Analysis of land use change and its socio-economic driving factors in Qinghai Province

Qinghai Province in China is an important ecological security barrier and water conservation area, as well as a fragile and sensitive area that is easily disturbed by human activities. Exploring the characteristics and driving forces of land use change in Qinghai Province is critical for rational planning and management of land resources and ecological environment protection. This study used the land use dynamic attitude index, transfer matrix, and land use degree comprehensive index analysis methods on the land use remote sensing image interpretation data from 1980 to 2018 to reveal the degree of change and spatial migration of various land use types in Qinghai Province. The relationship between land use/cover types and 23 socio-economic indicators was further analyzed. The results showed that the land use type with the highest annual change rate in Qinghai Province was urban and rural construction land, which showed a trend of increasingly drastic change. The area decreased from 1990 to 1995 and from 2015 to 2018 but increased continuously in the five periods from 1995 to 2015. The six land use types in Qinghai Province changed dramatically from 2015 to 2018 and from 2000 to 2005. Grassland and unused land were the most evident land use types, and the conversion between them was active. Overall, the dynamic attitude towards integrated land use showed an increasing trend, indicating that land use in Qinghai Province was developing in the most active direction during the research period. The comprehensive index analysis of land use degree suggests that Qinghai Province had been evolving towards the development of urban settlements during the study period. The socio-economic development of the population, GDP, construction, industry, and land management policies were the main driving factors affecting the changing land use types in the region. Among them, the urbanization rate and the rapid development of the social economy were the main factors leading to the decrease of grassland and forest area in Qinghai Province, as well as the main driving factors behind the expansion of urban and rural construction land. The results will provide a scientific basis for sustainable land use and development in Qinghai Province.