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Land-Use Modeling and Decision Making under Complex Human–Natural Systems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 6681

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Interests: urban land; urban spatial organization and network; land spatial planning and governance; GIS application and spatial analysis
School of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Interests: land use and protection; land carbon emissions and carbon metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are many ways land-use modeling can be used in land systems science, and they play an important role in major environmental assessments, both to assess the drivers of global environmental change and to help to design mitigation or adaptation measures. For scientific decision making, more scientific land-use modeling is needed that can more accurately recreate complex realities and forecast the future. As a result of the complexity theory, coupled human–natural systems (CHANS) incorporate feedback, multiple equilibrium states, and unstable dynamics into the interaction between humans and the environment. The complex human–nature system requires consideration of more natural elements as well as the impact and interference of complex human activities. Additionally, the dynamic nature of the restoration process must be taken into account as well as more factors and their complex interactions. Based on this, we need to better understand the relationship between human activities and land use and characterize the deeper interactions between them. Traditional land-use models and methods may fail to provide adequate support for scientific decision making when adapted to complex human–nature systems. As a result of this challenge, it is essential to explore the theoretical and methodological requirements for a land-use modeling and decision-making solution that is more comprehensive and adaptable to more complex scenarios. To this end, we have chosen this Special Issue as a platform for researchers with interest in this area.

Prof. Dr. Zuo Zhang
Dr. Lu Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • land-use modeling
  • decision making
  • coupled human and natural systems (CHANS)

