Temporal and Spatial Evolution Characteristics and Its Driving Mechanism of Land Use/Land Cover Change in Laos from 2000 to 2020

Yu Zhang, Xiaoyu Niu, Yunfeng Hu, Huimin Yan and Lin Zhen
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Yu Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xiaoyu Niu: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yunfeng Hu: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Huimin Yan: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Lin Zhen: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: Land use/land cover change (LUCC) research is of great significance to land conservation and regional sustainable development. At present, there is a lack of research on the long-term timing of the change process and mechanisms of LUCC that accords with the national level in Laos. Based on the Global Land-Cover product with the Fine Classification System at 30 m (GLC_FCS30) data set as well as economic and social statistical data, the authors analyzed the spatiotemporal regularity and driving mechanism of LUCC in Laos from 2000 to 2020 by using dynamic degree, flow direction analysis, principal component analysis, correlation analysis and other methods. The results show that: (1) Laos is rich in natural ecological resources. In 2020, the forest and shrubland areas accounted for 53.3% and 32.4% of the land area, respectively; (2) from 2000 to 2020, the rate of LUCC across the country continued to rise, and the integrated dynamic degree of LUCC was 14.4%. The change in impervious surfaces is the most drastic. The area of evergreen broad-leaved forest, evergreen needle-leaved forest and grassland continued to shrink, while the area of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, deciduous broad-leaved forest, shrubland, wetland and the water body continued to expand; (3) the LUCC process mainly occurred between forest, shrubland and cropland. The LUC with the largest transfer out area is evergreen broad-leaved forest (8.91 × 10 3 km 2 ), and the LUC with the largest transfer into the area is shrubland (8 × 10 3 km 2 ); (4) in the past 20 years, the LUCC process in Laos has been mainly affected by macro-socioeconomic development, agricultural development, and forestry development. The population is the key factor driving LUCC in Laos. This study can provide decision-making support for the rational planning and utilization of land resources in Laos.

Keywords: land mapping; LUCC; time-series analysis; national development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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