Landscape Ecological Security Assessment of Low-Slope Hilly Region in Lu County,China

Low-slope hilly land( LSHL) refers to regions with relatively lower altitude,smaller topographic changes and gentler slopes. Exploitation and utilization of such areas is acting as an efficient approach to release the intensity in land utilization for mountainous areas in China, and needs further study. By summarizing related domestic concepts regarding LSHL,and taking Lu County of Sichuan province as the sample,this paper defined the scope of LSHL and extracted a total coverage of 331. 71 km2 LSHL.Then based on the landscape ecological security patterns theory,we have established the landscape ecological security pattern of Lu County by the minimum cumulative resistance model,targeting to achieve ecological land protection. Moreover,LSHL of different landscape security levels is further classified through overlay analysis on the current utilization status of the LSHL. The LSHL is classified into four categories, including prioritized development type,moderate development type, limited development type and prohibited development type. Their scopes of areas are 108. 72,97. 03,68. 36 and 57. 60 km2 respectively. In addition,respective land utilization and exploitation plan for LSHL are proposed according to the analysis of characteristics of each type. The result has provided scientific references for the definition,establishment of landscape ecological security pattern as well as the appropriate exploitation and utilization of the LSHL.

Response of Ecosystem Service Value Based on Land Use Changes and Analysis of its Driving Factors in Typical Hilly Region with Red Soil

The contribution rate of ecosystem service value variation was used to analyze the effects of land use changes on the changes of ecosystem service value in Xingguo County during 1996-2005.Grey integrated correlation was employed to explore the contribution level of the indicators such as total population,urbanization level,proportion of primary industry and investment of social fixed assets on ecosystem service value,and the correlation analysis was also carried out.The results showed that the ecosystem service value in Xingguo County during 1996-2005 mainly was woodland,and the decrease of woodland area was the major reason for the sustained reduction of ecosystem service value.With the further increase of market demand and the incentives of local government,the garden area rapidly increased during 2001-2005,and the influence degree of garden towards the changes of ecosystem service value was only second to woodland,ranking No.2.Four socio-economic indicators had different correlation degree with ecosystem service value during the different research periods.Total population,urbanization level and proportion of primary industry had high correlation degree with ecosystem service value,whereas the influence degree of various socio-economic indicators on ecosystem service value was equal with each other day by day.Urbanization level,investment of social fixed assets and total population had significant negative correlation with ecosystem service value,while the proportion of primary industry had positive correlation with ecosystem service value.

Ecological Effects of Land Use Patterns in Red Soil HillyRegion

Plant biomass and biodiversity, element accumulation and return, water loss and soil erosion, and changesin soil properties were studied for up to 10 years after conversion of sparse tree-shrubby grass land into thefollowing four land use patterns: masson pine (Pznvs massonzana Lamb.) land, beautiful sweetgum (Ltq-uidambar fomosana Hance) land, vegetation reservation land, and artificial mowing land. The annualbiomass production of the masson pine land was 5060 kg ha￣-1 being 4.9, 2.1, and 6.0 times that of the beau-tiful sweetgum land, the vegetation reservation land, and the artificial mowing land, respectively. Comparedwith the background values, the number of plant species for the vegetation reservation land increased by 10species after 10 years of land utilization, while for the masson pine and the beautiful sweetgum decreased by4, and for the artificial mowing land by 9. For masson pine land, total amount of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg neededfor producing 1000 kg dry matter was only 3.5 kg, annual element return through litter was 22 kg ha￣-1, bothof which were much lower than those of the other patterns. Vegetation reservation was an effective measureto conserve soil and water and improve soil fertility in the red soil hilly region. Artificial mowing arousedserious degradation of vegetation and soil. Some measures and suggestions for management and exploitationof the red soil hilly region such as masson pine planting, closing hills for afforestation, and stereo-agricultureon one hill are proposed.

