Understanding the characteristics and mechanism of land use transition in mountainous economic zone: A case study of the Chengdu-Chongqing region in southwestern China

Land use transition results from economic and social transformations. Land use in the mountainous Chengdu-Chongqing region is disturbed by multiple natural factors and economic activities, contributing to the difficulty in space governance in this area. Clarifying the transformation process and mechanism of land use transition and proposing solutions for special regions can help achieve the goal of urban-rural integration development at the national level. This study applied the land use transfer matrix (LUTM), exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), and spatial centers of gravity (SCG) and spatial econometric models to explore the characteristics and mechanisms of land use transition in mountainous the Chengdu-Chongqing region. Our findings indicated that: 1) the characteristics of structural transition of land use in this region showed similarity in two phases. In both phases, the size of cultivated land decreased, while that of construction land increased. The increase in construction land area occurred primarily due to the transfer of cultivated land to construction land. The areas of woodland and unused land fluctuated, while the areas of grassland and water body decreased slightly. 2) The characteristics of spatial transition of land use in the Chengdu-Chongqing region showed significant spatial aggregation in different phases. In this period, the gravity center of land use types in the region changed frequently with time. The gravity center of cultivated land moved northwest, while those of woodland moved northeast first and then southwest, that of grassland moved northeast constantly, that of water bodies moved southeast first and then northwest and that of unutilized land moved northwest. 3) The land use transition in the Chengdu-Chongqing region was driven by many natural and socio-economic factors. The growth of construction land in this region was significantly impacted by the available resources, economic growth, urbanization rate, population migration, and policies. With the expansion of regional economic differences, economic growth and the evolution of industrial structures played crucial roles in the transition of construction land. The transfers from cultivated land to woodland and grassland were primarily affected by the policies regarding land use and ecological protection. 4) The mechanism of land use transition in the Chengdu-Chongqing region showed significant coupling. The land use transition in the Chengdu-Chongqing region was a transitional process from conflict to coordination guided by national and regional policies. The conflict in this process was mainly the change in land supply and demand caused by regional economic activities. The quantity of land supply in this region depended heavily on the land use policies for living, production, and ecology. The land use transition in this region was a dynamic coupling system resulting from the interdependence and restriction of natural conditions, social economies, and policy systems.