0.0811 and 0.0762 in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018, respectively, with a decreasing trend. The dominance degree of grassland has been maintained at the highest level for a long time, with all values above 0.59. The separation degree and the interference degree of built-up areas were the highest and the values of the four periods were above 1.2 and 0.44, respectively. The loss degree of water was the highest, with a value above 0.67, while the value of other land use was mostly below 0.4. (3) The landscape ecological risk of EFZUYR presented a fluctuating rising, falling, and then rising trend. The spatial distribution characteristic of EFZUYR presented “high in the north and south, low in the middle.”, which has been maintained for a long time. The proportion of low-risk areas is as high as 70%, and the overall ecological risk of the region was low. However, the ecological risk of some areas, such as Linxia City and Magu County, increased. These findings can provide theoretical support for land use planning and achieving sustainable development of EFZUYR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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18 pages, 4458 KiB  
Article
Assessing Efficiency of Urban Land Utilisation under Environmental Constraints in Yangtze River Delta, China
by Yue Zhou, Yi Chen and Yi Hu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(23), 12634; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182312634 - 30 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1671
Abstract
Measuring the efficiency of construction land utilisation is important for optimising the allocation of regional resources and guiding the sustainable development of the regional society and economy. Based on municipal panel data on urban land use from 2009 to 2017 from a municipal [...] Read more.
Measuring the efficiency of construction land utilisation is important for optimising the allocation of regional resources and guiding the sustainable development of the regional society and economy. Based on municipal panel data on urban land use from 2009 to 2017 from a municipal perspective, this research built a slacks-based measure of a super-efficiency model (SE-SBM) to evaluate the temporal and spatial differentiation characteristics of the construction land-use efficiency of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta. Following this, the driving force of construction land efficiency was calculated using the Malmquist–Luenberger index. Finally, the entropy-weight TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) model and the k-means clustering method were applied to evaluate an input–output model of the cities. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The construction land efficiency of the Yangtze River Delta remains at a low level and presents a spatial differentiation pattern, with the efficiency being higher in the east and lower in the west. Due to undesired outputs, the mean value has dropped by 4.67%, and the regional imbalance has decreased. (2) The degree of efficiency loss is significantly positively correlated with the intensity of urban pollution emissions—the higher the pollution emissions, the greater the efficiency loss. (3) The total factor productivity of urban construction land is mainly driven by technological progress, while the promotion of technical efficiency is low and unstable. (4) The evaluation of construction land efficiency must include resource allocation or pollution emission factors to scientifically measure the input–output level. These research results will help to formulate reasonable land-use countermeasures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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18 pages, 3611 KiB  
Article
Zoning of Ecological Restoration in the Qilian Mountain Area, China
by Lin Liu, Wei Song, Yanjie Zhang, Ze Han, Han Li, Dazhi Yang, Zhanyun Wang and Qiang Huang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(23), 12417; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182312417 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2349
Abstract
Ecosystem restoration has been widely concerned with the damage and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Scientific and reasonable formulations of ecological restoration zoning is the basis for the formulation of an ecological restoration plan. In this study, a restoration zoning index system was proposed [...] Read more.
Ecosystem restoration has been widely concerned with the damage and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Scientific and reasonable formulations of ecological restoration zoning is the basis for the formulation of an ecological restoration plan. In this study, a restoration zoning index system was proposed to comprehensively consider the ecological problems of ecosystems. The linear weighted function method was used to construct the ecological restoration index (ERI) as an important index of zoning. The research showed that: (1) the ecological restoration zones of the Qilian Mountains can be divided into eight basins, namely the headwaters of the Datong River Basin, the Danghe-Dahaerteng River Basin, the northern confluence area of the Qinghai Lake, the upper Shule River to middle Heihe River, the Oasis Agricultural Area in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountain, the Huangshui Basin Valley, Aksay (corridor region of the western Hexi Basin), and the northeastern Tsaidam Basin; (2) the restoration index of the eight ecological restoration zones of the Qilian Mountains was between 0.34–0.8, with an average of 0.61 (the smaller the index, the more prominent the comprehensive ecological problem representing the regional mountains, rivers, forests, cultivated lands, lakes, and grasslands, and thus the greater the need to implement comprehensive ecological protection and restoration projects); and (3) the ecological problems of different ecological zones are frequently numerous, and often show the phenomenon of multiple overlapping ecological problems in the same zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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14 pages, 2854 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Changes of Chemical Fertilizer Application and Its Environmental Risks in China from 2000 to 2019
by Yuanzhi Guo and Jieyong Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 11911; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182211911 - 12 Nov 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3466
Abstract
Chemical fertilizers are important inputs in agricultural production. They not only increase crop yield but also bring many negative effects, such as agricultural non-point source pollution. Therefore, a scientific understanding of the regional differences in chemical fertilizer application and its environmental risks is [...] Read more.
