Search Results (5)

Exploring the mechanisms and processes of land-use transitions (LUTs) and their impact on ecosystem services can effectively elucidate the intricate interactions between human and natural systems, which is pivotal for advancing the sustainable development of regional economies and enhancing ecological environments. However, the existing literature lacks comprehensive analysis regarding the spatial and temporal evolution of LUTs, with insufficient integration of the “spatial pattern” and “time process”. Moreover, traditional assessments of the ecosystem services value (ESV) often overlook their negative costs. To address these gaps, this study first utilized the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform and employed the random forest algorithm to conduct supervised classification on Landsat remote-sensing images from the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 within the research area, thereby obtaining land-use data for three distinct periods. And then, we investigated the geographic features of LUTs and their ecological effects in the Ningde City of China from 2000 to 2020. The geo-informatic Tupu model and a newly revised method of benefit transfer were primarily employed for this purpose. The findings indicate the following: (1) Over the study period, the land-use structure of Ningde City predominantly comprised cultivated land and forest land, with continuous decreases in both types and a concurrent increase in built-up land. (2) Significant disparities exist in the spatial distribution of Tupu units, notably with “forest land → cultivated land” and “cultivated land → built-up land” as crucial units influencing ESV changes. (3) The ESV in Ningde City decreased from CNY 1105.54 × 10⁸ to CNY 1020.47 × 10⁸ over 2000–2020, while the ecosystem dis-services value exhibited an opposing trend, rising from CNY 12.68 × 10⁸ to CNY 20.39 × 10⁸. (4) The net ESV in Ningde City showed a decline over the same period, indicating a certain vulnerability in the city’s ecological system structure. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the influence of land-use patterns on ESV, offering valuable insights for regional ecological–environment management and land-use policy formulation, thereby fostering sustainable development in ecological, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions. Furthermore, the results serve as a reference for evaluating net ecosystem services value in other countries/regions. Full article

Investigating the spatial-temporal evolution of land use and its driving forces provides a scientific basis for policy formulation, land-use structure adjustment, and ecological civilization development. Using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, this study analyzed remote sensing images from 2000, 2010, and 2020 to derive basic land-use data for Putian City and its five districts and counties. These data were then systematically analyzed using methodologies such as Single Land-use Dynamics and Geo-informatic Tupu to reveal the characteristics of land-use transitions (LUTs), and the spatial-temporal evolution pattern over the past two decades in Putian City, China. Subsequently, socioeconomic conditions and macro policies were identified as driving factors to further explore the mechanisms behind land-use evolution in the study area through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The findings revealed that: (1) The predominant land-use structure in Putian City consisted mainly of cultivated land and forest land, with other land types interspersed within them, while built-up land exhibited continual outward expansion. (2) Various regions within Putian City exhibited varying degrees of abandoned farmland, ultimately transforming into wasteland (grassland) with weed growth, presenting significant challenges for ensuring food security and mitigating the conversion of cultivated land to non-agricultural and non-grain uses. (3) Specific macro-economic development objectives during distinct periods, particularly urban expansion and the growth of the secondary industry resulting from municipal and county mergers, emerged as pivotal factors driving the spatial and temporal evolution of land use and influenced the differential distribution pattern across Putian City. Consequently, this study suggests bolstering scientific planning and implementing effective regulations concerning land use, and it advocates for the efficient utilization of space-time resources pertaining to cultivated land, integrating them with agriculture, culture, and tourism endeavors. Such measures are proposed to ensure the harmonized and sustainable development of the regional ecological economy. Full article

