Land Cover Change Analysis to Assess Sustainability of Development in the Mongolian Plateau over 30 Years

Yu Zhang, Juanle Wang, Yi Wang, Altansukh Ochir and Chuluun Togtokh
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Yu Zhang: College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology, Beijing 100083, China
Juanle 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
Yi Wang: National Science and Technology Infrastructure Center, Beijing 100862, China
Altansukh Ochir: Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Environment and Forest Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Institute for Sustainable Development, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 14201, Mongolia
Chuluun Togtokh: Institute for Sustainable Development, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 14201, Mongolia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: The changes in land cover patterns in the Mongolian Plateau can reveal the regional status of sustainable development. Based on land cover data from 1990–2020, the study reveals the process of land cover change on the Mongolian plateau and integrates those changes with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to further evaluate regional sustainable development status. Result revealed there is a stable rate of land cover change (0.16%) for the Mongolian Plateau, but with diverse shifting trends for various land cover types and SDGs indicators in past 30 years. Croplands (SDG2) showed a growth trend in the last five years, which was different from its initial obviously decreasing trend. The status of water (SDG6) showed a clear decreasing trend, which presents a major threat to this arid-to-semi-arid region. The built area (SDG11) increased continuously, but the long upward trend has slowed in recent years. The forest area (SDG15) declined, but it has recently recovered. Grasslands showed diverse changes in various steppe types (including real, meadow, and desert steppe types) while still experiencing land degradation. The expansion of sand areas presents a hidden risk of increasing sandstorms. Comparative analysis revealed that there have clear differences between Mongolia and Inner Mongolia due to the various government policies. In general, the land use degree in Mongolian Plateau increased annually. This indicated that the climate change and human activities have more and more influences, and it is still facing severe challenges for specific SDGs indicators in the region.

Keywords: Mongolian Plateau; land use; land cover; sustainable development goals; transfer matrix (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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