Spatiotemporal characteristics and driving mechanisms of land-use transitions and landscape patterns in response to ecological restoration projects: A case study of mountainous areas in Guizhou, Southwest China

With the acceleration of urbanization and industrialization, the land-use mode in mountainous areas has changed significantly, causing serious ecological destruction. Therefore, improving the efficiency of land-resource use in mountainous areas and enhancing ecological protection are important issues. This study focuses on typical mountainous areas in Guizhou Province to explore their significance not only for ecological restoration but also for sustainable socioeconomic development. In this study, we integrated the framework of the interaction between land-use transitions and landscape patterns and employed Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and a spatial bivariate model to reveal the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of landscape patterns and land-use transitions. The results showed that for 1990-2020, the cultivated, forest, and grassland areas decreased by -1353.66, -749.98 and - 541.72 km2 respectively, whereas the water area, urban, and other construction land increased by 799.69, 542.62, and 1230.90 km2, respectively. Moreover, the cultivated land areas converted into urban and other construction land were 358.03 and 661.77 km2 respectively, and the grassland areas converted into forest and other construction land were 3550.08 and 277.32 km2, respectively. Different land-use transitions presented rapid expansion and contraction characteristics, resulting in an increase in overall patch fragmentation, a decrease in uniformity, and an increase in irregular patches, which enhanced the spatial heterogeneity of diversity and complexity. Finally, the land-use transition effects on landscape patterns were primarily elevation, slope, and primary road facility factors. In-depth research on land-use transitional evolution and its impact on landscape patterns has important theoretical and practical value for formulating land-management policies and promoting sustainable development in mountainous areas.