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| FAQ |
| Where did China experience the largest loss
of cultivated land? |
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According to recent
statistical data from the State Land Administration, China lost most of its cultivated
land in Central and Northern provinces
and around booming urban areas in coastal provinces. With over 360 thousand hectares the
province of Shaanxi had the largest net-loss of cultivated land between
1988 and 1995. Its size declined by almost 6.4 percent. There were also large net-losses
of cultivated land in Inner Mongolia and in Sichuan. The
largest relative net-loss of cultivated land was reported from Shanghai,
which lost almost 10 percent of its cultivated area. With more than 7 percent Beijing
also had a significant net-loss of cultivated land. The overall net-loss of
cultivated land between 1988 and 1995 was 1.7 million hectares or only
1.3 percent (see also the detailed tables and charts on Land in the Data section of this application). |
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According to
research conducted by the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications, provinces in Eastern
China and in coastal areas had the highest loss of farmland.
Especially areas around Tianjing City, in Hebei province, and around Shanghai City and in Guangdong
had large losses. Significant losses of farmland were also identified in the provinces of
Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hunan, Guangxi and Hainan province. Based on remote
sensing information the total decrease in farmland between 1985 and the early 1990s was
estimated at 5.23 million hectares. This would be equivalent to a decline
of over 25 percent (Institute of Remote Sensing Applications, CAS). |
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These discrepancies
are partly due to the differences in classification. While the State Land Administration
reports changes in cultivated land - which do not include horticulture, the remote sensing
information is on farmland (which probably includes horticulture land). However, these
discrepancies also indicate, that land-use monitoring in China still includes a high level
of uncertainty. |
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In evaluating the
various sources of information, we can conclude that China has probably experienced only a
small net-loss of cropland in major agricultural areas (Sichuan and Shaanxi). Part of this
loss was due to agricultural restructuring, when cropland was transformed into
horticulture land, orchards or fishponds. There was also loss of farmland around urban
agglomerates in coastal areas. While these losses of between 10 and 25 percent where
certainly significant in relative terms, they were not particularly significant in
absolute terms - as compared to the much larger areas lost in central and northern China. |
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Revision 2.0 (First revision published in 1999)
- Copyright © 2011 by Gerhard K. Heilig. All rights reserved. (First revision: Copyright © 1999 by IIASA.) |
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