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Land Use/Land Cover Change, Simulation and Ecological Security in Ecological Sensitivity Areas

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (11 April 2023) | Viewed by 8948

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Interests: land use change; ecological system mapping and monitoring; remote sensing application
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Social Development and Public Administration, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Interests: ecological restoration; land rearrangement; land planning
College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China
Interests: agricultural land system; climate change; land management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. School of Resources & Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
2. Engineering Research Center of Watershed Carbon Neutralization, Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Interests: land use change; agricultural remote sensing; soil erosion evaluation of cultivated land; agricultural non-point source pollution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid change of land use caused by human activities has led to increased risk for ecological security. The combination of land use/cover change (LUCC) and ecological security assessment play an important role in regional ecological environment assessment and protection. With the rapid growth of the world population and the rapid development of urbanization, a series of ecological environment problems have been caused by human land use activities, such as global warming, urban air quality deterioration, and sharp decline in biodiversity, which lead to major changes in the structure and function of the ecological system. The change in land use types can reflect the status of ecological safety; therefore, predicting future land use changes is helpful to optimize land use pattern and improve regional ecological security. As the interrelation between ecological environment and LUCC becomes more and more complex, ecological security has been raised to the national strategic level by various governments and is becoming an important part of national security. Land use change and simulation is the core of ecological security research, which has been widely studied and applied in different fields or spatial scales such as urban, forest, wetland, and landscape ecology. Therefore, research on how to prevent the threat of land use change and optimize the regional ecological security situation has become the focus of attention.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge between land use/cover change (LUCC) and ecological security assessment. New research papers, reviews, and case reports are welcome to this issue. Papers dealing with new approaches to ecological security caused by land use change and human activities are also welcome. Other manuscript types accepted include methodological papers, position papers, and brief reports. Articles may address but are not limited to the following topics that focus on both land use/cover change (LUCC) and ecological security assessment:

  • Land use/land cover change, simulation, and mapping;
  • Land use function assessment and management;
  • Long-term land use change dynamics and impacts;
  • Modeling and simulation of land use change;
  • Interrelationship between land use change and ecological security.

Prof. Dr. Wei Wei
Prof. Dr. Chunfang Liu
Dr. Fei Li
Dr. Wei Wan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • land use/ cover change
  • ecological security assessment
  • multi-scenario simulation
  • land use management
  • ecological function of land use/cover
  • suitability of ecological land

