Spatio-temporal distribution and transformation of cropland in geomorphologic regions of China during 1990-2015

doi:10.1007/s11442-019-1591-4

Abstract

Abstract:

Landforms are an important factor determining the spatial pattern of cropland through allocation of surface water and heat. Therefore, it is of great importance to study the change in cropland distribution from the perspective of geomorphologic divisions. Based on China’s multi-year land cover data (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015) and geomorphologic regionalization data, we analyzed the change in cropland area and its distribution pattern in six geomorphologic regions of China over the period of 1990-2015 with the aid of GIS techniques. Our results showed that the total cropland area increased from 177.1 to 178.5 million ha with an average increase rate of 0.03%. Cropland area decreased in southern China and increased in northern China. Region I (Eastern hilly plains) had the highest cropland increase rate, while the cropland dynamic degree of Region IV (Northwestern middle and high mountains, basins and plateaus) was significantly higher than that of other regions. The barycenter of China’s cropland shifted from northern China to the northwest over the 25-year period. Regions IV and I were the two regions with the greatest increase of cropland. Region II (Southeastern low and middle mountains) and Region V (Southwestern middle and low mountains, plateaus and basins) were the main decreasing cropland regions. The area of cropland remained almost unchanged in Region III (Northern China and Inner Mongolia eastern-central mountains and plateaus) and Region VI (Tibetan Plateau). The loss of cropland occurred mostly in Regions I and II as a result of growing industrialization and urbanization, while the increase of cropland occurred mainly in Region IV because of reclamation of grassland and other wasteland. These analyzing results would provide fundamental information for further studies of urban planning, ecosystem management, and natural resources conservation in China.

Key words: spatio-temporal distribution, transformation of cropland, geomorphologic regions, China

Xiaoyu GAO, Weiming CHENG, Nan WANG, Qiangyi LIU, Ting MA, Yinjun CHEN, Chenghu ZHOU. Spatio-temporal distribution and transformation of cropland in geomorphologic regions of China during 1990-2015[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2019, 29(2): 180-196.

Figures/Tables 13

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Table 1

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Table 2

Temporal and spatial change characteristics of cropland in different geomorphologic regions"

Geomorphological regions	Changes in cropland area (10⁴ ha/a)	Characteristics of newly reclaimed cropland	Characteristics of lost cropland
Region I (Eastern hilly plains)	+5.40	It was mainly converted from grassland and unused land, concentrating on Songnen Plain, Liaohe Plain, and Sanjiang Plain	It was mainly reclaimed to built-up land, and occurred in the vicinity of northeastern provincial capital cities and eastern coastal areas (especially Yangtze River Delta). The proportion of converting built-up land to cropland continued to increase.
Region II (Southeastern low middle mountains)	-5.92	The increased reclaimed cropland occurred mainly during 1990-2000. And it concentrated on southern Guangxi by the conversion of woodland, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake by the conversion of water body.	Its area was far more than the reclaimed cropland. Most of the decreased cropland was changed to woodland (low-middle mountains, hills and valleys of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces) and built-up land (the Pearl River Delta and southeastern coastal areas) during 1990-2000.
Region III (Northern China and Inner Mongolia eastern-central mountains and plateaus)	-0.15	It mainly occurred in 1990-2005, with grassland reclamation in domination. It was primarily distributed in upland plains of northeastern Inner Mongolia, Hetao Plain and western Loess Plateau. And the proportion of grassland to reclaimed cropland was gradually reducing.	Most serious loss occurred in 1990-2005, with the conversion from cropland to grassland, especially in 1990-1995. The effect of returning farmland to forests and pastures was significant in the central part of the Hetao Plain and at bend of the Yellow River.
Region IV (Northwestern middle and high mountains, basins and plateaus)	+8.93	The reclaimed cropland mostly came from the conversion of grassland, scattering on oasis areas with better conditions of water and land resources, including northern Tarim Basin (Aksu and Korla), Junggar Basin and so on.	The cropland loss was not apparent in Region IV with most serious loss occurring in 1990-1995, and 67.2% of them converted to grassland. This happened mainly on the fringes of cropland or peripheries of cities and towns because of serious cropland abandonment.
Region V (Southwestern middle and low mountains, plateaus and basins)	-2.83	The change of cropland was much smaller than regions I and IV. The reclaimed cropland emerged in 1990-2000, by the conversion from woodland and grassland (above 88.2%). There were plenty of forests and shrub lands to be re-cultivated in hills, mountains valleys of Hubei, Guizhou, and Yunnan provinces.	With the accelerated industrialization and urbanization, a great deal of cropland was exploited to built-up land, and the proportion of cropland converted to built-up land was gradually increasing.
Region VI (Tibetan Plateau)	+0.06	Almost unchanged.	Almost unchanged.