Chemical fertilizers are important inputs in agricultural production. They not only increase crop yield but also bring many negative effects, such as agricultural non-point source pollution. Therefore, a scientific understanding of the regional differences in chemical fertilizer application and its environmental risks is of significance to promote China’s agricultural development. In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern of chemical fertilizer application intensity (CFAI) in China since 2000, evaluated the environmental risks of provincial CFAI, and investigated the internal mechanism behind them. The results showed that the total amount and intensity of chemical fertilizer application in China from 2000 to 2019 presented a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. In 2000 and 2019, provincial CFAI in eastern China was generally higher than that in central and western China, and the environmental risks of provincial CFAI were spatially characterized by “high in the north and low in the south”. Factors such as poor soil conditions, unreasonable farming structure and backward fertilization methods are the main reasons for the continuous increase in the total amount and intensity of chemical fertilizer application, while the construction of ecological civilization and the transformation of society and economy are the main reasons for their decline. Finally, measures such as targeted fertilization, adjusting the use structure of chemical fertilizers, improving fertilization methods and replacing chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers are proposed to promote the quantity reduction and efficiency increase of chemical fertilizer application in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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14 pages, 16602 KiB  
Article
Does Coal Mining Have Effects on Land Use Changes in a Coal Resource-Based City? Evidence from Huaibei City on the North China Plain
by Jing Guan and Peng Yu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11616; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182111616 - 04 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2097
Abstract
Continuous coal mining results in dramatic regional land use change, and significantly influences the sustainable development of coal resource-based cities. Present studies pay little attention to the characteristics and regularities of land use change in coal resource-based cities, caused by underground coal mining [...] Read more.
Continuous coal mining results in dramatic regional land use change, and significantly influences the sustainable development of coal resource-based cities. Present studies pay little attention to the characteristics and regularities of land use change in coal resource-based cities, caused by underground coal mining in high groundwater areas. Based on the Landsat remote sensing images of 1999, 2000, 2010, and 2018 of Huaibei City, a typical coal resource-based city of a high ground water area on the North China Plain, this paper applies the dynamic degree and transition matrix of land use to analyze the land use change characteristics, and identify the regularity between land use type and coal mining production in this coal resource-based city. Results show that the land use change in the research area presents an overall characteristic of a constant increase in water area, urban construction land, and rural settlement land, and a continuous decrease in cultivated land. Cultivated land is converted into a water area, urban construction land, and rural settlement land, and rural settlement land and cultivated land are converted bidirectionally. The land use change in this coal resource-based city demonstrates significant reliance on coal resources, and coal mining is significantly related to the area of cultivated land, water area, and rural settlement land, which demonstrates that continuous large-scale coal mining results in damage to cultivated land, a decrease in rural settlement land, and an increase in water area. The research result contributes to the sustainable land use of coal resource-based cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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26 pages, 64087 KiB  
Article
Land Use Change and Its Impact on Landscape Ecological Risk in Typical Areas of the Yellow River Basin in China
by Yanbo Qu, Haining Zong, Desheng Su, Zongli Ping and Mei Guan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11301; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182111301 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2671
Abstract
The basic premise of regional ecological construction would be to scientifically and effectively grasp the characteristics of land use change and its impact on landscape ecological risk. The research objects of this paper are the typical areas of the Yellow River Basin in [...] Read more.
