Research On The Change Of Land Use And Its Driving Force In Long Dong (Qing Dynasty-MinGuo Period)

Land is the indispensable condition and primary basis for human beings. With the rapid development of economic construction and the boom of population, the contradiction between the limited land resources and the increased social demand is becoming more and more serious. Nowadays, the reasonable use and sustainable development of land resources has gradually become the focus of world attention. The quality of land and the ways of its use are due to what occurred in the past while the ways of land use today will affect its sustainability in the future. Therefore, the research on historical land use has profound significance in the present days: on one hand, it will help us better understand the present situation of land resources and the environmental problems resulting from land abuse in the past; on the other hand, it will provide some experience and lessons for the appropriate use and the sustainable development of land resources.Choosing Long Dong as our studied region has its academic and realistic significance. From the perspective of natural geography, Long Dong is an independent and significant geomorphologic unit of the Loess Plateau. And from the angle of administrative region, it is one of the many districts that belong to the area of Western China. The problem of soil erosion caused by improper land use has always been a much-discussed topic in the academic circle. The restoration and reconstruction of the ecological environment in China's western region has become an important item related to our country's development.This thesis investigates the changes of land use in Long Dong from Qing Dynasty to MinGuo Period. And the author makes a thorough analysis on the factors affecting the land use structure during this period. It falls into 4 parts. Part One describes the natural condition of land use in Long Dong. Part Two explores the changes of land usefrom Qing Dynasty to MinGuo Period. The author not only deals with the changes of land cultivation and land use structure, but also makes an assessment on the ways of land use. Part Three analyzes the driving factors of the changes of land use. Directive function of policies, pressure of population, the social instability and limitation of natural conditions are the four factors that made the changes. Part Four points out the problems of land use in Long Dong and provides some suggestions about ecological restoration and the proper use of land resources.