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

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.

Responses of soil erosion to land‐use changes in the largest tableland of the Loess Plateau

“…It is consistent with the large urban expansion in DZY (Figure 3, Table 2) (Shi et al, 2020). Migration from rural to urban areas drives the decrease in farmland and increase in grassland and forest areas in the LP, further confirming the effect of the GGP in the LP Song et al, 2020;Wei et al, 2019).…”

Evolution and effects of the social-ecological system over a millennium in China’s Loess Plateau

“…By the end of 2014, 37.38 billion yuan (in 2015, 6.28 yuan = US$1) had been invested in the Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, and the total forested area in the two provinces was 39.37 × 10 3 km 2 , of which about 30% was converted from cropland ( 48 ). Consequently, forest coverage in the LP increased ( 48 ), explaining the enhanced positive relationship between population and forest coverage in phase V. Because the conversion of cropland to forest and afforestation of barren land occurred simultaneously, the relationship between cropland and forest coverage became nonsignificant in phase V. The GTGP also released rural labor from crop production and promoted the shift to nonfarm activities ( 49 ), while economic development, industrialization, and urbanization have also played important parts in improving farm-household income and reducing the pressure on land to provide livelihoods ( 45 , 50 ).…”

Grassland cover declined in Southern Africa but increased in other African subcontinents in early 21st century

“…As such, the loss of the forest canopies could have allowed the low-growing understory herbs to receive light, survive and dominate. Additionally, the migration of rural residents to urban areas and abandonment of croplands, perhaps due to low income from agricultural produce and the negative effect of climate change on cropping, are likely drivers of the expansion of grassland cover into abandoned croplands and built-up areas (Blair et al, 2018;Wei et al, 2019).…”