Driving force analysis of cropland loss in a rapid urbanizing area—the case of beijing

Abstract

Understanding the driving forces of cropland loss is important for land resource management and 6921220development. This paper aimed to identify the effects of physical and socioeconomic factors of cropland loss in a rapid urbanizing area–Beijing. Geographical detector was used to analyze the importance of drivers and the cropland loss intensity in space. Our results showed that physical factors were generally more influential than socioeconomic factors and their effects changed over time. Urban land was the most important factor during the late 1980s–2000, while woodland became the most influential one in 2000– 2010 due to the Sloping Land Conversion Program. Also, the rural settlement in the surrounding area got more influential than urban land in the later period. At last, the cropland loss intensity showed clear but different relationships with most factors. These findings can offer government useful information to protect the cropland and thus maintain sustainable development.