The basic premise of regional ecological construction would be to scientifically and effectively grasp the characteristics of land use change and its impact on landscape ecological risk. The research objects of this paper are the typical areas of the Yellow River Basin in China and “process-change-drive” as the logical main line. Moreover, this paper is based on multi-period land use remote sensing data from 2000 to 2020, the regional land use change process and influencing factors are identified, the temporal and spatial evolution and response process of landscape ecological risk are discussed, and the land use zoning control strategy to reduce ecological risk is put forward. The results indicated: (1) The scale and structure of land use show the characteristics of “many-to-one” and “one-to-many”; (2) the process of land use change is affected by the alternation of multiple factors. The natural environment and socio-economic factors dominate in the early stage and the location and policy factors have a significant impact in the later stage; (3) the overall landscape ecological risk level and conversion rate show a trend of “high in the southeast, low in the northwest”, shift from low to high and landscape ecological risks gradually increase; and (4) in order to improve the regional ecological safety and according to the characteristics of landscape ecological risk and spatial heterogeneity, we should adopt the management and control zoning method and set different levels of control intensity (from key intensity to strict intensity to general intensity), and develop differentiated land use control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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24 pages, 5458 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Variation in Rainfall Erosivity and Correlation with the ENSO on the Tibetan Plateau since 1971
by Bohao Cui, Yili Zhang, Linshan Liu, Zehua Xu, Zhaofeng Wang, Changjun Gu, Bo Wei and Dianqing Gong
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11054; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182111054 - 21 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1835
Abstract
Soil erosion is a serious ecological problem in the fragile ecological environment of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Rainfall erosivity is one of the most important factors controlling soil erosion and is associated with the El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO). However, there is a [...] Read more.
Soil erosion is a serious ecological problem in the fragile ecological environment of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Rainfall erosivity is one of the most important factors controlling soil erosion and is associated with the El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO). However, there is a lack of studies related to the spatial distribution and temporal trends of rainfall erosivity on the TP as a whole. Additionally, the understanding of the general influence of ENSO on rainfall erosivity across the TP remains to be developed. In this study, long-term (1971–2020) daily precipitation data from 91 meteorological stations were selected to calculate rainfall erosivity. The analysis combines co-kriging interpolation, Sen’s slope estimator, and the Mann–Kendall trend test to investigate the spatiotemporal patten of rainfall erosivity across the TP. The Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) and multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) were chosen as ENSO phenomenon characterization indices, and the relationship between ENSO and rainfall erosivity was explored by employing a continuous wavelet transform. The results showed that an increasing trend in annual rainfall erosivity was detected on the TP from 1971 to 2020. The seasonal and monthly rainfall erosivity was highly uneven, with the summer erosivity accounting for 60.36%. The heterogeneous spatial distribution of rainfall erosivity was observed with an increasing trend from southeast to northwest. At the regional level, rainfall erosivity in the southeastern TP was mainly featured by a slow increase, while in the northwest was more destabilizing and mostly showed no significant trend. The rainfall erosivity on the whole TP was relatively high during non-ENSO periods and relatively low during El Niño/La Niña periods. It is worth noting that rainfall erosivity in the northwest TP appears to be more serious during the La Niña event. Furthermore, there were obvious resonance cycles between the rainfall erosivity and ENSO in different regions of the plateau, but the cycles had pronounced discrepancies in the occurrence time, direction of action and intensity. These findings contribute to providing references for soil erosion control on the TP and the formulation of future soil conservation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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16 pages, 3491 KiB  
Article
Ecological Effect of Ecological Engineering Projects on Low-Temperature Forest Cover in Great Khingan Mountain, China
by Shuqing Wang, Run Zhong, Lin Liu and Jianjun Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(20), 10625; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182010625 - 11 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1852
Abstract
The evaluation of ecological restoration projects can provide support for further strengthening the efforts of ecological restoration work and implementing the strategic objectives of the ecological region. Considering the current problem of the single evaluation index, this study evaluated the implementation effect of [...] Read more.
