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Land
Special Issues
Towards Land System Sustainability: Navigating Global Challenges and Local Realities
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Towards Land System Sustainability: Navigating Global Challenges and Local Realities

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Systems and Global Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 1954

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Li Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Affairs, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: multifunctional land use; land use transition; farmland transfer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yingnan Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: land use conflicts/trade-offs; rural land reform; agrarian change in China
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yanfeng Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Policy and Management, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: urban–rural planning; land consolidation; multifunctional land use; land use management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chao Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Interests: land resource evaluation; ecosystem services; territorial spatial governance; urban–rural integrated development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Rong Ran

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Affairs, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: land use management; land resource evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In an era defined by global environmental crises and socio-economic transformations, achieving sustainable land system management demands adaptive strategies that address both global pressures and local contexts. This Special Issue seeks contributions that bridge these scales by exploring the dynamics of land systems in various socio-economic and ecological settings, highlighting strategies that can foster resilience and sustainability.

Objective:

This Special Issue aims to investigate sustainable land use practices through interdisciplinary approaches, assessing the impacts of governance, economic pressures, climate change, and population dynamics on land systems worldwide. By identifying synergies and conflicts across different land use objectives, this collection will deepen our understanding of sustainable land management pathways that align with global sustainability goals yet remain sensitive to unique regional challenges.

Topics of Interest:

  1. Global–local land governance models: analyses of land governance frameworks that balance global sustainability standards with local socio-political contexts;
  2. Climate adaptation and resilience in land systems: studies on land use practices that enhance resilience to climate-induced disruptions;
  3. Socio-economic drivers of land use change: examination of how economic, social, and demographic factors influence land use decisions globally;
  4. Integrative approaches to ecosystem services and land productivity: strategies that reconcile demands for food production, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem health;
  5. Urban–rural land dynamics and sustainable development: investigating the impact of urban–rural interactions on land systems including urban expansion, land regeneration, and rural land use transitions to achieve sustainable urban–rural development goals;
  6. Teleconnected land systems: investigating the influence of distant drivers on local land use patterns, such as land scarcity and resource demands from urban centers;
  7. Innovative land use and policy tools: exploration of novel policies and technologies that aid in achieving sustainable land use transitions.

This Special Issue invites diverse methodologies, including case studies, policy analysis, and spatial modeling, to advance our understanding of sustainable land systems that align with both global sustainability goals and unique regional challenges.

Dr. Li Ma
Dr. Yingnan Zhang
Dr. Yanfeng Jiang
Dr. Chao Liu
Prof. Dr. Rong Ran
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. Land 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 2600 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 systems
  • theories of land system change
  • land degradation
  • human–environment systems
  • human–land relations
  • land use/land cover change
  • land use transition
  • urban land management
  • rural land use
  • sustainable land use
  • urban sprawl and regeneration
  • urban–rural migration and housing affairs

