%0 Journal Article %A Dan LIU %A Linna LI %T Spatiotemporal change and driving factors of land use in the northern border transect of China, 1995-2015 %D 2021 %R 10.18402/resci.2021.06.12 %J Resources Science %P 1208-1221 %V 43 %N 6 %X

With the promotion of the Belt and Road initiative, the strategic position of the northern border region in China is increasingly significant. It is critical to study the land use pattern, process, and mechanism of change of this region for its sustainable development. Based on the land use/land cover change data in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015, this study adopted the transect research method and applied spatial analysis and multiple linear regression to reveal the spatial-temporal pattern and driving factors of land use change in the northern border region. The main results are as follows. First, the northern border transect is dominated by ecological conservation land including forest land, grassland, water area, and unused land, accounting for more than 90% of the total area. The land use structure and spatial pattern had changed little in 20 years. Second, cultivated land and construction land expansion and ecological land degradation were the main characteristics of land use change in the region. Different types of land use/cover change in the northern border transect of China showed obvious temporal and spatial differences. Cultivated land and rural-urban construction land increased significantly after 2010. The pattern of land expansion gradually shifted from forest land and grassland conversion to the cultivation of unused land. Finally, urbanization and economic development were the main factors that promoted the expansion of cultivated land and construction land. Ecological land decreased passively in the process of active expansion of cultivated land and construction land, affected by natural, climatic, geographic, and agricultural technology level factors. Meanwhile, the intervention of policy and institution had a significant effect on the expansion of cultivated land and rural-urban construction land and ecological protection and restoration. The degradation of ecological land was contained overall, whereas risks of ecological environment deterioration such as the continued decline of grassland, shrinking water areas, and conversion of unused land in the northern border transect still exist.

%U https://www.resci.cn/EN/10.18402/resci.2021.06.12