Sustainability Dynamics of Traditional Villages: A Case Study in Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou, China

Yi Xiao, Jinqi Zhao, Siqi Sun, Luo Guo, Jan Axmacher and Weiguo Sang
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Yi Xiao: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, No. 27, Zhongguancun, Nandajie, Beijing 100081, China
Jinqi Zhao: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, No. 27, Zhongguancun, Nandajie, Beijing 100081, China
Siqi Sun: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, No. 27, Zhongguancun, Nandajie, Beijing 100081, China
Luo Guo: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, No. 27, Zhongguancun, Nandajie, Beijing 100081, China
Jan Axmacher: UCL Department of Geography, University College London, Pearson Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Weiguo Sang: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, No. 27, Zhongguancun, Nandajie, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Rapid urbanization has greatly changed traditional villages in rural areas of China. This paper aims to assess sustainability and obtain its spatio–temporal dynamics, analyze the cause of sustainability changing conditions, and offer suggestions on the sustainable development of traditional villages. We integrated human disturbances into a minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model based on land use, landscape patterns, and ecosystem service (ES) provision in order to evaluate the sustainability dynamics of traditional villages between 1995 and 2015 in the Qiannan Prefecture, China. The results showed that pronounced declines in sustainability were limited to the northern and eastern regions, where the degradation of forest ecosystems and the rapid increase in construction land have resulted in landscape fragmentation and ES decline. We suggest that scientific land use development plans and ecological restoration should be implemented to protect the ecosystem and improve the sustainability of traditional villages in Qiannan Prefecture.

Keywords: sustainability assessment; landscape pattern; ecosystem services; human disturbance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2019:i:1:p:314-:d:303598

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