Spatial Differentiation Characteristics of Human Settlements and Their Responses to Natural and Socioeconomic Conditions in the Marginal Zone of an Uninhabited Area,Changtang Plateau,China

The Changtang Plateau(CTP)in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China is one of the top-10 uninhabited areas with the most important ecological value in the world.It is of great academic and practical significance to carry out research on human settlements in the marginal zones of the uninhabited areas to promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature on the CTP.Using high-definition remote-sensing images to visually interpret and identify settlement-patch data,combined with field investigations,this study explores the spatial characteristics of human settlements in Shuanghu and Nyima counties and their responses to natural and socioeconomic conditions in the hinterland of the CTP.Findings reveal that the scale of human settlements on the CTP is extremely small,and density is very sparse.Settlements on the CTP primarily consist of several households,with some containing more than a dozen households,or are sub-village scale.Socioeconomic development is low and socioeconomic factors have a weak influence on the settlement layout on the CTP.Natural factors are the core elements affecting the layout of human settlements on the CTP.Settlements tend to occur on low mountains,gentle slopes,and areas with high average annual temperatures.Careful settlement site selection can help to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.To meet the needs of grazing,settlement layouts must typically have a high-quality grassland orientation.Riverbanks are key settlement areas,and settlement sites are often far away from alpine salt lakes.The characteristics of settlements on the CTP and their responses to environmental conditions significantly differ from those of human settlements in low-altitude inland areas.