Snstainable Land Use in Hilly Red Soil Region of South-eastern China

In the Present work, an integrated analysis of natural and socio-economic conditions in the hilly redsoil region of southeastern China is made by nieans of a Geographic Information System. Particular em-phasis lies on soil degradation and other adverse ecological and environmental effects of the prevalent andirrational land-use systems of mono-and valley-agriculture in the region. Moreover, taking into account thesimultaneous existence of enormous potentials and serious constraints and the high diversity and complexityof the biophysical and socio-economic environments, a set of strategies and counterineasures are also prc-posed for appropriate management of environmental resources, in terms of maintaining harmony betweenutilization and conservation of the natural environment, including 1) adjustment of the agricultural structureand optimization of ecological patterns of stereo-agriculture; 2) improvement and integrated exploitation ofthe low-yield lands and wastelands; 3) rehabilitation and conservation of soil and water resources; and 4)establishment of production bases of tropical and subtropical cash crops and fruits.

Land degradation in the subtropical hilly andmountain regions of South China

Land degradation, caused by water erosion. closely related to inherent vulnerabilities of itseco-environment in South China. Spatial variation of land degradation from top to foot of a slope wasmainly induced by differentiation of surface materials and their erodibility, nutrient and moisture dueto downslope variation of land erosion. It was showed by comparing maps of land degradationbetween the 1950s and the 1980s that changes of land degradation varied from one area to anotherbecause of differences of human activities, including land reclamation and vegetation depletion.

Land Use Pattern Analysis of Hilly Areas in Beijing Based on Case Study

In view of the population explosion in urban districts of Beijing City, limited land resources fail to meet needs of citizens, thus it is imperative to plan land uses of its hilly areas reasonably, avoid urban sprawl and figure out the way of sustainable development. Through analyzing land use patterns of hilly areas in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, it is to explore valuable experience for the development of hilly areas in Beijing.

Effects of Land Use Change on Eco-environment in Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin——A Case Study of Yanting County, Sichuan Province

With the artificial alder and cypress mixed forest being planted, there has been a marked land use change since 1970s' in Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin, China. Data from meteorological observations or posts operated over long time, measurement and calculation of NPP (net primary production) and biomass of biological community, and analysis of soil organic matter content show that the artificial alder and cypress mixed forest has outstanding eco-environmental effect: adjusting local climate, raising soil fertility, alleviating menace of drought, and raising NPP and biomass of biological community. It is very beneficial for improving ecological environment to afforest artificial alder and cypress mixed forest in populous Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin, China. Key Words: land use/land cover change (LUCC); eco-environmental effect; Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin; the artificial alder and cypress mixed forest

The Effects of Land Uses on Purplish Soil Erosion in Hilly Area of Sichuan Province,China

In order to evaluate the soil erosion rate for different land uses and make recommendations on land-use alternatives for erosion control in hilly and mountain areas on a Purplish soil (Regosols in FAO taxonomy), experimental data were obtained from three continuously monitored sites located at Yanting, Nanbu and Pengxi of Sichuan province. The data showed that the rank of erosion rate is farmland > unfenced grassland > fenced grassland > forestland. The erosion rate of farmland was more than 3 times higher than that of forestland and fenced grassland, indicating that restricting human activity is crucial for over-erosion. The erodibility was higher at the initial period of rainy season for all the three types of land use. The erosion rates of fenced grassland and mature afforestation land were not proportional to rainfall intensity because these land uses changed impact energy of the rainfall. This research showed that restricting human activity, intensifying the management of initial period of rainy season, and increasing the cover rate of land surface are the three major measures for soil erosion prevention. It is recommended that farmers should cease cultivation on farmland at the top of hills and steep slope land return those lands back to grassland or forestland.

