Spatial-Temporal Responses of Ecosystem Services to Land Use Transformation Driven by Rapid Urbanization: A Case Study of Hubei Province, China

Investigating the impact of urban growth on land use using spatial autocorrelation methods in Konya/Türkiye

Land use land cover (LULC) change, global environmental change, and sustainable change are frequently discussed topics in research at the moment. It is important to determine the historical LULC change process for effective environmental planning and the most appropriate use of land resources. This study analysed the spatial autocorrelation of the land use structure in Konya between 1990 and 2018. For this, Global and Local Moran's I indices based on land use data from 122 neighbourhoods and hot spot analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*) methods were applied to measure the spatial correlation of changes and to determine statistically significant hot and cold spatial clusters. According to the research results, the growth of urban areas has largely destroyed the most productive agricultural lands in the region. This change showed high spatial clustering both on an area and a proportional basis in the northern and southern parts of the city. On the other hand, the growth in the industrial area suppressed the pasture areas the most in the north-eastern region of the city, and this region showed high spatial clustering on both spatial and proportional scales.

Eco-environmental response to land cover change in ASEAN countries from 2001 to 2020 based on spatial granular association

As one of the major forms of terrestrial ecosystem change, land cover change (LCC) alters the structure of surface landscape patterns, thereby causing regional eco-environmental responses. Due to limitations in research methods, existing studies have focused more on the overall response between LCC and the eco-environment, and cannot calculate the level change response of eco-environmental quality caused by LCC. Based on the method of spatial data information granulation, this study used a remote sensing ecological index to represent the eco-environmental system and divided the complex eco-environmental system and land system into a simple system composed of spatial information granules, thus simplifying the spatial data calculation. The main contributions of this study are as follows: (1) A computing method of eco-environmental response to LCC based on spatial granular association was proposed, which can spatially identify the main response types of regional LCC; (2) three measures, namely, spatial association support degree, spatial association confidence degree, and spatial association cover degree, were proposed to measure the eco-environmental response of regional LCC from different perspectives; and (3) during 2001-2020, the eco-environmental response to l LCC, namely, the response to degradation caused by shrinking forest area, was not very dramatic in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Spatial and temporal variation of multiple eco-environmental indicators in Erhai Lake Basin of China under land use transitions

Environmental degradation is a global ecological concern, and land use transitions play a critical role in a region's ecological well-being and long-term sustainability. In this paper, indicators related to land use transitions, including the regional eco-environmental quality index (EV), the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), and soil erosion, are selected to analyze the eco-environmental quality of Erhai Lake Basin from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that (1) from 2000 to 2020, forestland, grassland, and cultivated land were the major land use types in the study region, and also the land use types where land use transition was notable; (2) over the 20 years of study, the EV value of Erhai Lake Basin increased by 0.003, its average RSEI increased by 0.14, and the average soil erosion modulus there decreased by 15.48 t/(km²·a), indicating that the eco-environment of the Erhai Lake Basin was improving. Evaluation based on multiple ecological indicators was superior to assessment relying on single indicators; (3) all three ecological indicators showed that the ecological environment of the basin was improving, but with significant regional differences. Forestland had the best ecological quality, while unused land and built-up land had the worst. RSEI was more regionally adaptable than the other two indices. (4) The transition of cultivated land into other land use types was the main reason for the improved ecological quality in the basin, while tourism had accelerated land use transformation. Compared with assessment based on single ecological indicators, evaluation based on a combination of multiple ecological indicators can more accurately reflect the ecological condition of the study area and provide a basis for eco-environmental protection in Erhai Lake Basin.

