Changes in Land Use Pattern and Structure under the Rapid Urbanization of the Tarim River Basin

Yifeng Hou, Yaning Chen (), Zhi Li and Yang Wang
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Yifeng Hou: College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
Yaning Chen: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Zhi Li: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Yang Wang: College of Grassland Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830046, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Urbanization not only affects a region’s economic development but also impacts its land use structure. As the largest inland river basin in China, the Tarim River Basin has experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization in recent years, posing a serious threat to its soil and water resources and ecological sustainability. In this study, four remote sensing data products from 1990–2020 are selected to explore the distribution of land use types and their land structure changes in the basin in the context of rapid urbanization. The results show that the built-up land area increased by 2855.74 km 2 during 1990–2020, mainly from the transfer of grassland and barren land. Furthermore, the migration of the center of gravity of built-up land moved from the desert to oasis areas, indicating that the urbanization process intensified during the study period. The overall trend is toward a continuous increase in arable and built-up land area and a continuous decrease in barren land. Future trends in the Tarim River Basin predict that arable land will decrease and that built-up land will continue to increase. However, the increase in built-up land will level off, mainly due to the transfer of arable land and grassland, which accounts for 37.94% and 20.40%, respectively. The migration characteristics of the center of gravity of each land type in the basin varied widely during 1990–2020, but the land structure will tend toward a gradual balance in the future. Therefore, in the context of increasing urbanization, focusing on the sustainable development of regional soil and water resources and ecology is crucial for the coordinated development of regional resources and economy.

Keywords: inland river basin; urbanized expansion; land development; land structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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