Changes of local agricultural landscape patterns induced by land consolidation in hilly and mountainous Southwestern China

Land consolidation (LC), as a type of human disturbance, improves land production efficiency and changes landscape distribution through land parcel reallocation. The objective of this study was to comparatively analyze the changes of landscape patches before and after a land consolidation project (LCP) and the effects of land levelling, irrigation and drainage work and road engineering on the landscape structure. FRAGSTAT3.3 and buffer zone analysis were used to investigate those changes. The results suggest that the heterogeneity of landscape depressed, and tended to simplification after LC. Dry land was the most highly variable land use pattern, and the change of forestland was least due to its locations at a gradient larger than 25°. LC resulted in a more rational use of land, and could be an important step in promoting rural development in depressed and fragmented agricultural areas through unused land exploitation, small-patch combination, irrigation and water conservancy, and road construction. Land levelling leveled off the gradient field surface and decreased the slope. The fragmentized patches were much more incorporated with increasing slope. On the other hand, the ridge of a field became longer so that the length of field surface and area of patch were increased. Land levelling regulated, simplified and combined patches, so that the complexity degree was reduced. It is found that the buffer distance of 35 m was a turning point of human disturbance by irrigation and drainage systems, and patches presented flaky distribution when the buffer distance was smaller than 35 m. Meanwhile, the distance range between 25 m to 50 m was an impressible area for road engineering, which was sensitive to human actions, and the changes of all landscape metrics were larger than those in other buffer zones. In general, LC not only reallocated fragmented parcels, but also improved agricultural conditions.

Distribution of Soil Nutrients in Arable Land of Tropical Hilly and Mountainous Area

[Objective] The aim was to explore spatial distribution characters of soil nutrients in arable lands of Hainan mountainous areas and provide references for soil nutrient management in tropical mountainous areas. [Method] The research took arable lands in Wuzhishan City as an example by field survey, sampling and lab analysis and investigated soil nutrients and distributions based on analysis of soil nutrient contents. [Result] The soils were dominated by acid soils, with pH of 5.1; soil nutrients were distributed in a non-uniform manner; contents of soil organic matter, available phosphorus, available potassium, as well as medium elements kept lower or moderate levels; effective copper and available zinc were rich. Local spe- cial climate, uneven distribution of parent material and non-uniform fertilization con- tributed to acid soils and unbalanced distribution of soil nutrients in Wuzhishan. [Conclusion] It is recommended to facilitate soil nutrient balance by promoting re- turning straws to farmlands and technical specification of balanced fertilization by soil testing as per nutrient distribution of arable lands in Wuzhishan City.

Farmer's Adaptive Strategies on Land Competition between Societal Outcomes and Agroecosystem Conservation in the Purple-soiled Hilly Region,Southwestern China

The worldwide extension and intensification of farming during the last century has led to ecosystem degradation and caused a series of environmental problems.Conservation of ecosystem services in agricultural regions has been implemented by top-down government actions or initiated by resilience scientists in the developed countries,but little attention was paid in the developing countries,especially in some remote mountainous regions.The present paper presents a case study showing how local farmers obtained both maximal societal outcomes and agroecosystem conservation interests in the absence of distinct boundaries between agricultural and protected ecological areas in the densely populated purple-soiled hilly region of southwestern China.The local community(Yanting County) has developed a mosaic agricultural-forestry-fishery-stock breeding system with spatially targeted land uses,diverse agricultural productions and multiple ecological partnerships.It indicates that the local farmers have hereditarily perceived sound strategies on maximizing sustainable societal outcomes and optimizing tradeoffs among macro-market,state policy,new technological facility and ecological reinforcement.