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 5500 KiB  
Article
Study on the Evolution and Optimization of the Spatial Structure of the Oasis in the Arid Area: A Case Study of the Aksu River Basin in China
by Yunlu Jiang, Haotian He, Haoyu Zhang, Yuee Cao, Ge Shi, Lin Feng and Jianjun Yang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4920; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064920 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1278
Abstract
To achieve high-quality sustainable development in arid areas based on the concept of ecological civilization, it is necessary to deeply study the territorial spatial structure characteristics. Taking the Aksu River Basin, an important ecological security barrier in northwest China, as an example, this [...] Read more.
To achieve high-quality sustainable development in arid areas based on the concept of ecological civilization, it is necessary to deeply study the territorial spatial structure characteristics. Taking the Aksu River Basin, an important ecological security barrier in northwest China, as an example, this paper follows the research idea of “feature analysis-suitability evaluation-conflict identification analysis-optimization” and constructs a comprehensive model based on the AHP-entropy weight comprehensive evaluation method, ArcGIS spatial identification analysis, variance coefficient-TOPSIS method, and NRCA. A comprehensive model based on the AHP-entropy power integrated evaluation method, ArcGIS spatial identification analysis, variance coefficient-TOPSIS method, and NRCA was constructed to guide the optimization of the territorial spatial layout by exploring the characteristics of territorial spatial pattern, the suitability of territorial spatial development, the identification of territorial spatial conflicts, and the efficiency and functional advantage of territorial spatial utilization in the study area. The results show that: (1) The spatial type of territorial space in the Aksu River Basin from 2000 to 2020 is dominated by ecological space, agricultural space, and urban space, and the three spatial boundaries are irregularly interlaced. (2) The spatial utilization conflict pattern of the Aksu River Basin has formed, and the general conflict area is overgrowing. (3) The overall efficiency of territorial utilization in the Aksu River Basin is low, with significant differences among county administrative units. (4) After optimization, the three types of space in the watershed are adjusted and refined into six functional areas: basic farmland protection area, rural development area, ecological protection red line area, ecological control area, urban development area, and industrial supporting construction area. Full article
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19 pages, 1280 KiB  
Article
How Can Digital Financial Inclusion Promote High-Quality Agricultural Development? The Multiple-Mediation Model Research
by Hua Zhang, Ying Li, Hanxiaoxue Sun and Xiaohui Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3311; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043311 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1799
Abstract
In order to balance the relationship between economics, society and environment, the Chinese government has stated that China’s economy should shift from high-speed growth to high-quality development. Since agriculture is the foundation of the national economy, high-quality development of agriculture plays significant roles [...] Read more.
In order to balance the relationship between economics, society and environment, the Chinese government has stated that China’s economy should shift from high-speed growth to high-quality development. Since agriculture is the foundation of the national economy, high-quality development of agriculture plays significant roles in the achievement of food security, social stability and environmental sustainability in China. In practice, the expansion of digital financial inclusion (DFI) seems to provide valuable opportunities for the development of high-quality agriculture. Nevertheless, in theory, the extant literature ignores exploration of the close relationships between DFI and high-quality agricultural development (HQAD). Hence, using Chinese provincial panel data from 2011 to 2020 and structural equation model (SEM) in STATA 16.0, this paper attempts to investigate whether and how DFI can enhance HQAD. Analysis reveals that (1) DFI can directly promote HQAD; (2) DFI can indirectly facilitate HQAD through the mediator of farmland transfer (FLT); (3) DFI can indirectly promote HQAD through the mediator of farmland mechanization level (FML); (4) compared with the benefits brought by “high-mechanization”, the benefits brought by “large-scale” farmland transfer policies are much greater. To our knowledge, our research is one of the first to investigate the direct and indirect effecting mechanisms of DFI’s influence on HQAD from the perspectives of farmland scale and farmland technology. Full article
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14 pages, 3574 KiB  
Article
The Industrial Sprawl in China from 2010 to 2019: A Multi-Level Spatial Analysis Based on Urban Scaling Law
by Lu Zhang, Xuehan Lin, Bingkui Qiu, Maomao Zhang and Qingsong He
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16255; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316255 - 5 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1187
Abstract
Studying the spatial-temporal distribution industrial sprawl in China is important to solve industrial sprawl problems and promote urban sustainable development. This paper constructed a multi-level spatial analysis of the Chinese industrial sprawl during 2010–2019 by mainly using urban scaling law, supplemented by GIS [...] Read more.
Studying the spatial-temporal distribution industrial sprawl in China is important to solve industrial sprawl problems and promote urban sustainable development. This paper constructed a multi-level spatial analysis of the Chinese industrial sprawl during 2010–2019 by mainly using urban scaling law, supplemented by GIS methods. Results showed that: (1) China had obvious industrial sprawl with a growth rate of 31.79%, reaching 2762.37 km2 between 2010 and 2019. (2) There was a stronger industrial sprawl in large cities with a larger population according to urban scaling law, especially in the East. (3) The industrial sprawl was mainly concentrated in the cities in the Northeast, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Shandong Peninsula, Yangtze River Delta region, Pearl River Delta region, Middle Yangtze River region, Fujian Province, and some cities in the West. (4) The gravity center of industrial sprawl generally moved southwest and distributed in Hubei Province. This study provided references for improving the efficiency of industrial land use and promoting high-quality urban development. Full article
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20 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Cultivated Land Transfer, Management Scale, and Cultivated Land Green Utilization Efficiency in China: Based on Intermediary and Threshold Models
by Min Zhou, Hua Zhang and Nan Ke
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12786; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912786 - 6 Oct 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1419
Abstract
Cultivated land utilization around the world is accompanied by the cultivated land fragmentation, which is a significant agricultural feature of countries with economies in transition. Thereby, governments of the PRC have successively promulgated a series of relevant policies to promote the cultivated land [...] Read more.
Cultivated land utilization around the world is accompanied by the cultivated land fragmentation, which is a significant agricultural feature of countries with economies in transition. Thereby, governments of the PRC have successively promulgated a series of relevant policies to promote the cultivated land transfer (CLT) and stimulate the transformation of cultivated land utilization to be both green and efficient. In the context of large-scale CLT and the implementation of a rural revitalization strategy for China, it is of great significance to explore the effect of CLT on cultivated land green utilization efficiency (CLGUE). In this work, 30 provinces of China were selected as the objects of investigation; the super-efficiency SBM model was used to evaluate CLGUE; the mediation effect model and threshold regression model were used to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the CLT’s influence on CLGUE. According to the results of this study, the following conclusions were drawn. First of all, the CLGUE in China as a whole showed an upward trend improvement from 2005 to 2019. Due to the different natural and economic conditions, the CLGUE trends showed significant spatial disparities at both the grain functional areas level and provincial level. Secondly, the CLT could promote CLGUE directly, and the mediation regression results demonstrated that CLT was able to enhance CLGUE indirectly through the mediator of cultivated land management scale. Thirdly, the threshold effect test confirmed the existence of a single threshold, indicating that when the level of CLT gradually crossed the threshold, the promotion effects of CLT on CLGUE would slow down. Lastly, the heterogeneity analysis indicated that the promotion effects of CLT on CLGUE in different geographical location areas and grain functional areas were positive, and that there were significant differences in regression coefficients. Full article
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