Driving forces behind land use and cover change in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: a case study of the source region of the Yellow River,Qinghai Province,China |
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| Authors: | Xiang Song Guoxian Yang Changzhen Yan Hanchen Duan Guangyue Liu Yanling Zhu |
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| Institution: | (1) Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 260, West Donggang Road, 730000 Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China;(2) State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000 Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China;(3) Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China;(4) Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd, Planning, Design and Research Institute of Yellow River Conservancy Commission, 450003 Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China |
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| Abstract: | Research on land use and cover change (LUCC) is an important aspect of the study of global change or global warming. The Qinghai-Tibetan
Plateau is a good place to study global change because of its unique natural conditions, so we chose the source region of
China’s Yellow River for a case study of the driving forces behind LUCC. We used Landsat images obtained in 1989, 2000, and
2005 to establish databases of land use and cover at these times. We then derived LUCC information by overlaying these layers
using GIS software. By studying the processes responsible for LUCC, we analyzed the driving forces, which included climatic
change, human activities, animal and insect damage, and the influences of government policies. During the 16-year study period,
LUCC occurred slowly in response to two groups of processes: natural and anthropogenic. The main driving forces included climate
change (the region is becoming drier and warmer), human activities (especially overgrazing), and animal and insect damage.
Although political measures such as key national projects to improve the ecological environment could help to restore the
region’s vegetation and slow desertification, the region’s fragile ecosystems and harsh natural conditions will make it extremely
difficult to rehabilitate the eco-environment. |
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