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Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems

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A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2024) | Viewed by 17450

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Prof. Dr. Xuesong Kong

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Guest Editor

School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
Interests: rural settlements planning; land consolidation; land use; ecological effects
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jiaxing Cui

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Guest Editor

College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Interests: rural geography; rural land use transition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rapid development of cities and the decline of rural areas, issues including land-use conflict, biodiversity loss and ecosystem service function reduction have been threating global sustainable development. It is necessary to address these relevant issues in the coupled rural–urban system. This Special Issue, "Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Coupled Rural–Urban Systems", aims to deal with the synergies and potential links between rural and urban areas related to land use, biodiversity and ecosystem services.

We invite papers that enrich the systematic research of rural–urban land science by exploring new findings on land use, biodiversity and ecosystem services in the coupled rural–urban system. We welcome frontier research and interdisciplinary research, and studies that provide solutions for sustainable rural–urban development.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Conceptual framework of the coupled rural–urban system;
Land-use change and transition;
Cultivated land protection and food security;
Rural settlement reconstruction and optimization;
Ecosystem services and ecological compensation;
Evolution and reform of land-use policy;
Biodiversity loss and conservation;
Land development rights in rural–urban areas;
Rural–urban territory spatial planning;
Other related topics.

Prof. Dr. Xuesong Kong
Dr. Jiaxing Cui
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 use
rural-urban integration
ecological effects
ecological conservation
habitat environment
urban expansion
rural planning and reconstruction
rural-urban sustainable development

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 15728 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Pattern of Large-Scale Agricultural Land and Spatial Heterogeneity of Influencing Factors in the Mountainous Areas of Western China—Wuling Mountains as an Example

by Yu Chen, Wenhui Zhang, Yilian Liu, Weisong Li, Chengwu Liu and Shengfu Yang

Land 2023, 12(11), 2074; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12112074 - 18 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1764

Abstract

The scaling of agricultural land is a trend in land use transformation and is important for modernizing agriculture. Therefore, the reasons for large-scale agricultural land formation should be explored. The spatial distribution of large-scale agricultural land and the factors for its formation vary between different regions. Currently, the exploration of the formation mechanism of large-scale agricultural land from the perspective of heterogeneity is not yet sufficient. Therefore, the main objectives of this article are as follows: first, analyze the spatial pattern characteristics of large-scale agricultural land; second, explore the spatial heterogeneity characteristics of influencing factors from both global and local perspectives; third, explore the mechanism of the formation of large-scale agricultural land from the perspective of heterogeneity. The results indicate the following: (1) The large-scale agricultural land distribution pattern in the Wuling Mountains area was high in the east and low in the west. (2) Natural conditions, production factors, and location conditions all significantly impacted large-scale agricultural land, but with differences in their degree of influence. From a local perspective, the influences of various factors in different regions also exhibited spatial heterogeneity. These two types of heterogeneity can be attributed to the differences in regional development stages. (3) Natural conditions, location conditions, and production factors had negative, positive, and positive effects on the agricultural land scale, respectively, but the influence of the first two decreased with the improvement in the regional development stages. The influence of different factors on production factors was related to the regional development stage, and production factors that were suitable for the regional development stage had a greater impact. The conclusion can provide differentiated policy support for regional land use in practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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21 pages, 5907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Response of Urban Ecosystem Carbon Storage to Land Use/Cover Change and Its Vulnerability Based on Major Function-Oriented Zone Planning

by Lili Geng, Yuanyuan Zhang, Huixian Hui, Yuhan Wang and Yongji Xue

Land 2023, 12(8), 1563; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081563 - 7 Aug 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1512

Abstract

Vigorous emphasis has been placed on optimizing land spatial planning to protect carbon storage and enhance ecosystem resilience. What is the effectiveness of the Major Function-Oriented Zone (MFOZ) planning implemented to achieve this goal in China? Especially in urbanized areas where there are more pronounced conflicts between humans and land. Taking the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration as the target area, this study explored the response of carbon storage to land use/cover change (LUCC) and its vulnerability to ecological service functions under MFOZ planning. The 30 m × 30 m spatially resolved Landsat TM/ETM remote sensing images from 2000 to 2020 were used. The data preprocessing was performed mainly through radiometric calibration, clipping, and reclassification through the ArcGIS 10.7 software. Applying the InVEST model, which uses the LUCC map and carbon storage density of the four carbon pools, including above-ground carbon density, below-ground carbon density, dead organic carbon density, and soil organic carbon density, to evaluate the carbon storage under the current landscape or in the future, the results show that: (1) The BTH ecosystem experienced a carbon storage reduction of about 7.25 × 10⁷ Mg from 2000 to 2020 due to the expansion of construction land, which crowded out cropland. Carbon storage in the BTH showed a high concentration in the “northeast-southwest” direction and a tiny distribution in the “middle-east” direction. (2) From 2015, the initial effects of the MFOZ planning were seen, with the ecological land in the Central Core Zone and Eastern Coastal Development Zone decreasing while the proportion of high-carbon storage areas in the Eastern Coastal Development Zone increasing. (3) Over the two decades, the land use intensity index improved by 4.65 overall, and vulnerability worsened from 2000 to 2015 and was alleviated from 2015 to 2020. This study will provide a scientific reference for optimizing urban spatial land use planning and promoting carbon sequestration in ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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17 pages, 23332 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes and Driving Forces of Urban–Agricultural–Ecological Space in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2000 to 2020