The evaluation of ecological restoration projects can provide support for further strengthening the efforts of ecological restoration work and implementing the strategic objectives of the ecological region. Considering the current problem of the single evaluation index, this study evaluated the implementation effect of ecological projects from different temporal and spatial dimensions. Based on the MODIS vegetation index time series data, this study first computed the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 15.3.1 of Great Khingan Mountain (GKM) to evaluate the impact of ecological engineering on land use change and land productivity. As a common indicator, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values showed a trend of a decrease and then gradual increase after the start of the Natural Forest Protection Project (NFPP) II, which was related to the land use changes from the forest to the grassland during the implementation of the NFPP. However, land productivity maintained a steady trend because of the transition between the forest and grassland. Meanwhile, to detect changes in vegetation at a smaller scale, the LandTrendr algorithm was used to identify the magnitude of forest disturbance, the years when it occurred, and the year of restoration. After implementing the ecological project, the forests in the GKM region were only partially disturbed, and most of the forests in most areas maintained a stable trend. Our study highlighted the varying effectiveness of different indexes for NFPP and evaluated the ecological impact of ecological projects from multiple perspectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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21 pages, 6863 KiB  
Article
Simulation and Analysis of Urban Production–Living–Ecological Space Evolution Based on a Macro–Micro Joint Decision Model
by Yuanyuan Tao, Qianxin Wang and Yan Zou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9832; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18189832 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2095
Abstract
The precise simulation of urban space evolution and grasping of the leading factors are the most important basis for urban space planning. However, the simulation ability of current models is lacking when it comes to complicated/unpredictable urban space changes, resulting in flawed government [...] Read more.
The precise simulation of urban space evolution and grasping of the leading factors are the most important basis for urban space planning. However, the simulation ability of current models is lacking when it comes to complicated/unpredictable urban space changes, resulting in flawed government decision-making and wasting of urban resources. In this study, a macro–micro joint decision model was proposed to improve the ability of urban space evolution simulation. The simulation objects were unified into production, living and ecological space to realize “multiple planning in one”. For validation of the proposed model and method, remote sensing images, geographic information and socio-economic data of Xuzhou, China from 2000 to 2020 were collected and tested. The results showed that the simulation precision of the cellular automata (CA) model was about 87% (Kappa coefficient), which improved to 89% if using a CA and multi-agent system (MAS) joint model. The simulation precision could be better than 92% using the prosed model. The result of factor weight determination indicated that the micro factors affected the evolution of production and living space more than the macro factors, while the macro factors had more influence on the evolution of ecological space than the micro factors. Therefore, active policies should be formulated to strengthen the ideological guidance towards micro individuals (e.g., a resident, farmer, or entrepreneur), and avoid disordered development of living and production space. In addition, ecological space planning should closely link with the local environment and natural conditions, to improve urban ecological carrying capacity and realize urban sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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15 pages, 4780 KiB  
Article
The Adjustment of China’s Grain Planting Structure Reduced the Consumption of Cropland and Water Resources
by Yu Zhang, Jieyong Wang and Chun Dai
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7352; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18147352 - 09 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2523
Abstract
Driven by technological progress and market demand, the optimization and adjustment of grain planting structure played an important role in increasing grain output. Due to the great difference between the yield per unit area of different types of food crops, the consumption of [...] Read more.
Driven by technological progress and market demand, the optimization and adjustment of grain planting structure played an important role in increasing grain output. Due to the great difference between the yield per unit area of different types of food crops, the consumption of cropland and water resources has a significant change during the grain growth. From the perspective of structural adjustment, rather than the usual productive factor input, we analyze the process of adjustment for grain planting structure in China and its effect on the consumption of cropland and water resources by using the scenario comparative analysis method. The results show that: (1) From 2003 to 2019, China’s grain output has increased steadily and the planting structure has changed greatly. Rice was replaced by corn to become the grain crop with the maximum proportion of planting area since 2007. The increase of corn planting structure proportion is concentrated in the northern regions. (2) At the national level, according to the adjustment of grain planting structure, the saving of cropland and water resources consumption showed a “cumulative effect” as time went on. (3) The saving effects of structural adjustment in the northern regions on cropland and water resources consumption are better than that in the southern regions, such as Northeast China Plain, Northern arid and semiarid region and Loess Plateau. (4) In reality, although the adjustment of grain planting structure saved lots of cropland and water resources, the continuous growth of grain output has increased the pressure on the ecological environment in the northern regions according to theirs water limits. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously optimize the grain planting structure and restrict land reclamation in northern China. In addition, to ensure food security, it is feasible to encourage the southern regions with abundant water and heat resources to increase the grain planting area and meet its self-sufficiency in grain demand. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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25 pages, 9415 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Urban Development Intensity on Ecological Carrying Capacity: A Case Study of Ecologically Fragile Areas
by Jinjing Hu, Yong Huang and Jie Du
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(13), 7094; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18137094 - 02 Jul 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2634
Abstract
In ecologically fragile areas, an uncontrolled increase in urban development intensity (UDI) will erode the ecological carrying capacity (ECC). This study aimed to explore the relationship between UDI and ECC and quantify the impacts of UDI on ECC. The Three Gorges Reservoir Area [...] Read more.
