From Expansion to Shrinkage: An Assessment of the Carbon Effect from Spatial Reconfiguration of Rural Human Settlements in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area

Yingxue Rao, Chenxi Wu and Qingsong He ()
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Yingxue Rao: Research Base for Consolidating the Chinese National Community Consciousness of Four Ministries and Commissions, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan 430074, China
Chenxi Wu: College of Public Administration, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan 430074, China
Qingsong He: College of Public Administration, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: Nowadays, the reorganization of rural land-use space exhibits a dynamic process of expansion and shrinkage. Taking the Wuhan Metropolitan Area as an example, this study used the InVEST model to quantitatively assess changes in rural built-up land between 1995 and 2020 and its impact on regional carbon storage. Combined with the PLUS model, further simulations were carried out to predict the heterogeneous mechanisms of shrinkage and expansion of rural habitable space under three scenarios in 2030. The results indicate that the area of rural built-up land in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area showed an overall increasing trend, with shrinkage mainly concentrated in the Wuhan-Ezhou border, Tianmen, and southern Xiantao, while expansion displayed a decentralized point distribution. The PLUS model predicts that, in the scenario of rural built-up land expansion, a significant amount of cropland is encroached upon. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the impact of rural habitat changes on the carbon cycle. Future land management and planning should pay more attention to maintaining ecosystem services and considering the environmental effects of changes in rural built-up land layout.

Keywords: rural built-up land; carbon storage; InVEST model; PLUS model; Wuhan Metropolitan Area (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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