Exploring cultivated land evolution in mountainous areas of Southwest China, an empirical study of developments since the 1980s

Cultivated land protection is related to food security and sustainable development. As an important reserve resource, the protection and development of cultivated land in mountainous areas need attention from governments and academia. This paper analyses the long-term evolution process cultivated land in mountainous areas of Southwest China by using large-scale remote sensing, topographic relief amplitude model, and a modified binary logistic regression model, to understand internal reasons for evolution differentiation at the macro level. The results show that untransformed cultivated land is mainly distributed below the topographic relief amplitude of 770 m. The transformation direction and spatial characteristics of transformed cultivated land gradually shift to low relief amplitude (<631 m) areas with time. Construction land accounts for 51.11% of the cultivated land transformation, usually distributed in flatlands or basins below the relief amplitude of 498 m, and hilly cultivated land around it displays a fluctuating recovery process. Topography is the most important factor affecting the evolution of cultivated land in mountainous areas. However, there are still differences in the driving mechanism of cultivated land evolution types, and some key policies in China in the past directly affected the evolution paths of cultivated land in mountainous areas. The research results can provide ideas for the utilization and protection of cultivated land in similar mountainous areas.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the long-term evolution process of cultivated land in mountainous areas of Southwest China using remote sensing and models. The results indicate that topography is the most important factor affecting the evolution of cultivated land, with construction land being the main transformation direction. The research findings can provide insights for the utilization and protection of similar cultivated land in mountainous areas.