In ecologically fragile areas, an uncontrolled increase in urban development intensity (UDI) will erode the ecological carrying capacity (ECC). This study aimed to explore the relationship between UDI and ECC and quantify the impacts of UDI on ECC. The Three Gorges Reservoir Area (Chongqing section) was chosen for the case study. Firstly, the UDI and ECC were comprehensively evaluated. Then, the coupling coordination relationship between the two was analyzed by a coupling coordination degree model. Finally, the influences of UDI on the coordinated development of the two were analyzed by a geographically weighted regression model. The results show that the distributions of UDI and ECC are opposite; UDI and ECC are mutually restricted to some extent. UDI and ECC are moderately coupled and poorly coordinated, and a higher UDI is mostly correlated to a higher coordination degree of UDI and ECC. In areas with higher UDI, an appropriate control on population and economy may benefit the coordinated development. Meanwhile, in areas with lower UDI, the promotion of population aggregation and economic investment would enhance the coordinated development between UDI and ECC. This study could optimize the dimensional control of UDI, which contributes to the long-term sustainability of ecologically fragile areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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21 pages, 6571 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Distribution and Influencing Factors of Ecosystem Vulnerability on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
by Han Li and Wei Song
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6508; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18126508 - 16 Jun 2021
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 3158
Abstract
As the “Third Pole”, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is threatened by environmental changes. Ecosystem vulnerability refers to the sensitivity and resilience of ecosystems to external disturbances. However, there is a lack of relevant studies on the driving factors of ecosystem vulnerability. Therefore, based on [...] Read more.
As the “Third Pole”, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is threatened by environmental changes. Ecosystem vulnerability refers to the sensitivity and resilience of ecosystems to external disturbances. However, there is a lack of relevant studies on the driving factors of ecosystem vulnerability. Therefore, based on spatial principal components analysis and geographic detectors methods, this paper evaluates the ecosystem vulnerability and its driving factors on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the years 2005 to 2015. The results were as follows: (1) The ecosystem vulnerability index (EVI) of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is mainly heavy and extreme, showing a gradually increasing trend from southeast to northwest. (2) The spatial heterogeneity of the EVI is significant in the southeast and northwest, but not in the southwest and central parts. (3) Analysis of influencing factors shows that environmental factors have more significant effects on EVI than socioeconomic variables, facilitating the proposal of adequate policy implications. More efforts should be devoted to ecological protection and restoration to prevent grassland degradation and desertification in the high-EVI areas in northwest. The government is also urged to improve the ecological compensation mechanisms and balance ecological protection and residents’ development needs in the southeast. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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14 pages, 6377 KiB  
Article
Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed
by Hui Wei, Wenwu Zhao and Han Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6266; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18126266 - 10 Jun 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2832
Abstract
Large-scale vegetation restoration greatly changed the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) in 1999. Evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil erosion is significant to local soil and water conservation and [...] Read more.