Impacts of Sloping Land Conversion Program on the vegetation in loess hilly and gully area of northern Shaanxi

Aiming at alleviating the serious soil erosion, the Chinese government initiated the Sloping Land Conversion Program （SLCP） in 1999. Now; after 8 years of project implementation, the ecological recovery effects of the SLCP have become the hot issue of academic circle. This paper; raking the loess hill and gully area of northern Shaanxi as an example, presents a methodology for assessing the vegetation restoration effect of SLCP with normalized difference vegetation index （NDVI）. The key components include calculation of the Growing Season NDVI （GSNDVI）, and estimation of the NVDI change induced by climate and SLCP, respectively. Based on the method, the NDVI change between 2000 and 2006 was obtained using the GSNDVI that excluded the noise from snow and ice. After the part of total NDVI change caused to： climate variation was estimated using empiric formulae, we obtained the part induced by human factors, i.e. the SLCP The human induced part of ND VI change was considered as an approximation indicating the effect of the SLCP on the vegetation. Finally, we analyzed the ND VI change characters of the whole study area, different slope lands and different land use types by spatial statistics method. Results show that the vegetation condition is significantly improved by the SLCP, particularly land types that directly involved in the SLCP, such as steeply slope farmlands, degraded grasslands, etc.

Soil and Water Resources and Land Sustainable Productivity in the Catchment Area with Intensive Management in Hilly Red Soil Regions,China

Taking an example of Majiayu Catchment Area (14.15 ha) in Taoyuan County of HunanProvince, the soil and water resources dynamics, fertility evolution characteristics andland productivity changing situation were studied. Fixed observation results from 1993to 2002 showed that pools covering about 15% of total area could store up 10% of surfacerunoff, keep 78.1% of eroded soil and 65.4% of lost nutrients. The yearly ratio ofinterception and evapotranspiration in land, storage in pools and drainage was 7:2:1,which ensured the resources and nutrients equilibrium and a benign recycle in thecatchment area system, and benefited the aquatic culture and helped to resist seasonaldrought. Moreover, the results showed that soil erosion modulus decreased significantly,equal to or lower than soil loss tolerance (≤500 tkm-2) in reddish yellow soil regions.Soil organic matter, total and available N content in sloping land, dryland and paddyfield increased steadily (>10%); water storage enhanced by more than 20% in sloping landand dryland in drought season; crop production increased by more than 20%; and productionof trees, fruits, tea and fish as well as land productivity increased yearly.

Land-use changes in the small watershed of the Loess Plateau,hilly-gully region, China

As more and more farmland is converted to forestry, the need for effective decision support regarding the use of land in the fragile ecological environment of the Loess Plateau hilly-gully area. The Luoyugou watershed was chosen as the study area to calculate the single dynamic degree, integrated dynamic degree, and change indexes of land use, as well as the land-use type transition matrix. This was done by interpreting the TM and SPOT images of the Luoyugou watershed in 1986, 1995, and2004 and making statistical analysis. The results of ou statistical analysis show that the conversion of slope farm land to terrace and forest land plays a dominant role in land-use changes in the Luoyugou watershed from 1986 to2004. The land-use changes are mainly driven by popula tion growth, socio-economic development, consume spending, and investment in forest ecology.

Characteristics and driving factors of abandoned cultivated land in the hilly regions of southern China:A case study in Longnan,Jiangxi Province

The abandonment of cultivated land in southern China was gradually obvious.This research aims to provide a reference for solving the abandonment of cultivated land in hilly regions and promote rural development in China.We examined Longnan county located in the hilly regions of southern China as an example,where abandoned cultivated land is very common.We analyzed its land use data with a field survey to identify the abandoned cultivated land and geospatial characteristics.From the two aspects of social and natural factors,we analyzed the factors driving cultivated land abandonment with the help of Geodetector.The results showed that in 2019,the total area of the abandoned cultivated land in Longnan county was 4,962.35 hm^(2),covering 39.51% of this region.Among the topographic factors,the abandonment rate is positively correlated with elevation and slope gradient,but not with slope direction.Among the land parcel conditions,the abandonment rate is positively correlated with the access to road network and cultivation distance from settlement.At the county level,the abandonment of cultivated land in study area was affected by multiple factors,among which,the direct factor was the reduction in the labor force,such as the decrease of farming laborers and the increase of female population,which made farming unsustainable.Changes in production factors also promoted transformations in farmers’motivation to engage in production,such as the decrease of grain crops and the increase of cash crops,which was the indirect factor affecting cultivated land abandonment.The development of the rural nonagricultural industry affected farmers’enthusiasm,such as the decrease of farming households,which was the fundamental factor leading to cultivated land abandonment in this area.