by Junnan Xia, Mengyao Hong and Wei Wei

Land 2023, 12(5), 1014; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12051014 - 5 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1632

Abstract

Optimizing the urban–agricultural–ecological space in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is integral to China’s sustainable land development and protection. Based on land use data from 2000 to 2020, this study identified the urban-agricultural-ecological space in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It analyzed its changes and driving forces using the land use transfer matrix, the Dagum Gini coefficient, and GeoDetector. The results show that urban space has increased significantly over the past 20 years, agricultural space has decreased dramatically, and ecological space has remained stable. The transformation of agricultural space into urban space was the dominant type of space transformation, followed by a mutual transformation between agricultural and ecological spaces. Each transformation type exhibited significant spatial inequality within and between regions. Socioeconomic and natural conditions significantly impacted the spatial transformation, and all factors have an apparently interactive reinforcing effect. The research has enhanced the identification accuracy of urban–agricultural–ecological spaces, precisely illustrating the changes and driving forces of the land spatial pattern in the Yangtze River Economic Belt over the last two decades. It holds vital theoretical and practical implications for the optimization of China’s land spatial pattern. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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21 pages, 8018 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact and Mechanism of the Increased Integration of Urban Agglomerations on the Eco-Efficiency of Cities in the Region—Taking the Chengdu–Chongqing Urban Agglomeration in China as an Example

by Yuting Jian, Yongchun Yang and Jing Xu

Land 2023, 12(3), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030684 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2323

Abstract

China is attaching increasing importance to the creation of regional integration, high-quality economic development and ecological civilization. An accurate grasp of the traction effect of the increased level of integration of urban agglomerations on the eco-efficiency (EE) of cities in the region will help to promote the steady improvement of urban economic development and the ecological environment. This paper constructs an index system to measure the level of integration of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration (CCUA) and the EE of each city within it from 2011 to 2020 and explores the impact of regional integration on urban EE and its mechanism of action. The study presents the follow findings: (1) The level of integration of the CCUA increased nearly 10 times from 2011 to 2020, with the government playing a significant leading role. (2) The positive and negative effects of the level of integration of the CCUA on urban EE depend on factors such as the level of economic development, the stage of development and the location. There are several relationships between the level of intra-regional integration and urban EE: first, a nearly linear increase, as in Chongqing and Chengdu; second, an increase in fluctuation, as in Dazhou, Guang’an and Leshan; and third, a fluctuation, decrease, flat or even no real increase, as in Luzhou, Ya’an and Zigong. (3) Based on this, this paper considers the mechanism of the level of integration within the region on urban EE in terms of both economic and eco-environmental effects, with a view to exploring the future green development path of the CCUA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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20 pages, 2858 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantitatively Evaluating the Ecological Product Value of Nine Provinces in the Yellow River Basin from the Perspective of the Dual-Carbon Strategy

by Yang Zhang, Zijun Ma, Meng Sun, Jianing Song, Yang Yang, Qiang Li and Ying Jing

Land 2023, 12(2), 516; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020516 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2136

Abstract

At the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, China formally proposed the goal of achieving carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, which is called the dual-carbon strategy. In this study, we incorporated the dual-carbon strategy perspective into ecological product value (EPV) evaluation. The EPV is the sum of the final product and service value provided by regional ecosystems for human production and life. A significant uncertainty exists in evaluating the EPV. To bridge this gap, we explored the quantitative evaluation index system of EPV based on the dual-carbon perspective and conducted an empirical analysis relating to four subindexes (ecological protection, ecological products carbon neutral capacity transformation, ecological value, and ecological product value realization safeguard mechanism). The EPV in nine provinces of the Yellow River basin in 2020 was measured. The results showed that the total evaluation score of EPV realization in the Yellow River basin was relatively low, and the average scores of ecological product protection level, carbon neutrality capacity, value transformation level, and value realization guarantee mechanism were all at a low level. Overall, the protection level of ecological products and the guarantee mechanism to realize the EPV were relatively good. However, the carbon neutrality capacity and the value transformation level were relatively poor. From the spatial perspective, the value realization level of ecological products was roughly upstream region > downstream region > midstream region in the Yellow River basin. Finally, corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are put forward according to the comprehensive evaluation index of EPV realization and analysis of the four subindexes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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15 pages, 12376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatio-Temporal Variations of Ecosystem Water Use Efficiency and Its Drivers in Southwest China

by Ji Zhang, Shiqi Yang, Shengtian Yang, Li Fan and Xu Zhou

Land 2023, 12(2), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020397 - 1 Feb 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1679

