Human driving mechanism of regional land use change: A case study of Karst Mountain areas of southwestern China

Based on analysis of the change of land use and related social-economic factors in karst mountain areas of southwestern China, the index system characterizing land use change and its human driving forces in county scale is put forward. Then the relationship of land use change and the driving forces is studied by statistic analysis to identify quantitatively the contribution of human forces and their differences in driving land use change. Moreover, taking the Luodian County as the case, a model simulating the annual change of cultivated land area under the driving of human forces is built. Result of the study will supply reference for the management of the relationship of man and land in karst mountain areas of southern-western China, and accumulate research experience for further study on land use/cover change.