Soil Physical Properties of Different Land Use Types in Loess Hilly Region

[Objectives]To explore the impact of land use changes on physical properties of soil in loess hilly region.[Methods]The methods of field sampling and indoor analysis were adopted.Farmland in a small watershed in the middle of the Loess Plateau,grassland that had been abandoned for 7 years,grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years,jujube orchard and ditch were sampled,and the particle composition(clay,silt and sand)and moisture changes of the soil in the top 0-100 cm were studied.[Results]In the small watershed,the top 0-100 cm of the soil was composed of 14%clay,70%silt and 16%sand.The contents of clay,silt and sand in the grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years varied greatly,while varied little in the land of other use types.The soil moisture content of grassland that had been abandoned for 30 years,jujube orchard,grassland that had been abandoned for 7 years,farmland and ditch increased with the increase of depth,with means of 10.29%,11.66%,10.08%,11.43%and 11.34%,respectively.[Conclusions]This study provides a theoretical basis for the growth of crops of different land use types in the loess hilly region.

Dynamic Land Use /Cover Change and Analysis of Landscape Pattern in the Hilly and Gully Region of Loess Plateau: A Case Study of Pengyang County in Southern Ningxia

The quantitative evaluation on land use /cover change as well as its influence on landscape pattern under the background of returning grain plots to forestry is significant to the sustainable utilization of land resources and ecological environment reconstruction in the southern Ningxia.Based on multi-temporal remote sensing data from four periods of Landsat TM /ETM,and combination of ecological quantity analytical method with GIS,the change of land use /cover and landscape pattern in Pengyang County of Ningxia Province were analyzed.The conclusions showed that the amount of each land use type was changed with different degrees,the area of forest /grass land increased,while farmland and unused land decreased.The change of landscape pattern was characterized as that the degree of landscape fragmentation,mixed distribution of patches,diversity index and evenness index increased gradually and then decreased,the connectivity between patches decreased gradually and then increased,and landscape shape presented irregular.

The effects of land use and its patterns on soil properties in a small catchment of the Loess Plateau

Due to relatively strong human activities in the hilly area of Loess Plateau, the natural vegetation has been destroyed, and landscape pattern based on agricultural land matrix was land use mosaic composing of shrub land, grassland, woodland and orchard. This pattern has an important effect on soil moisture and soil nutrients. The Danangou catchment, a typical small catchment, was selected to study the effects of land use and its patterns on soil moisture and nutrients in this paper. The results are as follows: The comparisons of soil moisture among seven land uses for wet year and dry year were performed: (1) the average of soil moisture content for whole catchment was 12.11% in wet year, while it was 9.37% in dry year; (2) soil moisture among seven land uses was significantly different in dry year, but not in wet year; (3) from wet year to dry year, the profile type of soil moisture changed from decreasing type to fluctuation-type and from fluctuant type to increasing type; (4) the increasing trend in soil moisture from the top to foot of hillslope occurred in simple land use along slope, while complicated distribution of soil moisture was observed in multiple land uses along slope. The relationships between soil nutrients and land uses and landscape positions were analysed: (1) five nutrient contents of soil organic matter (SOM), total N (TN), available N (AN), total P (TP) and available P (AP) in hilly area were lower than that in other areas. SOM content was less than 1%, TN content less than 0.07%, and TP content between 0.05% and 0.06%; (2) SOM and TN contents in woodland, shrub land and grassland were significantly higher than that in fallow land and cropland, and higher level in soil fertility was found in crop-fruit intercropping land among croplands; (3) soil nutrient distribution and responses to landscape positions were variable depending on slope and the location of land use types.