Abstract

Water use efficiency (WUE) has garnered considerable attention at global and regional levels. However, spatio-temporal variations of WUE and related influencing factors in the complex karst landforms of southwest China require further elucidation. Herein, the ratio of gross primary productivity (GPP) to evapotranspiration (ET) obtained through the PML-V2 product was used to characterize ecosystem WUE, the spatio-temporal variations to ecosystem WUE, and responses to temperature, precipitation, and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) in southwest China. The results showed that: (1) The ecosystem WUE in southwest China decreased with increasing latitude and altitude. Spatially, the ecosystem WUE fluctuates in a “W” pattern with increasing longitude because of the karst landforms’ distribution patterns. (2) The non-significant trend in increased ecosystem WUE during 2003–2017 may be associated with significant increases in the ET offsetting part of the GPP contribution to ecosystem WUE. Spatial distribution of changes in WUE is similar to GPP owing to the dominant role of GPP in changes to ecosystem WUE. (3) The multi-year average ecosystem WUE was lower in karst than in non-karst landforms; however, vegetation restoration projects have contributed in significantly increasing variation rate of ecosystem WUE in karst than that in non-karst landforms. (4) Temperature, precipitation, and EVI were generally positively correlated with ecosystem WUE and were important factors for the increase in ecosystem WUE. EVI characterized vegetation restoration indicators showed that the ecological engineering construction in the study area was effective and was the dominant factor of ecosystem WUE change in 59.59% of the study area. The results of this study are important for further understanding carbon and water cycling processes in karst regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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19 pages, 2677 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Valuating Multifunctionality of Land Use for Sustainable Development: Framework, Method, and Application

by Rongxi Peng, Tao Liu and Guangzhong Cao

Land 2023, 12(1), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12010222 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2391

Abstract

The concept of land use functions (LUFs) has been widely employed to study and manage sustainable development. However, its employment is barely based on actual land uses. Difficulties in the accessibility of data and comparability of results also hinder the wide application of contemporary LUF frameworks on sustainability analysis. To fill these gaps, this study improves the LUF framework in which the monetary value of economic, social, and environmental LUF is evaluated using land use data. This framework is then used to examine how different LUFs relate to each other in Shandong, China. Results show that, at the township level, monetary values of economic and social functions are positively correlated, but are both negatively correlated with environmental function. All three functions grew between 2009 and 2018 in Shandong. Results also suggest that a focus on quantitative trade-offs of these three LUFs is insufficient; rather, their spatial balance also requires attention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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20 pages, 2977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Does Change in Rural Residential Land Affect Cultivated Land Use Efficiency? An Empirical Study Based on 42 Cities in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River

by Houtian Tang, Yuanlai Wu, Jinxiu Chen, Liuxin Deng and Minjie Zeng

Land 2022, 11(12), 2263; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122263 - 11 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2133

Abstract

The growth of rural residential land (RRL) areas has led to the encroachment of cultivated land, which has seriously reduced cultivated land use efficiency (CLUE). This paper takes 42 cities in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (MRYR) as an example, using the kernel density estimation method, the Super-SBM model, and mediating effect test methods to explore the impact of RRL change on CLUE during 2000–2020. Specifically, based on the analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of RRL and CLUE, this paper attempts to further explore the influence path of RRL change on CLUE and test whether there is a mediating effect. The results show that (1) the overall RRL area increased by 30,386.34 hm², except for the decrease in RRL area in a few regions of Hunan Province, and the RRL area in other regions increased. (2) The hot-spot and sub-hot-spot regions of CLUE in the MRYR were mainly concentrated in northwestern Hubei Province and eastern Hunan Province, and the hot-spot and sub-hot-spot regions in Hunan Province are the highest among the three provinces. (3) Under the control of socioeconomic variables, the change in RRL has a significant negative impact on CLUE. (4) The area of cultivated land occupied by rural residential land (CLRRL) has a mediating role during 2000–2020, while the per capita cultivated land area (PCLA) and the rural permanent population (RPP) only have a mediating role during 2000–2010. In the future, the government should strictly prohibit the occupation of cultivated land by RRL and to improve the CLUE. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on Coupled Rural–Urban Systems)

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