Comprehensive Study on the Human Driving Forces of Cultivated Land and Construction Land Use Change in Hubei Province, China

Change trend of cultivated land in Hubei Province is analyzed. The years 1998-2003 are the reduction period of cultivated land; the years 2004-2007 are the increase period of cultivated land; the years 1988-2002 are the slow growth period of construction land; and the years of 2003 and 2007 are the increase period of construction land. Based on related social economic statistical data in 1988-2007, human driving forces on cultivated land and construction land in Hubei Province are analyzed quantitatively and comparatively by using SPSS software and mathematical statistical method. Result shows that driving forces have negative driving effect on cultivated land, and positive driving effect on construction land. Driving forces have significant differences of driving effects on cultivated land and construction land. Three principal components affecting the changes of cultivated land and construction land are policy, population and economic development level, and gap between urban and rural living standards. The three principal components have different degrees of sensitivity on the two land use types and the effects direction is reverse. The other factor driving abilities are relatively weak, and there factors have relatively stronger driving forces on construction land than that on cultivated land. It is put forward that Hubei Province should implement rational allocation of land resources and scientific and rational use in order to ensure land security and to realize the sustainable development of regional economy and society based on the intensive land use, the planning constraints and the agricultural and industrial production.