Large-scale vegetation restoration greatly changed the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) in 1999. Evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil erosion is significant to local soil and water conservation and vegetation construction. Taking the Ansai Watershed as the case area, this study calculated the soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration, using the Chinese Soil Loess Equation (CSLE), based on rainfall and soil data, remote sensing images and socio-economic data. The effect of vegetation restoration on soil erosion was evaluated by comparing the average annual soil erosion modulus under two scenarios among 16 years. The results showed: (1) vegetation restoration significantly changed the local land use, characterized by the conversion of farmland to grassland, arboreal land, and shrub land. From 2000 to 2015, the area of arboreal land, shrub land, and grassland increased from 19.46 km2, 19.43 km2, and 719.49 km2 to 99.26 km2, 75.97 km2, and 1084.24 km2; while the farmland area decreased from 547.90 km2 to 34.35 km2; (2) the average annual soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration was 114.44 t/(hm²·a) and 78.42 t/(hm²·a), respectively, with an average annual reduction of 4.81 × 106 t of soil erosion amount thanks to the vegetation restoration; (3) the dominant soil erosion intensity changed from “severe and light erosion” to “moderate and light erosion”, vegetation restoration greatly improved the soil erosion environment in the study area; (4) areas with increased erosion and decreased erosion were alternately distributed, accounting for 48% and 52% of the total land area, and mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of the watershed, respectively. Irrational land use changes in local areas (such as the conversion of farmland and grassland into construction land, etc.) and the ineffective implementation of vegetation restoration are the main reasons leading to the existence of areas with increased erosion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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16 pages, 2455 KiB  
Article
Control Models and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Air Pollution in the Rapidly Developing Urban Agglomerations
by Longwu Liang and Zhenbo Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 6177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18116177 - 07 Jun 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 7191
Abstract
This paper systematically summarizes the hierarchical cross-regional multi-directional linkage in terms of air pollution control models implemented in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, including the hierarchical linkage structure of national-urban agglomeration-city, the cross-regional linkage governance of multiple provinces and municipalities, the multi-directional linkage mechanism [...] Read more.
This paper systematically summarizes the hierarchical cross-regional multi-directional linkage in terms of air pollution control models implemented in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, including the hierarchical linkage structure of national-urban agglomeration-city, the cross-regional linkage governance of multiple provinces and municipalities, the multi-directional linkage mechanism mainly involving industry access, energy structure, green transportation, cross-regional assistance, monitoring and warning, consultation, and accountability. The concentration data of six air pollutants were used to analyze spatiotemporal characteristics. The concentrations of SO2, NO2, PM10, PM2.5, CO decreased, and the concentration of O3 increased from 2014 to 2017; the air pollution control has achieved good effect. The concentration of O3 was the highest in summer and lowest in winter, while those of other pollutants were the highest in winter and lowest in summer. The high pollution ranges of O3 diffused from south to north, and those of other pollutants decreased significantly from north to south. Finally, we suggest strengthening the traceability and process research of heavy pollution, increasing the traceability and process research of O3 pollution, promoting the joint legislation of different regions in urban agglomeration, create innovative pollution discharge supervision mechanisms, in order to provide significant reference for the joint prevention and control of air pollution in urban agglomerations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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24 pages, 6023 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Changes of Ecosystem Service Value Determined by National Land Space Pattern Change: A Case Study of Fengdu County in The Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China
by Haozhe Zhang, Qingyuan Yang, Zhongxun Zhang, Dan Lu and Huiming Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 5007; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18095007 - 09 May 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2519
Abstract
Exploring the spatiotemporal change characteristics of ecosystem service value (ESV) under the influence of national land space pattern (NLSP) changes is of great significance for promoting the rational use of land resources and the optimization of ecosystems. In this study, Fengdu County in [...] Read more.
