Land Use Situation and Strategies under the Background of New Urbanization in Yunnan Province

Baoshun WANG, Shunkuan LIAO, Jing WANG, Xiaorui WANG, Minglong YANG

1. Institute of Land&Resources and Sustainable Development, Yunnan Univeristy of Finance and Economics, Kunming 650221, China;

2. Yunnan Academy of Land Resources Planning & Design, Kunming 650216, China;

3. Yunnan Geological Technology Information Center, Kunming 650041, China;

4. City College, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650051, China

With advancement of urbanization in China,land urbanization proceeds faster than population urbanization, so that some problems are emerging, such as extensive use of land and farmland loss of urban fringes, which prevents sounding and sustainable urbanization and poses threats to national crop safety. Therefore, it is of significance for promoting rational use of land resources to analyze and determine regional lands in a scientific way in the context of urbanization.

Currently, the research achievements of land use in the process of urbanization in Yunnan Province are accomplished in the implementation of the policy of “constructing towns or cities in mountains”,in terms of effects on eco-environment[1], farmland protection[2], geographical interpretation[3],dynamic mechanism[4]and mode[5].Generally speaking, researches available mainly focus on a specific aspect of the policy of “constructing towns or cities in mountains”, which coincides with practical demands.However, with consideration of “people first” and regional sustainable development, it is necessary to make a comprehensive determination on regional land use in the context of new urbanization in order to intensify strategic significance and perspectiveness of land use, which is meaningful for the role of land resources use in supporting,controlling and adjusting new urbanization in the province.

Background and Characteristics of New Urbanization in Yunnan Province

In the context of national key development strategies, including western development,bridgehead,and one belt and one road,Yunnan proposed a series of policies, systems and mea sures[6]on basis of status quo of Yunnan, such as more mountains, geographical location,more ethnic groups,and backward economic development,and defined the targets, contents,routes and methods of new urbanization, which guarantees sustainable development of new urbanization.Meanwhile, in practices, some prob-lems should be well considered[7-8]nad paid attention to.

New urbanization is distinctly characterized by population urbanization. According to information available,population urbanization proceeds faster in Yunnan and population urbanization, including resident population and registered population, develops rapidly recently, of which the increase of urbanization rate of resident population performs higher(Fig.1).

Analysis of Land Use Situation in Yunnan Province

In the background of new urbanization, the research explored land uses in Yunnan Province and detailed land use situation, involving favorable factors and negative factors.

Favorable factors Protection of farmland resources

In accordance with land use planning system in China, farmland protection in a region is mainly observed from the areas of farmland reserve and prime cropland preservation. The larger the areas of farmland reserve and prime cropland preservation, the better farmland protection.

As per Yunnan Land Use Planning during 2006-2020, the objective of farmland reserve should be not less than 5 980 000.00 hm2in 2010, and the practical area was 6 228 631.50 hm2which exceeding the objective. In 2012, the area of prime cropland preservation targets at 5 262 619.42 hm2, and the practical area was far more than that(Fig.1).

It is obvious that both of farmland reserve and prime cropland preservation exceed expected targets, incorporating that farmland protection keeps higher,of significance for regional crop safety and sustainable development.

Huge potential of mountainous land development Yunnan is a mountainous province with more mountains and hills, and less flatlands. According to statistics, the area of lands with slope≥8°,including plateaus and hills,represents 94% of national land, and of dams with slope ＜8°is only 6% of provincial area[10-11].As per the new research fruits[12], Yunnan Province has 129 county-level divisions, of which 108 divisions are dominated by mountains or semi-mountains or semidams, taking up to 83.72%. It is clear that Yunnan has abundant mountains,with huge development potential.

As an experimental site of comprehensive use of national hills lands resources, Yunnan has made progress. It is surveyed that hills with slopes of 8°-25° account for 47% of province’s total. For example, there are 208 implementation schemes hills have been reported from 106 countylevel divisions of 15 prefecture-level cities and 146 schemes have been approved, totaling 81 600 hm2, laying foundation for further exploration and development of mountain resources in Yunnan Province.

