Land use in China is experiencing massive changes and impacts to the environment due to an unprecedented period of economic growth, which has catapulted it from one of the world's poorest countries 30 years ago to the world's second largest economy today. Based on trends in

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

population growth Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. The World population, global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 8.2 billion in 2025. Actual global human population growth amounts to aroun ...

, and

land use Land use is an umbrella term to describe what happens on a parcel of land. It concerns the benefits derived from using the land, and also the land management actions that humans carry out there. The following categories are used for land use: fo ...

, China's

natural landscape A natural landscape is the original landscape that exists before it is acted upon by human culture. The natural landscape and the cultural landscape are separate parts of the landscape. However, in the 21st century, landscapes that are totally ...

will experience significant and increasing pressures well into the future.

Urbanization

China has four times the population of the U.S., within roughly the same area. With 1.4 billion inhabitants, 20% of the world's population lives in China. While the rate of population growth has been declining for decades, the total number of inhabitants has been growing and is expected to do so through 2030. China's urban population is growing rapidly; between 1950 and 2009, the percentage of the population living in urban areas quadrupled from 14% to 48%. Meanwhile, the rural population is declining, opening the landscape in areas that are not urbanized. The forests and farming land of eastern China support far more people and major cities than do the

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur ...

, deserts, and high mountain regions of the west.

Cultivated land

The vast majority of China's cultivated land lies in eastern China. Nearly all of the arable land, totaling 122 million hectares or 13% of the country, is cultivated. To ensure adequate food production, the government has identified a minimum threshold or “redline” of 120 million hectares of cultivated land. Chinese law also requires a one-to-one replacement (in quantity and quality of farmland that is converted to other uses). These policies, combined with development and other land use pressures, are shifting the location of farmland. Some cultivated lands are being newly created from other uses such as forestry, grasslands, and wetlands while existing cultivated lands are being converted to other uses such as built-up areas, forests, and grasslands.

Livestock grazing

Livestock grazing occurs throughout China and is possibly the most common use of grasslands. China is the world's largest producer of sheep and goats, and the fourth largest producer of cattle. Livestock grazing is a major driver of grass

land degradation Land degradation is a process where land becomes less healthy and productive due to a combination of Human impact on the environment, human activities or natural conditions. The causes for land degradation are numerous and complex. Human activitie ...

in China. The government has instituted a variety of programs to combat

desertification Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...

, which has slowed to 3,000 km2 per year.

Forest uses

Since the late 1950s, China's forests have experienced several periods of significant

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

, which contributed to related environmental disasters such as the Yangtze River flood in 1998. In response, the

Central Government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or deleg ...

has attempted to restore forest cover by investing upwards of 1 trillion RMB into six forest conservation programs, the most significant of which include Grain to Green (1999–2016) and the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) (1998–2020). These programs combine afforestation efforts (primarily in northern China) and timber harvesting bans or limits to restore forest cover. Forest cover was 20% as of 2008; the Central Government aims to achieve 23% forest cover by 2020, and 26% by 2050.

Mining and Energy Development

China has one of the largest mining sectors in the world and is the world's largest energy producer. Energy production is on the rise, which will impact

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

as China constructs more mines, oil and gas wells, dams and hydropower stations,

wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

s, pipelines, and other infrastructure. In particular,

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

central China Central China () is a List of regions of China, region in China. It mainly includes the provinces of China, provinces of Henan, Hubei and Hunan. Jiangxi is sometimes also regarded to be part of this region. Central China is now officially par ...

will experience increasing energy development because they hold many untapped and lesser tapped oil and gas fields, coal reserves, and areas with the highest potential for wind and solar energy production

Transportation

China is expanding its road and rail networks, investing 5 trillion RMB to construct 40,000 km of railroads by 2020. The vast majority of planned and existing transit is located in eastern China. Secondary road construction is more of an emphasis in western China. The rail network is expanding nationwide to connect most cities with populations of at least 200,000.

References

{{land use Economy of China Land use Geography of China