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4647 KiB  
Article
Driving Factors of Rural Land-Use Change from a Multi-Scale Perspective: A Case Study of the Loess Plateau in China
by Bo Hu, Qingsong Ni, Zongfeng Chen, Xueqi Liu, Pingan Liu and Ziyi Yuan
Land 2025, 14(3), 617; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030617 - 14 Mar 2025
Viewed by 400
Abstract
The issue of multi-scale driving forces within land systems has emerged as one of the pivotal research directions for innovative exploration in the field of land science. However, the understanding of the differences in driving factors across different scales remains relatively inadequate. Based [...] Read more.
The issue of multi-scale driving forces within land systems has emerged as one of the pivotal research directions for innovative exploration in the field of land science. However, the understanding of the differences in driving factors across different scales remains relatively inadequate. Based on multi-source data spanning from 2000 to 2020, this study applied GeoDetector models to reveal the evolution of the spatiotemporal pattern of land-use change and the scale differences in driving factors in rural areas of the Loess Plateau region from both prefecture-level scale and township scale. The results indicated that the land-use changes in rural areas of the Loess Plateau had exhibited distinct spatial differentiation characteristics over the past 20 years. Specifically, the land-use change dynamic degree on the Loess Plateau exhibits an upward trend from west to east (slope = 0.031) and a downward trend from north to south (slope = −0.039). Secondly, the spatial scale differences in driving forces of rural land-use change in the Loess Plateau were manifested through variations in dominant factors and differences in the sensitivity of land-use change to various factors. The reasons for these differences lay in scale effects and cumulative effects. These findings would provide decision-making support for policymakers in formulating future sustainable land-use policies for rural areas. Additionally, it would contribute to further advancing the exploration of multi-scale driving forces within rural land systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Land System Sustainability: Navigating Global Challenges and Local Realities)
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25 pages, 18116 KiB  
Article
Research on the Coordination Relationship and Zoning Optimization of Territorial Spatial Functions in Southern Karst Regions Based on a Multi-Scale Fusion Model
by Ting Feng, Xiaodong Yu, Yan Zhou, Renling Dong, Dong Wu and Meilin Zhang
Land 2025, 14(2), 430; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020430 - 19 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 392
Abstract
Territorial Space (TS) is characterized by its multifunctionality. The identification and management of Territorial Spatial Functions (TSFs) across multi-scale is crucial for achieving the SDGs. However, previous studies have primarily concentrated on the variations in TSFs within the administrative or grid units at [...] Read more.
Territorial Space (TS) is characterized by its multifunctionality. The identification and management of Territorial Spatial Functions (TSFs) across multi-scale is crucial for achieving the SDGs. However, previous studies have primarily concentrated on the variations in TSFs within the administrative or grid units at a single scale, with multi-scale investigations remaining a challenge. This study focuses on the typical karst region of Guangxi province in China and develops a Multi-Scale Fusion model (MSF) for assessing TSFs and employs a coupling coordination degree (CCD) model to examine the TSFs relationships. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) is used to classify various types of influencing factors, and the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index is employed to identify the primary types of influencing factors at the county level. The study integrates coupling coordination types and advantage factors into the zoning process. The results demonstrate: (1) Ecological function is the dominant function. At the administrative unit scale, production and living functions exhibit a spatial pattern of “high in the southeast and low in the northwest”, while ecological function shows the opposite pattern. Under grid units scale and multi-scale fusion, the high and low texture characteristics of production and ecological functions are more pronounced. (2) TSFs are primarily characterized by slight and moderate disorder. Slight disorder is widely distributed, while moderate disorder is predominantly found in the northwest karst mountainous regions. In contrast, coordinated relationships are more frequently observed in urban areas. (3) The driver types of TSFs can be categorized into four categories: Terrain-Population, Agriculture Development, Location-Economy, and Non-Agriculture Development. By integrating the TSFs relationships, six zones are delineated. Based on this, precise and differentiated optimization suggestions are proposed to promote orderly utilization and sustainable development of TS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Land System Sustainability: Navigating Global Challenges and Local Realities)
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23 pages, 35852 KiB  
Article
How Can Digital Economy Accessibility Accelerate Urban Land Green Transformation in China? Evidence from Threshold and Intermediary Effects
by Guanglong Li, Xuhai Zhao, Yanfeng Jiang, Yuandong Zou, Shuyang Liu, Xuejing Li and Liangen Zeng
Land 2025, 14(2), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020322 - 5 Feb 2025
Viewed by 436
Abstract
The digital economy is a new economic form that has a significant impact on urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE). With the provincial panel data between 2013 and 2021, this paper empirically tests how the digital economy development level (DEDL) promotes the improvement [...] Read more.
The digital economy is a new economic form that has a significant impact on urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE). With the provincial panel data between 2013 and 2021, this paper empirically tests how the digital economy development level (DEDL) promotes the improvement of ULFUE in China. The key findings include the following: (1) There were significant spatial differences for the ULGUE and DEDL of China. For China’s ULGUE, China shows an ascent after an initial decline trend from 2013 to 2017, but a decline trend after 2017. China’s DEDL took on a rising tendency during the research period. In 2021, China’s DEDL increased by 143.8% compared with that in 2013. (2) The digital economy can obviously promote the ULGUE, but the promotion effect is affected by the urbanization level; with improvements in urbanization level, the impact of that may strengthen. (3) Technological innovation demonstrates a complete intermediary effect between the digital economy and ULGUE; the mediation transmission mechanism of technological innovation is evident. These results have been verified by robustness tests, proving their stability and reliability. The research results will provide new insights into the high-quality utilization of urban land resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Land System Sustainability: Navigating Global Challenges and Local Realities)
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