Exploring the spatiotemporal change characteristics of ecosystem service value (ESV) under the influence of national land space pattern (NLSP) changes is of great significance for promoting the rational use of land resources and the optimization of ecosystems. In this study, Fengdu County in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area was selected as a case study. We analyzed the changes in NLSP using land use data from 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018. Then, we used the equivalent factor method and exploratory spatial data analysis method to explore the spatiotemporal change characteristics of the ESV of Fengdu County. The results show that: (1) From 1990 to 2018, the changes in NLSP in Fengdu County generally manifested in the transformation of agricultural space into urban space and ecological space; (2) The spatiotemporal change of ESV is a process that positively responds to the increase in ecological space and negatively responds to the expansion of urban space. From 1990 to 2018, the total ESV of Fengdu County showed a trend of continuous growth, with a total increase of CNY 11.10 × 108, and the change rate was 9.33%. The ESV gain area is mainly located along the Yangtze River and the southernmost part of the county, and the loss area is mainly located near the south bank of the Yangtze River; (3) ESV and its changes in Fengdu County have a significant positive spatial autocorrelation. The cold and hot spots of ESV change are mainly distributed along the Yangtze River and to the south of the Yangtze River. Therefore, it is suggested to integrate ESV as an important indicator into the decision-making of national land space planning. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the intensive use of urban space and protect the important ecological space from decreasing. Our study results provide useful insights for the development of regional NLS management and environmental protection policies. However, it is worth noting that the results of this paper are more applicable to areas where the terrain is dominated by mountains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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19 pages, 6545 KiB  
Article
Identifying Ecological Corridors and Networks in Mountainous Areas
by Di Zhou and Wei Song
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4797; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18094797 - 30 Apr 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3492
Abstract
Since the 1950s, human activities have been driving economic development and land changes, hindering the conservation of biological habitats and landscape connectivity. Constructing ecological networks is an effective means to avoid habitat destruction and fragmentation. Mountain areas are hotspots of biological habitats and [...] Read more.
Since the 1950s, human activities have been driving economic development and land changes, hindering the conservation of biological habitats and landscape connectivity. Constructing ecological networks is an effective means to avoid habitat destruction and fragmentation. Mountain areas are hotspots of biological habitats and biodiversity; however, the pace of urbanization in mountain areas is also accelerating. To protect an ecosystem more effectively, it is necessary to identify ecological corridors and ecological networks. Therefore, based on the Minimal Cumulative Resistance model and taking Chongqing in China as an example, the identification of potential ecological corridors and the construction of an ecological network in Chongqing were realized using the Linkage Mapper software. The results were as follows: (1) From 2005 to 2015, the patch area of cultivated land and grassland in Chongqing decreased by 0.08% and 1.46%, respectively, while that of built-up areas increased by 1.5%. The fragmentation degree of cultivated land was higher, and the internal connectivity of forestry areas was worse. (2) In total, 24 ecological sources were selected, and 87 potential ecological corridors and 35 ecological nodes were generated using the Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and the Conefor2.6 software. The total length of the ecological network in Chongqing is 2524.34 km, with an average corridor length of 29.02 km. (3) The overall complexity and network efficiency are high, but the spatial distribution of ecological corridors is uneven, especially in the southwest of Chongqing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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Review

Jump to: Research

30 pages, 4974 KiB  
Review
Status, Trend, and Prospect of Global Farmland Abandonment Research: A Bibliometric Analysis
by Bo Liu, Wei Song and Qian Sun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16007; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph192316007 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2238
Abstract
Farmland abandonment is one of the most important land use changes in the world today and crucial to the sustainable development of the global environment. The authors carried out extensive research on farmland abandonment from many perspectives, but, due to the variety of [...] Read more.
Farmland abandonment is one of the most important land use changes in the world today and crucial to the sustainable development of the global environment. The authors carried out extensive research on farmland abandonment from many perspectives, but, due to the variety of the research contents, rich research perspectives, and complex research objects, the current research in this field lacks comprehensiveness, objectivity, and systematization. In this study, the bibliometric R software packages bibliometrix and biblioshiny (K-Synth Srl, Naples, Italy) were used to analyze the development history and current situation of 896 articles on farmland abandonment in the Web of Science core collection database from 1980 to 2021, revealing their research hotspots and predicting the future development trends. Over the past 40 years, the number of published papers on abandoned farmland has continuously increased. Research mainly focused on the ecological environment, with natural succession, biodiversity, and vegetation restoration being high-frequency keywords in this field. Research on the social aspects of farmland abandonment has developed rapidly in the past 6 years. Based on these findings, this paper put forward four future research directions: the data source for the extraction of abandoned farmland should transform to high spatial-temporal resolution and hyperspectral remote sensing images; the method should pay more attention to the time series change detection and the application of the model; future research should focus on the economic costs of the reclamation of abandoned farmland and the ecological consequences of such reclamation; and the global ecological impact of vegetation succession after the abandonment of farmland should be further discussed from a broader perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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17 pages, 3619 KiB  
Review
Evolutionary Overview of Terrace Research Based on Bibliometric Analysis in Web of Science from 1991 to 2020
by Qianru Chen, Yuyang Wen, Xinmin Zhang and Zhenhong Zhu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7796; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19137796 - 25 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2260
Abstract
Based on the Web of Science core collection database, this paper retrieves 349 research papers on terraced fields published during 1991–2020. Keyword co-occurrence analysis, cluster analysis, and thematic evolutionary analysis were used to identify the evolutionary path of terrace research. The findings were [...] Read more.
