Classification Method and Determination of Mountainous Area Types at Township Scales: A Case Study of Yuxi City, Yunnan Province

Abstract

The high-resolution regional division of mountainous area types has important scientific significance for promoting precise management of land space and regional sustainable development. At present, the classification method of mountainous area types is mainly at the county level and above, while classifications for towns and villages are nearly nonexistent, which poses a technical challenge for rural revitalization and the construction of ecological civilization in mountainous areas. We used Yuxi city, Yunnan Province, as the target area of this research, which was based on GIS technology and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data and socioeconomic environmental monitoring data. The most appropriate statistical unit (e.g., 2.8224 km2) for topographic relief was defined, and the study area was divided into six mountain types: flatlands, hills, low mountains, medium-low mountains, midmountains, and subhigh mountains. Based on the township scale, an index system and classification method dominated by the plain comprehensive index were established to carry out mountain area classifications at township scales. The 75 towns of Yuxi city can be classified into 27 plain towns, 23 mountain-plain towns, and 25 mountain towns from an empirical application perspective, which can provide strong data support and a reference basis for studying the evolution characteristics of land use in different geographical spaces and their interrelationships as well as differentiated land space planning and governance.

Modeling Analysis on Coupling Mechanisms of Mountain–Basin Human–Land Systems: Take Yuxi City as an Example

“…It is adjacent to the provincial capital, Kunming, which is to the northeast; Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture in the north; Pu'er city in the southwest and Honghe Autonomous Prefecture in the southeast. The city covers an area of 15,285 km 2 and has jurisdiction over 75 townships (towns and streets) in 7 counties and 2 districts [44]. The terrain of Yuxi City is high in the northwest and low in the southeast.…”

“…The Chengjiang, Jiangchuan and Tonghai lacustrine basins are formed around three plateau rifted lakes, the Fuxian Lake, Xingyun Lake and Qilu Lake, with flat and open terrain [45]. According to its special topography, combined with administrative regions, it can be divided into two types of geographical spaces: mountainous areas and basin areas [44]. Due to the complex terrain and large height difference, the mountainous area generally has more rainfall than the basin area.…”

Multilevel and Spatially Heterogeneous Factors Influencing Poor Households’ Income in a Frontier Minority Area in Northeast China

“…At the village level, variables were mainly determined on the basis of the theory of Two Geographical Natures [32][33][34]. Accordingly, we selected not only economic and demographic variables, but also geographic variables, which were related to income and were spatially heterogeneous [5,35].…”

Comparative Analysis of Temporal-Spatial Variation on Mountain-Flatland Landscape Pattern in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwest China: A Case Study of Yuxi City

“…Due to the imbalance between social and economic development and the natural ecological process [1], as well as the instability, sensitivity and complexity of the natural system of the mountainous area itself, the mountainous area has become the most intense region of global environmental change and ecological degradation in recent years [2], and the conflicts between human and land have become more prominent and complex. In the southwest of China, the terrain is fragmented and sensitive, and the generalized mountain landscape is an important and unique natural-human geography unit composed of "mountain" and "flatland" as the core elements [3,4], which is an important content of the scientific research of human-land systems in mountainous areas. To fully guarantee the ecological security and sustainable development of mountainous areas, it is necessary to take land resources as the main constraint condition [5], coordinate the linkage relationship between "mountain" and "flatland" in the whole region, and study the changes and correlation of "mountain" and "flatland" elements in mountainous landscapes, in order to provide Land 2023, 12, 435 2 of 17 more scientific and accurate strategies for rural revitalization, mountain development, spatial governance, as well as the maintenance and improvement of ecosystem services.…”