Table 2

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

References 36

[1]	Chen L G, 2001. Sustainable development of agriculture and sustainable use of farmland resources in China.Journal of Anhui Agricultural University, 28(1): 102-105. (in Chinese)
[2]	Cheng W M, Chai H X, Fang Y et al., 2012. Analysis of cultivated land based on water resources regionalization and geomorphologic characteristics in Xinjiang, China.Journal of Natural Resources, 27(11): 1809-1822. (in Chinese)
[3]	Cheng W M, Zhou C H, Li B Y et al., 2011. Structure and contents of layered classification system of digital geomorphology for China.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 21(5): 771-790. doi: 10.1007/s11442-011-0879-9
[4]	Fu J X, Chang Q R, Li F L et al., 2011. Evaluation of farmland productivity in complex topography regions of Loess Plateau based on GIS: A case study in Chengcheng County of Shaanxi Province.Geography and Geo-Information Science, 27(4): 57-61. (in Chinese) doi: 10.1007/s11589-011-0776-4
[5]	Hao H M, Ren Z Y, 2009. Land use/land cover change (LUCC) and eco-environment response to LUCC in farming-pastoral zone, China.Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 8(1): 91-97. doi: 10.1016/S1671-2927(09)60013-4
[6]	He W C, Zhao S M, Cheng W M, 2016. Analysis of land cover change on basic geomorphic types in Shanxi Province.Geography and Geo-Information Science, 18(2): 210-219. (in Chinese)
[7]	Kotoky P, Dutta M K, Borah G C, 2012. Changes in landuse and landcover along the Dhansiri River channel, Assam: A remote sensing and GIS approach.Journal of the Geological Society of India, 79(1): 61-68. doi: 10.1007/s12594-012-0002-6
[8]	Kraemer R, Prishchepov A V, Müller D et al., 2015. Long-term agricultural land-cover change and potential for cropland expansion in the former Virgin Lands area of Kazakhstan.Environmental Research Letters, 10(5): 345-466. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/10/5/054012
[9]	Li B Y, Pan B T, Cheng W M et al., 2013. Research on geomorphologic regionalization of China. Acta Geographica Sinica, 68(3): 291-306. (in Chinese)
[10]	Li C, Wu K, 2017. Driving forces of the villages hollowing based on geographically weighted regression model: A case study of Longde County, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.Natural Hazards, 89(3): 1059-1079. doi: 10.1007/s11069-017-3008-y
[11]	Li T, Long H, Zhang Y et al., 2017. Analysis of the spatial mismatch of grain production and farmland resources in China based on the potential crop rotation system.Land Use Policy, 60: 26-36. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.10.013
[12]	Liu H Y, Kuang W H, Zhang Z X et al., 2014. Spatiotemporal characteristics, patterns, and causes of land-use changes in China since the late 1980s.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 24(2): 195-210. doi: 10.1007/s11442-014-1082-6
[13]	Liu J Y, Liu M L, Tian H Q et al., 2005. Spatial and temporal patterns of China’s cropland during 1990-2000: An analysis based on Landsat TM data.Remote Sensing of Environment, 98(4): 442-456. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2005.08.012
[14]	Liu J Y, Zhang Z X, Xu X L et al., 2010. Spatial patterns and driving forces of land use change in China during the early 21st century.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 20(4): 483-494. doi: 10.1007/s11442-010-0483-4
[15]	Liu M L, Zhuang D F, Hu W Y, 2001. On current cultivated land change based on geomorphology and spatial differentiation characteristics.Resources Science, 23(5): 11-16. (in Chinese)
[16]	Liu X B, Zhang X Y, Wang Y X et al., 2010. Soil degradation: A problem threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in Northeast China.Plant Soil & Environment, 56(2): 87-97. doi: 10.1007/s11104-009-9988-y
[17]	Liu Y, Yang R, Li Y H, 2013. Potential of land consolidation of hollowed villages under different urbanization scenarios in China.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 23(3): 503-512. doi: 10.1007/s11442-013-1024-8
[18]	Ning J, Liu J Y, Kuang W H et al., 2018. Spatiotemporal patterns and characteristics of land-use change in China during 2010-2015.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 28(5): 547-562. doi: 10.1007/s11442-018-1490-0
[19]	Peng J, Liu Y X, Li T Y et al., 2017. Regional ecosystem health response to rural land use change: A case study in Lijiang City, China.Ecological Indicators, 72: 399-410. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.08.024
[20]	Ren W, Tian H, Tao B et al., 2012. China’s crop productivity and soil carbon storage as influenced by multifactor global change.Global Change Biology, 18(9): 2945-2957. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02741.x pmid: 24501069