Based on the Web of Science core collection database, this paper retrieves 349 research papers on terraced fields published during 1991–2020. Keyword co-occurrence analysis, cluster analysis, and thematic evolutionary analysis were used to identify the evolutionary path of terrace research. The findings were as follows: (1) In the past 20 years, the study of terraced fields has shown an upward trend. The number of annual published papers during 2012–2020 was much more than that during 1991–2011, but papers during 1991–2011 were more academically influential than those during 2012–2020. (2) Regional analysis showed that terrace research in China is the most abundant currently, and is mainly focused on agricultural production, agricultural engineering, cultural tourism, and ecological environment. (3) Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that terrace landscape, terrace agriculture, terrace abandonment, land use change, soil and water conservation, and sustainable utilization of typical terraces are the main modules of current terrace studies. (4) In a temporal dynamic perspective, terrace research presented 10 main evolutionary paths during 1991–2020, reflecting the trend of terrace research towards sustainable terrace development of ecological agriculture and ecosystem service. (5) Finally, this paper suggests that here is a need to deepen studies on terrace ecosystem services and human well-being based on their structure and processes, to analyze the interaction and comprehensive effect of natural process and humanistic driving forces on terrace abandonment, and to explore the multi-functional benefits and sustainable management of high quality terraced landscape. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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19 pages, 5587 KiB  
Review
Evolutionary Overview of Land Consolidation Based on Bibliometric Analysis in Web of Science from 2000 to 2020
by Xin Xu, Qianru Chen and Zhenhong Zhu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3218; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19063218 - 09 Mar 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2788
Abstract
Land consolidation is widely used as a powerful tool for land use management in many countries. In order to objectively reveal the current research status in the field of land consolidation, this paper uses the Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny software packages, and VOSviewer to [...] Read more.
Land consolidation is widely used as a powerful tool for land use management in many countries. In order to objectively reveal the current research status in the field of land consolidation, this paper uses the Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny software packages, and VOSviewer to analyze the literature in the field of land consolidation in the last 20 years of the Web of Science Core Collection Database. The results show that: (1) In the past two decades, the annual publication of papers on land consolidation rose. It can be divided into three stages: 2000–2007 for the embryonic period, 2008–2012 for the long-term, and 2013–2020 for the high-yield period. (2) Land consolidation studies covered 68 countries or regions. The top three countries were China, Poland, and the United States. China and the United States played an important role in international cooperation in the field of land consolidation, and Turkey mainly conducted independent research in the field of land consolidation. (3) Land consolidation, reclamation, China, remote sensing, and land fragmentation were the high-frequency keywords in the field of land consolidation in recent years. (4) The research focusing on the field of land consolidation involved its development course, its impact on ecosystem services, and the evaluation of its benefits. (5) The theme of land consolidation studies was shunted and evolved over time, and nine evolution paths could be summarized in the studies of cultivated land fragmentation, development course of land consolidation, and impacts of land consolidation on soil. Finally, this paper predicted the future research directions of land consolidation: exploring new methods for evaluating the benefits of land consolidation, the scale effects of the impact of land consolidation on ecosystem services, research on the mechanism and comprehensive effects of land consolidation on soil, research on land consolidation and rural revitalization, and land consolidation theory research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Changes and the Corresponding Ecological Risks)
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