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A spatially explicit reconstruction of cropland cover in China from 1661 to 1996

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Abstract

Reconstruction of cropland cover is crucial for assessing human impact on the environment. In this study, based on existing studies concerning historical cropland, population data and government inventories, we obtained a provincial cropland area dataset of China for 1661–1996 via collection, revision and reconstruction. Then, the provincial cropland area was allocated into grid cells of 10 × 10 km depending on the land suitability for cultivation. Our reconstruction indicates that cropland increased from ~55.5 × 104 km2 in 1661 to ~130.0 × 104 km2 in 1996. From 1661 to 1873, cropland expanded tremendously in the Sichuan Basin, and land reclamation was greatly enhanced in North China Plain. For 1873–1980, agricultural development occurred primarily in northeastern China. After 1980, most provinces in the traditionally cultivated region of China experienced decreases in cropland area. In comparison with satellite-based data for 2000, we found that our reconstruction generally captures the spatial distribution of cropland. Also, differences are mostly <20 % (−20 to 20 %). Compared with HYDE 3.1 dataset, which is designed for the global scale, our model is more suitable for reconstructing the historical crop cover of China at 10 × 10 km grid scale. Our reconstruction can be used in climate models to study the impact of crop cover change on the climate and carbon cycle.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41271227), the China Global Change Research Program (Grant No. 2010CB950901) of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41471171).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

    Shicheng Li, Fanneng He & Xuezhen Zhang

  2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China

    Shicheng Li

  3. Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Climate Change, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China

    Xuezhen Zhang

Authors
  1. Shicheng Li
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  2. Fanneng He
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  3. Xuezhen Zhang
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Correspondence to Fanneng He.

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Editor: Will Steffen.

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Li, S., He, F. & Zhang, X. A spatially explicit reconstruction of cropland cover in China from 1661 to 1996. Reg Environ Change 16, 417–428 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0751-4

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