[21]	Restrepo A M C, Yang Y R, Hamm N A S et al., 2017. Land cover change during a period of extensive landscape restoration in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.Science of the Total Environment, 598: 669-679. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.124 pmid: 28454039
[22]	Song N P, Chen Z X, 1993. A study on the relationship of landform and landuse.Journal of Ningxia University (Natural Science Edition), 14(3): 27-31. (in Chinese)
[23]	Stevens F, Bogaert P, Van O K et al., 2014. Regional-scale characterization of the geomorphic control of the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon in cropland.European Journal of Soil Science, 65(4): 539-552. doi: 10.1111/ejss.12153
[24]	Tian H Q, Chen G S, Lu C Q et al., 2015. Global methane and nitrous oxide emissions from terrestrial ecosystems due to multiple environmental changes.Ecosystem Health & Sustainability, 1(1): 1-20. doi: 10.1890/EHS14-0015.1
[25]	Tian H Q, Ren W, Tao B et al., 2016. Climate extremes and ozone pollution: A growing threat to China’s food security.Ecosystem Health & Sustainability, 2(1): 1-10. doi: 10.1002/ehs2.1203
[26]	Tian M, Gao M, Bao J X et al., 2010. The effect of topography and geomorphology on the amount of newly-increased cultivated land.Journal of Southwest University (Natural Science Edition), 32(11): 98-103. (in Chinese) doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1142.2010.40491
[27]	Turner B L, Lambin Eric F, Reenberg Anette, 2007. The emergence of land change science for global environmental change and sustainability.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(52): 20666. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0704119104
[28]	Wang J, Zhang Z, Liu Y, 2018. Spatial shifts in grain production increases in China and implications for food security.Land Use Policy, 74: 204-213. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.11.037
[29]	Yan F Q, Zhang S W, Kuang W H et al., 2016. Comparison of cultivated landscape changes under different management modes: A case study in Sanjiang Plain.Sustainability, 8(10): 1071. doi: 10.3390/su8101071. doi: 10.3390/su8101071
[30]	Yang R H, Yang Q Y, Zeng L et al., 2017. Evaluation on ecological security and analysis of influence factors of rural land based on BP-ANN model.Research of Soil and Water Conservation, 24(3): 206-213. (in Chinese)
[31]	Yao Z Y, Zhang L J, Tang S H et al., 2017. The basic characteristics and spatial patterns of global cultivated land change since the 1980s.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 27(7): 771-785. doi: 10.1007/s11442-017-1405-5
[32]	Ye Y, Fang X Q, Ren Y Y et al., 2009. Cropland cover change in Northeast China during the past 300 years.Science in China Series D Earth Sciences, 52(8): 1172-1182. doi: 10.1007/s11430-009-0118-8
[33]	Yin G, Liu L, Jiang X, 2017. The sustainable arable land use pattern under the tradeoff of agricultural production, economic development, and ecological protection: An analysis of Dongting Lake basin, China.Environmental Science & Pollution Research, 24(32): 1-17. doi: 10.1007/s11356-017-0132-x pmid: 28932955
[34]	Zhao G S, Liu J Y, Kuang W H et al., 2015. Disturbance impacts of land use change on biodiversity conservation priority areas across China: 1990-2010.Journal of Geographical Sciences, 25(5): 515-529. doi: 10.1007/s11442-015-1184-9
[35]	Zhao M, Cheng W M, Zhou C H et al., 2017. Spatial differentiation and morphologic characteristics of China’s urban core zones based on geomorphologic partition.Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 11(1): 016041. doi: 10.1117/1.JRS.11.016041. doi: 10.1117/1.JRS.11.016041
[36]	Zhou C H, Cheng W M, Qian J K et al., 2009. Research on the classification system of digital land geomorphology of 1:1000000 in China.Journal of Geo-Information Science, 11(6): 707-724. (in Chinese) doi: 10.1016/S1874-8651(10)60080-4

	Region I		Region II		Region III
	Change ranges (ha)	DDC (%)	Change ranges (ha)	DDC (%)	Change ranges (ha)	DDC (%)
1990-1995	5,125,436	1.40	940,063	0.56	1,733,440	1.29
1995-2000	1,981,791	0.53	692,366	0.42	840,587	0.62
2000-2005	1,345,601	0.36	671,039	0.40	815,059	0.59
2005-2010	797,084	0.21	246,073	0.15	196,102	0.14
2010-2015	914,676	0.24	427,295	0.26	325,892	0.24
	Region IV		Region V		Region VI
	Change ranges (ha)	DDC (%)	Change ranges (ha)	DDC (%)	Change ranges (ha)	DDC (%)
1990-1995	1,380,978	4.06	423,537	0.25	64,006	0.61
1995-2000	720,985	2.15	215,656	0.13	54,301	0.51
2000-2005	930,895	2.62	373,304	0.22	41,949	0.39
2005-2010	335,846	0.85	276,716	0.16	18,363	0.17
2010-2015	1,065,573	2.61	324,831	0.19	17,915	0.17