Multi-Scenario Simulation of Ecosystem Service Values in the Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration, China

Rapid urbanization and human activities enhanced threats to the degradation of various ecosystem services in modern urban agglomerations. This study explored the response of ecosystem service values (ESVs) to land use changes and the trade-offs among various ESVs in urban agglomerations under different future development scenarios. The patch-general land use simulation (PLUS) model and ESV calculation method were used to simulate the ESVs of Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration under the Business As Usual scenario (BAU), Ecological Conservation scenario (EC), and Economic Development scenario (ED) in 2030. Global and local Moran’s I were used to detect the spatial distribution pattern, and correlation analysis was used to measure trade-offs among ecosystem services. The results showed that: (1) The simulated result of land use in Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration showed high accuracy compared to the actual observed result of the same period, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.912. From 2000 to 2030, land use changes were significant, with the rapid decrease in farmland and an increase in construction land. The area of woodland increased significantly under the EC scenario, and the area of construction land increased rapidly under the ED scenario. (2) The decline of total ESV was CNY 218 million from 2000 to 2020, and ESVs remained the downward trend in the BAU and ED scenarios compared to 2020, decreasing by CNY 156 million and CNY 4731 million, respectively. An increasing trend of ESV showed under the EC scenario, with a growth of CNY 849 million. (3) Significant spatial autocorrelation showed in Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration, as the Global Moran’s I were all positive and the p-values were zero. The ESV grids mainly showed “High-High” clusters in the mountainous areas and “Low-Low” clusters in plain areas. Except for food production, a majority of ecosystem services exhibited positive synergistic relationships. In future planning and development, policymakers should focus on the coordinated development of the urbanization process and ecological preservation to build an ecological safety pattern.

Using Marginal Land Resources to Solve the Shortage of Rural Entrepreneurial Land in China

Rural entrepreneurship is an important way to promote rural revitalization, narrow the gap between urban and rural areas and increase farmers’ income. With the acceleration of urbanization, land resources have become scarcer than capital, technology, and human resources in China. At the same time, food-security pressure makes the stock of rural construction land in China extremely tight. Therefore, how to meet the demand for rural entrepreneurial land without touching the red line of cultivated land or occupying the existing rural construction land available is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Reviewing the relevant literature, it was found that some regions in China innovated the way of “capital compensation and land equity” to obtain the use rights of marginal land resources such as idle farmhouses, workshops and school buildings and transformed them into entrepreneurial development spaces, which alleviated the scarcity of entrepreneurial construction land. At the same time, it also promoted the local residents’ employment and economic development. We believe that according to the social and economic conditions of different regions, the in-depth tapping of rural marginalized land is an effective way to solve the lack of development space for rural entrepreneurship and should be implemented worldwide.

Spatially Heterogeneity Response of Critical Ecosystem Service Capacity to Address Regional Development Risks to Rapid Urbanization: The Case of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration in China

Urban agglomerations have become the new spatial unit of global economic competition. The intense socioeconomic activities attributed to the development of urban agglomerations are bound to cause damage to the ecosystem services of these urban agglomerations. This study adopts the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration in China as the research object, analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution of its critical ecosystem service capacity to address regional ++-development risks from 2000–2018, and employs the Moran’s I and geographically weighted regression model to explore the spatial correlation and spatial heterogeneity in the responses of urbanization and ecosystem services. The study indicates that (1) from 2000–2018, the ecosystem services of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration exhibit an increase and then a decline, reaching the highest index in 2015; (2) the ecosystem services reveal obvious spatial heterogeneity with the Yan and Taihang Mountains region as the boundary; (3) built-up area ratio, GDP density, and population density exhibit highly obvious negative correlation driving characteristics on ecosystem services; and (4) the construction land ratio exerts a notable impact on areas with a high ecosystem services, while the spatial response of the effect magnitude of the population and GDP densities is largely influenced by intensive, high-pollution and energy-consuming industries. This article also proposes strategies for the optimization of ecological resources and spatial control, which are dedicated to mitigating the negative impacts of rapid urbanization processes on ecosystem services.