Regional Difference Analysis of Farmers' Land Use Behavior

Based on the survey data and statistical information on farmers,we conduct comparative analysis of land use behavior of farmers in the Jianghan Plain and the hilly areas of Xianning City in Hubei Province.We find that the utilization rate of agricultural land and level of agricultural labor output in the plain areas are higher than in the hilly areas;at the same time,the degree of mechanization of agricultural land utilization and farmers'land use scale are larger in the plain areas.But the crop type in the plain areas is single,and the decline rate of the growing area of food crops is higher in recent twenty years;meanwhile,the material input costs and opportunity cost of labor for the agricultural land utilization in the plain areas are greater than in the hilly areas.

Moderate scale and realization potential of new citrus-planting business entities in hilly and mountainous areas in China

The natural and economic conditions of agricultural resources vary greatly in China,especially in hilly and mountainous areas.The phenomenon of land fragmentation has become increasingly prominent,so that large-scale operations cannot be fully achieved in a short period of time,and the centralized and continuous scale of operations cannot be realized in China.In addition,with increasingly strict farmland protection and agricultural land use control systems,the issues of nongrain production and nonagricultural cultivated land use have become increasingly restricted.Thus,it is quite necessary to determine the appropriate scale of operations and the means to achieve moderately scaled operations for the new business entities.On the basis of microsurvey data for 108 new citrus-planting business entities in the modern agricultural park in the Chongqing's Jiangjin District,an area with long citrus-planting history,we measured the moderate scale of new citrus-planting business entities to maximize profit using a translog growth model.According to the projection pursuit model,we evaluated the suitability conditions of citrus planting in garden land,woodland,grassland,and general cultivated land in the study area.We then explored the potential for new moderate-scale business entities within different farming radii.The results showed that large-scale planting conditions of citrus in garden land,forest land,grassland,and general cultivated land in the study area were suitable,and the proportion of high-suitable and mediumsuitable land was 73.42%.Under the existing social and economic conditions,the moderate scale of new citrus-planting business entities in the study area was 1.8–2.7 hm^(2).In particular,its rankings from large to small were agricultural enterprises(17.19–25.78 hm^(2)),farmer cooperatives(16.88–25.33 hm^(2)),big growers and breeders(6.39–9.59 hm^(2)),and family farms(5.02–7.53 hm^(2)).In the sample of 108 households,only 47.22%of the entities achieved moderate-scale operation,of which 25%of the entities achieved a scale greater than moderate operation.However,52.78%of the entities achieved a scale of less than moderate operation.These entities would have to transfer the surrounding adjacent garden land,forest land,grassland,or general cultivated land to achieve largescale land management.The land area of the adjacent gardens in a 1000 m farming radius could meet the moderate-scale operation demand of the vast majority of new business entities.For the vast majority of new business entities,the land area of the adjacent woodland,grassland,and general cultivated land could supplement the garden land to achieve moderate-scale operation in a 500 m farming radius.If the land area with moderate suitability and high suitability is prioritized,the land area in the adjacent gardens in the 1000 m farming radius could meet the moderate-scale operation demand for the vast majority of new business entities.Within the 500 m farming radius,the vast majority of new business entities have achieved moderate-scale operations if the land area adjacent to forest land,grassland,and general arable land was supplemented by gardens;however,a few entities could not achieve moderate-scale operations.From the village perspective,gardens were prioritized.Sixteen villages had planting areas and planting suitability that exceeded the average level of the study area,accounting for 23.53%.If combined with the reserve potential of the garden land,eight villages could improve their potential,accounting for 11.76%.Therefore,the conditions of large-scale citrus planting in the study area should be further improved,and the scale expansion of new citrus-planting business entities should receive additional scientific guidance.