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Migration of Rural Residents to Urban Areas Drives Grassland Vegetation Increase in China’s Loess Plateau

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  • Jian-Zhou Wei

    (State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, China)

  • Kai Zheng

    (State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, China
    State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China)

  • Feng Zhang

    (Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China)

  • Chao Fang

    (State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, China
    PLECO (Plants and Ecosystems), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium)

  • Yu-Yu Zhou

    (Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA)

  • Xue-Cao Li

    (Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA)

  • Feng-Min Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, China)

  • Jian-Sheng Ye

    (State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, No. 222, South Tianshui Road, Lanzhou 730000, China)

Abstract

Human activities are critical factors influencing ecosystem sustainability. However, knowledge on regarding the mechanisms underlying the response of vegetation dynamics to human activities remains limited. To detect the driving factors and their individual contribution to the grassland vegetation dynamics in China’s Loess Plateau, a structural equation model (SEM) and a principal component regression model were built. The SEM showed that population change and urbanization, temperature and humidity, and agriculture and economy accounted for 62.5%, 31.2%, and 7.7%, respectively, of the overall impact directly affecting grassland vegetation dynamics. Furthermore, the principal component regression model demonstrated that the effects of the urbanization rate on the grassland above-ground biomass exceeded those of the other factors. The agriculture population had the maximum negative effect on grassland area. The higher the urbanization rate means the higher the number of residents migrates from rural to urban areas. Following this argument, the disturbances of human activities to grassland vegetation were expected to gradually decrease in rural areas, where the vast majority of the Loess Plateau is located. The migration of rural residents to urban areas promoted the increase in biomass and areas of grassland vegetation. Our findings suggest that the effect of urbanization should be considered when assessing vegetation change.

Suggested Citation

  • Jian-Zhou Wei & Kai Zheng & Feng Zhang & Chao Fang & Yu-Yu Zhou & Xue-Cao Li & Feng-Min Li & Jian-Sheng Ye, 2019. "Migration of Rural Residents to Urban Areas Drives Grassland Vegetation Increase in China’s Loess Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:23:p:6764-:d:292117
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ying Pan & Jin Zhu & Zhongxu Zhao & Zhennan Li & Junxi Wu, 2023. "The dual effects of population migration on the achievement of sustainable development goals in Tibet, China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 5931-5947, July.
    2. Ying Liu & Rongrong Zhang & Ming Li & Chunshan Zhou, 2020. "What Factors Influence Rural-To-Urban Migrant Peasants to Rent out Their Household Farmland? Evidence from China’s Pearl River Delta," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-19, October.
    3. Jintao Li & Lei Chu, 2024. "Spatiotemporal Evolution and Transformation Regulation Strategies of Rural Residential Land on the Grand Canal (China)," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-23, April.

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