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2808 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Changes in Selected Ecosystem Services Caused by Free Trade Initiatives in Incheon, Korea
by Jiyoung Choi and Sangdon Lee
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 3812; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053812 - 21 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1295
Abstract
Expansion of a development area can negatively impact ecosystems by decreasing or fragmenting habitats. With increased awareness of the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES), ecosystem service evaluations have attracted increased attention. The geography surrounding the city of Incheon is ecologically valuable [...] Read more.
Expansion of a development area can negatively impact ecosystems by decreasing or fragmenting habitats. With increased awareness of the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES), ecosystem service evaluations have attracted increased attention. The geography surrounding the city of Incheon is ecologically valuable because of its ecological diversity, attributed to its mudflats and coastal terrain. This study analyzed changes caused by the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) agreement in the ecosystem services of this area using uses the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model and assesses the impacts of BES before and after the implementation of the agreement. Results revealed that carbon fixation and habitat quality decreased by approximately 40% and 37%, respectively, owing to the development caused by the agreement (p < 0.01). Additionally, endangered species and migratory birds were not protected by the terms of the IFEZ, and a decline in habitats, prey, and breeding sites was observed. This study suggests that the value of ecosystem services and the expansion of conservation areas should be considered part of ecological research under economic free trade agreements. Full article
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15 pages, 379 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Farmland Transfer on Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from Rural China
by Guoqun Ma, Xiaopeng Dai and Yuxi Luo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2130; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032130 - 24 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1732
Abstract
Exploring the effect and mechanism of farmland transfer on agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) in China is of great significance for exerting the effectiveness of China’s farmland transfer policy and promoting green agricultural development. Based on panel data from 30 provinces from [...] Read more.
Exploring the effect and mechanism of farmland transfer on agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) in China is of great significance for exerting the effectiveness of China’s farmland transfer policy and promoting green agricultural development. Based on panel data from 30 provinces from 2005 to 2020, this paper applies a two-way fixed effects model to analyze the impact of farmland transfer on AGTFP, and the mechanism of farmland transfer on AGTFP is also investigated. We find that farmland transfer has a significant and sound promoting effect on AGTFP, with respect to multiple robustness checks; there is heterogeneity regarding the impact of farmland transfer on AGTFP in terms of food functions, and farmland transfer can promote regional AGTFP through nonagricultural labor transfer and agricultural technology utilization. When considering the fact that farmland transfer has increased China’s AGTFP, the Chinese government should continue to adhere to the farmland transfer policy, accelerate nonagricultural labor transfer, improve the level of agricultural technology utilization, and ultimately promote green agricultural development. Full article
15 pages, 23864 KiB  
Article
Spatio-Temporal Evolution and Influence Mechanism of Habitat Quality in Guilin City, China
by Yunlin He, Yanhua Mo and Jiangming Ma
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010748 - 31 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1949
Abstract
Based on the models of ArcGIS10.5, Fragstats 4.2, and InVEST, this research describes the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of habitat quality in Guilin from three aspects, which are land use change, landscape pattern change, and habitat quality evaluation, and further explores the [...] Read more.
Based on the models of ArcGIS10.5, Fragstats 4.2, and InVEST, this research describes the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of habitat quality in Guilin from three aspects, which are land use change, landscape pattern change, and habitat quality evaluation, and further explores the main driving factors of Guilin’s habitat quality change by using the method of geographic detector evaluation. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, the land use type in Guilin City is dominated by forest, accounting for the highest proportion of 77.87%. The forest has decreased significantly, the mutual transformation of forest and cropland is obvious, and the area of impervious has continued to increase. A large amount of cropland is occupied, indicating that human activities were the main factor in land use transformation. From 2000 to 2020, the irregularity of the patch shape of each land use type was deepened, the fragmentation degree was relatively stable, the landscape diversity was enhanced, and the spatial distribution of each patch showed a relatively obvious heterogeneity. From 2000 to 2020, the habitat quality of Guilin City was mainly high-grade and the habitat quality was good, but the overall trend showed a downward trend, and the spatial difference was obvious. From 2000 to 2020, elevation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), splitting index (SPLIT), and slope were the main factors affecting the habitat quality of Guilin City, among which elevation and NDVI had the most significant effects. Full article
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20 pages, 7518 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of Various Land Use and Land Cover Change Models to Predict Ecosystem Service Value
by Chaoxu Luan and Renzhi Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16484; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416484 - 8 Dec 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1448
Abstract
Ecosystem services are closely related to human well-being and are vulnerable to high-intensity human land-use activities. Understanding the evolution of land use and land cover (LULC) changes and quantifying ecosystem service value (ESV) are significant for sustainable development. In this study, we used [...] Read more.
Ecosystem services are closely related to human well-being and are vulnerable to high-intensity human land-use activities. Understanding the evolution of land use and land cover (LULC) changes and quantifying ecosystem service value (ESV) are significant for sustainable development. In this study, we used land use and land cover data and other data from 2000 to 2020 to analyze the evolution of land use and land cover and ESV in Tongliao, China. With the goal of exploring the characteristics of different cellular automata (CA)-based models, CA-Markov, Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS), and Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) models were used to simulate future land use and land cover, and the results were verified and compared. Considering the impacts of policies for capital farmland (CF) and ecological protection red line (EPRL) in the context of territorial spatial planning, four scenarios (inertial development, S1; CF, S2; EPRL, S3; EPRL and CF, S4) were set. The results showed that from 2000 to 2020, farmland and built-up land increased the most (341.18 km2 and 220.56 km2), while grassland had the largest decrease (380.08 km2). The main mutual transitions were from grassland and farmland. The total ESV showed a decreasing trend (from 52,364.56 million yuan to 51,620.62 million yuan). The simulation results for 2035 under four scenarios were similar, where farmland would decrease the most (96.81 km2). The ESV in 2035 would decrease from 51,620.62 million yuan to 51,541.12 million. In addition, under scenarios for the impact of policy, the land showed a trend of scattered expansion. This study provides a scientific basis for making regional sustainable development policy decisions and implementing ecological environmental protection measures. Full article
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19 pages, 7445 KiB  
Article
Evolution and Simulation of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Storage and Sustainability Assessment in Karst Areas: A Case Study of Guizhou Province
by Tong Lin, Dafang Wu, Muzhuang Yang, Peifang Ma, Yanyan Liu, Feng Liu and Ziying Gan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316219 - 4 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1877
Abstract
Against the background of “carbon neutrality” and sustainable development goals, it is of great significance to assess the carbon storage changes and sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems in order to maintain the coordinated sustainable development of regional ecological economies and the balance of terrestrial [...] Read more.
Against the background of “carbon neutrality” and sustainable development goals, it is of great significance to assess the carbon storage changes and sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems in order to maintain the coordinated sustainable development of regional ecological economies and the balance of terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, the terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage in Guizhou from 2010 to 2020 was assessed with the InVEST model. Using the PLUS model, the distribution of terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage by 2030 and 2050 was predicted. The current sustainable development level of the terrestrial ecosystem of Guizhou was evaluated after establishing an index system based on SDGs. The results showed the following: (1) From 2010 to 2020, the terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage decreased by 1106.68 × 104 Mg. The area and carbon storage of the forest and farmland ecosystems decreased while the area and carbon storage of the grassland and settlement ecosystems increased. (2) Compared with 2020, the terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage will be reduced by 4091.43 × 104 Mg by 2030. Compared with 2030, the terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage will continue to decrease by 3833.25 × 104 Mg by 2050. (3) In 2020, the average score of the sustainable development of the terrestrial ecosystem was 0.4300. Zunyi City had the highest sustainable development score of 0.6255, and Anshun had the lowest sustainable development score of 0.3236. Overall, the sustainable development of the terrestrial ecosystem of Guizhou was found to be high in the north, low in the south, high in the east, and low in the west. The sustainable regional development of the terrestrial ecosystem of Guizhou was found to be unbalanced, and the carbon storage of the terrestrial ecosystem will keep decreasing in the future. In order to improve the sustainable development capacity of the terrestrial ecosystem, the government needs to take certain measures, such as returning farmland to forests and grasslands, curbing soil erosion, and actively supervising. Full article
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