Driving Forces of Cultivated Land Changes in Qinghai Province During 2000-2008

Cultivated land change is an important component of the process of land use change,characterized by strategic,regional,hierarchical,dynamic and periodical features.It′s the result of common-effect of social factors and environmental factors.The driving forces impact on the cultivated land change diverse under different circumstances.This study aimed to analyze the features of cultivated land changes from 2000 to 2008in Qinghai Province and the main driving forces that brought about the changes.Based on the annual survey data of land use changes in Qinghai Province,this paper analyzed:(1)the changes in the total and per capita cultivated land according to records of increases and decreases in cultivated land;(2)the regional differences according to dynamic degree.Furthermore,based on the features of cultivated land use changes and regional development in Qinghai Province,this study analyzed the driving forces of cultivated land changes through both quantitative and qualitative methods from six aspects including cultivated land protection policy,ecological restoration engineering,land development and consolidation project,major construction projects,population and ethnic factors and urbanization.The results showed that the cultivated land changes in Qinghai Province from 2000 to 2008were characterized by a sequence pattern of‘sharply decrease-slow increase-slow decrease-slow increase',a difference among regions,and causes of various driving forces.Thus,this paper suggests that we should take the strict cultivated land protection policy,intensify the policy of land consolidation,insist differentiation of cultivated land,and keep the balance between major constitution projects and land occupation.