Vegetation on the Loess Plateau, China, has continuously improved thanks to certain ecological restoration (ER) strategies, including the integrated soil conservation project that began in the late 1970s and the “Grain for Green” project that began in the 1990s. The experience of these strategies in different geomorphological regions is of great value to ER worldwide. In this study, the evolution of the land-use transition (LUT) pathway and ecosystem service value (ESV) in four geomorphological regions of the Beiluo River Basin was analyzed using geo-informatic Tupu and the equivalent factor method with data from 1975 to 2015. The results indicated that, from 1975 to 2015, the proportion of forestland in the Beiluo River basin increased by 18.27%, while the areas of shrub, grassland, cultivated land, and water decreased by 1.03%, 0.16%, 18.23%, and 0.26%, respectively. In the past 40 years, the overall ESV of the basin increased by USD 3.209 billion (54.16%). The landform, vegetation cover, LUT, and ESV analysis indicated that the main ecological functions of the loess hilly and gully (LHG), loess plateau gully (LPG), rocky mountain (RM), and terrace and plain (TP) regions are soil and water conservation (SWC), SWC and food production, regulation and food production, respectively. ER projects enhanced the main ecological function of individual regions. In detail, the transition of “cultivated land → grassland” enhanced SWC function in the LHG region, and the transition of “grassland (shrub) → forestland” enhanced the regulating services of the RM and LPG regions. Moreover, the transition of “cultivated land to grassland” did not seriously lower the food production services of the TP and LPG regions, owing to the increase in grain yield per unit area. However, there were alternating transitions between cultivated land and ecological land types, implying a game between the peasant households’ demands and the ER strategies. Conflicting demands between local households and the public necessitate precision ER strategies, including land planning, ecological compensation, training and employment for local residents, etc. Full article

The analysis of land use change (LUC) characteristics and the impact of policies related to urban ecological space is required to improve spatial planning and to support decision making regarding green infrastructure (GI) investment. This study employed Geo-informatic Tupu analysis and Fluctuation Potential Tupu analysis methods to analyze the characteristics of LUC in an urban ecological corridor (EC). To help understand the influence of land use policy on GI governance and support the optimization of spatial planning, we proposed a situation–structure–implementation–outcome (SSIO) policy cascade analysis framework. SSIO takes “place” as its starting point, then couples the local policy with the governance structure to promote the sustainability of urban commons governance. The results show that the land use type within an EC in the city is mainly cultivated land. However, between 2009 and 2019, cultivated land, construction land, and facility agricultural land all showed a decreasing trend, while forest land and garden land types underwent increasing trends. The LUC Tupu unit highlights the transition from cultivated land to forest land. Forest land has the greatest increase in area and accounts for 52.34% of the area of increasing land use. Cultivated land shows the greatest decrease in area and accounts for 70.30% of the area of decreasing trends. Based on the local policy situation of the metropolis, a land policy governance mechanism can be constructed by the establishment of a governance structure with local government as the core, using land consolidation as the platform, taking ecological spatial planning and inefficient construction land reduction as typical policy tools, and experimentally integrating the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). In general, these findings may be applicable to other rapidly urbanizing cities around the world that are developing complex land use policies for ecological space governance. Full article

Human activities and environmental deterioration have resulted in land use transition (LUT), which seriously affects the ecosystem service value (ESV) of its region. Therefore, relevant policy measures are urgently needed. Nevertheless, research on the relationships between LUTs and ESVs from the overall watershed scale is lacking. Thus, the geo-information Tupu method was applied to analyze the dynamic patterns of LUT based on land use data from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2018 of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Then, a newly revised ecosystem services calculation method was utilized to the responses of ESV to LUTs. The results indicated that the Tupu units of the LUT were mainly based on the mutual transformation of grassland and unused land, and cultivated land and forestland, which were widely distributed in the upper and middle reaches of the basin. The spatial distribution was concentrated, and the expansion’s trend was also obvious. Moreover, the conversion of cultivated land into construction land was mainly distributed in the lower reaches of the basin. During 1990–2018, the total ESV fluctuated and increased (+10.47 × 10⁸ USD) in the YRB. Thereinto, the ESV of grassland (45%) and forestland (30%) made the greatest contribution to the total ESV. As for different reaches, the ESV increased in the upstream, but decreased in the midstream and the downstream. In terms of contribution rate, the conversion of unused land into grassland (12.477%) and grassland into forestland (9.856%) were the main types to enhance the ESV in the YRB, while the conversion of forestland into grassland (−8.047%) and grassland to unused land (−7.358%) were the main types to reduce the ESV. Furthermore, the range of ecological appreciation zones was widely distributed and scattered, while the range of ecological impairment zones was gradually expanded. These findings could have theoretical support and policy implications for land use planning and environmental services in the YRB. Full article