Conflict or Coordination? Spatiotemporal Coupling of Urban Population-Land Spatial Patterns and Ecological Efficiency

The coordinated relationship between urban population–land spatial patterns (UPLSPs) and ecological efficiency (EE) is conducive not only to the rational utilization of resources and environment and the sustainable development of society, but also to the provision of a living environment that benefits public health. Identifying the coupling relationship of urban development and EE can provide critical information for urban planning. Previous studies have mainly focused on the coupling relationship between urban population and land, urbanization, and ecological development, while ignoring that between UPLSPs and EE. This study integrates several models to construct a novel framework for coupling UPLSPs and EE. Taking Hubei Province as the research area, we calculate the UPLSPs, EE, and their coupling coordination degree for 12 cities from 2000 to 2019. The paper offers several conclusions. (1) the urban population–land spatial matching degree increased, but the overall matching level was not high; the average value of EE showed an “N”-shaped change trajectory, and its overall level was low, with small changes and obvious regional differences. (2) The average value of the coupling coordination degree between UPLSPs and EE was a slow upward trend, with a radial distribution high in the middle and low in the periphery. There was conflict between the spatial patterns and EE, and the former restricted the development of the latter. (3) There were strong correlations between coordination degree and various indicators of UPLSPs and EE. While we should revitalize the stock of construction land and optimize the upgrading of the industrial structure, we also must coordinate human and land resources and the ecological environment, and narrow regional development differences. This study provides a new framework for urban environmental assessment and urban planning decision-making.

Impact of Cereal Production Displacement from Urban Expansion on Ecosystem Service Values in China: Based on Three Cropland Supplement Strategies

The acceleration of global urban expansion constantly occupies high-quality cropland and affects regional food security. The implementation of cropland protection policies has alleviated the pressure of cropland loss worldwide, and thus keeping a dynamic balance of cereal production. Such a displacement of cereal production from the lost cropland to the supplemented cropland has resulted in the massive losses of natural habitats (such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands) as well as ecosystem service values. However, the impact of cereal production displacement caused by different cropland supplement strategies has not been concerned. Therefore, taking China (mainland) as a case, this study used the LANDSCAPE model to simulate cereal production displacement caused by urban expansion and cropland supplement between 2020 and 2040, based on three scales of the Chinese administration system (i.e., the national level, the provincial level, and the municipal level). The natural habitat loss and corresponding ecosystem service value (ESV) loss were assessed. The results show that the national-scale cereal displacement will lead to a large reclamation of cropland in North China, causing the most natural habitat loss (5090 km2), and the least ESV loss (46.53 billion yuan). Cereal production displacement at the provincial and municipal scales will lead to fewer natural habitat losses (4696 km2 and 4954 km2, respectively), but more ESV losses (54.16 billion yuan and 54.02 billion yuan, respectively). Based on the national food security and ecological conservation in China, this study discussed the reasons for the ecological effects of cereal production displacement, direct and indirect natural habitat loss of urban expansion, and cropland protection policies in China. We suggest that China's cropland protection policy should emphasize avoiding large-scale cropland displacement and occupation of natural habitat with high ESV for cropland supplement.

Farmland Suitability Evaluation Oriented by Non-Agriculturalization Sensitivity: A Case Study of Hubei Province, China

Farmland is one of the key factors affecting national or regional food security, and farmland suitability evaluation can provide critical information for the spatial layout of farmland. Previous studies have mainly focused on the role of natural factors in suitability evaluation, while ignoring the important influence of socio-economic activities. This study selects natural factors such as elevation and slope and non-agriculturalization sensitivity factors to build a farmland suitability evaluation framework of “natural non-agriculturalization sensitivity”, quantify the farmland suitability, and uses GIS technology to classify the evaluation results into four levels: highly, moderately, barely, and unsuitable. The results show that the non-agriculturalization sensitivity of farmland in Hubei Province shows the spatial characteristics of multi-point clustering, with density increasing from west and north to central and east; the overall farmland suitability in Hubei Province is high, and the areas of highly, moderately, barely, and unsuitable farmland account for 2.32%, 67.69%, 11.49%, and 18.50%, respectively. In terms of spatial distribution, there are obvious spatial differences in the farmland suitability, with highly and moderately suitable areas mainly distributed in the central and eastern regions and barely suitable and unsuitable areas mainly distributed in the western, northeastern, and southeastern parts of Hubei Province.