Rational strategies of land use

Yunnan has lots of land resources,taking up to 4.1%of nation’s total and ranking the 8th. Land are per capita reaches 0.87 hm2, which is 0.13 hm2higher compared with national level.However, dams, including basins or valleys, suitable for industrialization or urbanization only account for 6% of nation’s total[13].Because of small proportion of highly-qualified farmlands on dam regions, the potential for dam region construction becomes limited,challenging farmland protection and extending of construction lands for Yunnan Province.

Therefore, Yunnan Province proposed to introduce urbanization and industrialization projects to hills or mountains to protect highly-qualified farmlands in dam regions and coordinate the conflict between crop growth and construction.

Negative factors

Pressure on construction lands caused by rapid industrialization and urbanization With acceleration of population growth, industrialization and urbanization,social and economic development has an increasing demand on construction lands, resulting in heavier pressure on construction lands. According to statistics[14-15], the area of construction lands grew by 134% from 2001 -2012 in Yunnan Province and urban population grew by 68%, which indicated that land urbanization rate proceeded faster than population urbanization.

In 2013, urbanization of Yunnan was only 27.24% (urban registered population/total population, similarly hereinafter).If computed as per the expected target of registered population with urbanization rate of 38% in 2020,Yunnan urbanization rate would grow at least 11 points in 2020. If computed as per previous land use pattern, in contrast, urbanization rate of Yunnan would increase one point, constructed town area grow two points, and the constructed area would enhance 22 points from 2013 to 2020, posing pressure on land resources.

Difficulty of land resources development and use by complicated terrain frequent natural disasters Resulting from special geographical location, geological structure, and complicated terrain and climate, Yunnan has become one of provinces suffering the most serious natural disasters in China.For example, disasters in Yunnan are diversified and widely distributed,with a high frequency and severe loss,especially for drought, flood, earthquake, landslide, and debris flow,which are obstacles for land resources development in Yunnan Province.

Terrain and landform is an important factor influencing land resource development and benefits. For instance, the landforms of Yunnan definitely pose pressure on further development of land resources, because dam regions or flatlands have been widely exploited, and the rest land resources require large investments.

Heavy pressure on eco-environment protection of lands Yunnan is drained by six major river systems, including the Yangtze River, the Pearl River, the Mekong, the Red River, the Salween, and the Irrawaddy[15]. Therefore, it is of necessity to give highlights to eco-environment protection.Nevertheless, it is inevitable that local ecosystem would be interrupted by land development to certain extent, affecting balance of ecosystem.In the process of urbanization and industrialization, the restrictions on ecoenvironment confronted by land resources would be much more prominent with development scale and degree expanded.

Strategy of Land Use in Yunnan Province

Scientific demonstration of farmland reserve and exploration of establishing long-term farmland protection and compensation system

For a long term, farmland reserve is considered as an index of overall planning of land use,so that it is taken as a key indicator for performance appraisal. If farmland protection target is not accomplished, punishment would follow. On the other hand, for the regions performing excellently in farmland protection, incentive mechanism is not established.Consequently, local governments just focus on the baseline of farmland protection,which is adverse for protection of farmland, damaging land management in a long run.

In practice, a long-term protection and compensation system of farmland should be established in the areas with lots of farmlands and excellent work on farmland protection to stimulate farmland protection activity in a scientific way. Meanwhile, it is necessary to adjust farmland reserve and well coordinate farmland protection, construction and eco-civilization.

Highlighting mountain characters and adjusting defining of boundary of construction lands to mountain characters

According to Yunnan characters,construction lands oriented by urbanization and industrialization should abide by local mountain characters.Specifically, in defining the boundary of construction lands,it is necessary to consider the determination of construction lands in dam regions, as well as the work of flatlands with slopes of 8-25° in adjusted planning, or constructions in dams would be extensive in a disordered way.

Reinforcement of environment protection and optimization of defining ecological protection “red line”

Compared with other provinces,biological diversity is a special character and natural advantage of Yunnan Province, which requires highlights and special protection. For example,more attention should be paid to environment aspect in mineral exploitation,township construction, and industrial production.

On basis of overall planning of land use, preferential arrangement,scientific definition of eco-protection red line, and adjustment of township construction to ecological protection and construction would relieve ecological pressure of new urbanization and be of practical significance for advancement of ecological civilization.

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