Land suitability assessment and land use change in Fujian Province, China

To present the current status of land quality and distribution and the trends in land use change, the physical suitability of cropland and forestland and the associated changes in Fujian Province were evaluated and analyzed using data obtained from geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). Of the total land area of Fujian Province, first class suitable cropland accounted for only 4.21%, whereas unsuitable cropland accounted for 84.78%. The percentage of first class suitable cropland in the southeastern region (5.32%) was much higher than that in the northwestern area (2.91%). Only 13.63% of the existing cropland area consisted of first class cropland and 70.08% was classified as unsuitable for cultivation. Of the total land area of Fujian Province, the first class forestland comprised 55.25% and the unsuitable forestland (including third class) comprised 21.2%. The percentage of unsuitable forest area in the existing forestland was only 5.5%. From 1996 to 2001, cropland and unused land decreased significantly, whereas forestland and land used for urban and transport increased rapidly. Therefore, the major tasks ahead will be the land development for full grain production potential, the better coordination of allocating land to different uses, and the regulation inappropriate activities that damage agricultural ecosystems.