Spatial and Temporal Evolution Characteristics of Land Use/Cover and Its Driving Factor in Cambodia during 2000–2020

Xiaoyu Niu, Yunfeng Hu (), Zhongying Lei, Hao Wang, Yu Zhang and Huimin Yan
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Xiaoyu Niu: School of Geosciences, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, 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
Zhongying Lei: School of Geosciences, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Hao Wang: State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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
Huimin Yan: College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Research on the spatial distribution and dynamic evolution of land use/cover (LUC) is the basis for land management and ecological protection. However, there is currently a lack of long-term analyses of the evolution of LUC at the national scale in Cambodia. Based on the GLC_FCS30 dataset, this paper analyzes the temporal and spatial evolution of LUC in Cambodia from 2000 to 2020, as well as its relationship with the country’s economic and social development and climate change using dynamic degree, flow direction diagram, principal component analysis, and multivariate stepwise regression. The main findings are as follows. (1) Cropland and forest are Cambodia’s most significant land cover types. In 2020, the proportions of cropland and forest accounted for 47.67% and 42.22% of the total land area. Among the cropland area, rainfed cropland accounted for 35.90%, irrigated cropland accounted for 7.26%, and other cropland accounted for 4.51%. (2) From 2000 to 2020, rainfed cropland areas increased significantly (+4.69 × 10 3 km 2 , +7.77%), while irrigated cropland areas increased less (+0.37 × 10 3 km 2 , 2.91%). The forest area continued to shrink (−7.71 × 10 3 km 2 , −9.16%), and the area of impervious surfaces expanded most significantly (+161.16%). (3) In 2000–2020, the integrated dynamic degree of land use presented a spatial differentiation pattern of high in the northeast, low in the middle, and lowest in the plain area. The most critical LUC change processes were the conversion of forest and shrubland to rainfed cropland and the transformation of rainfed cropland to impervious surfaces. (4) The change in LUC in Cambodia has mainly been affected by economic development and human activities, especially regarding the agricultural added value, agricultural raw material export value, urban population, and urbanization rate. This study will help the Cambodian government to strengthen national land management and planning in a targeted manner and may provide a reference for the analysis of land use change processes in similar areas.

Keywords: land mapping; spatial distribution; dynamic evolution; correlation 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
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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