Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The drivers of land use change in the migration area, Three Gorges Project, China: Advances and prospects

  • Published:
Journal of Earth Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper reviewed existing literatures on land use change since the demonstration phase of the Three Gorges Project and found that reservoir inundation, migration resettlement, urban relocation, and post-supporting construction were first paid more attention to, when analyzing the driving forces of land use change in the migration area. However, at the post-migration period (the end of migration resettlement), above-mentioned drivers had not obviously driven land use change, but the evolutions of “migration demands” replacing them increasingly became the major drivers of land use change in the migration area. Therefore, the future priority fields of land use explanations in the migration area, Three Gorges Project were (1) identifying the corresponding relationships between the spatial distributions of land use change and migration resettlement and indigenous inhabitants; (2) understanding the change of “migration demands” and their causing “indigenous inhabitants’ demands” being how to drive land use transforms; (3) finding the driving processes of the conflict and exclusion between immigrants and indigenous inhabitants, and the transfer of immigrants and indigenous inhabitants on land use change; and (4) measuring the dynamic feedback of “migration demands” at different stages on the processes, directions and their corresponding impacts of land use change in order to building the coupling framework among “migration demands”, driver behaviors, and land use. This paper presents a new access for the explanation of land use change and also supplies scientific proofs to obtain adaptive decision-making to optimize land use patterns in the migration area, Three Gorges Project.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References Cited

  • Baccari, N., Boussema, M. R., Lamachère, J. M., et al., 2008. Efficiency of Contour Benches, Filling-in and Silting-up of a Hillside Reservoir in a Semi-Arid Climate in Tunisia. Comptes Rendus Geosciences, 340(1): 38–48, doi:10.1016/j.crte.2007.09.020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P. H., Magee, D., Xu, Y., 2008. Socioeconomic Vulnerability in China’s Hydropower Development. China Economic Review, 19(4): 614–627

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai, Q. G., Wang, H., Curtin, D., et al., 2005. Evaluation of the EUROSEM Model with Single Event Data on Steeplands in the Three Gorges Reservoir Areas, China. Catena, 59(1): 19–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, Y. G., Zhou, W., Wang, J., et al., 2011. Spatial-Temporal Pattern and Differences of Land Use Changes in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China during 1975–2005. Journal of Mountain Science, 8(4): 551–563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fearnside, P. M., 1988. China’s Three Gorges Dam: “Fatal” Project or Step toward Modernization? World Development, 16(5): 615–630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fourniadis, I. G., Liu, J. G., Mason, P. J., 2007. Landslide Hazard Assessment in the Three Gorges Area, China, Using ASTER Imagery: Wushan-Badong. Geomorphoogy, 84(1–2): 126–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Z. W., Xiao, X. M., Gan, Y. L., 2003. Landscape Planning for a Rural Ecosystem: Case Study of a Resettlement Area for Residents from Land Submerged by the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Landscape Ecology, 18(3): 503–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He, L. H., Lorenz, K., Jiang, T., 2003. On the Land Use in Three Gorges Reservoir Area. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 13(4): 416–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, Y. J., Chook, P., Wei, A. N., et al., 2007. A Tale of Three Gorges in Yangtze River: The Impact of Lifestyle Changes on Atherogenesis in Mainland China. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 16(Suppl. 2): S84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, B., Shi, X. Z., Yu, D. S., et al., 2006. Environmental Assessment of Small-Scale Vegetable Farming Systems in Peri-Urban Areas of the Yangtze River Delta Region, China. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 112(4): 391–402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, L., 2011. A Study on Urban Spatial Development Patterns of Mountain Areas Based on Analysis of Eco-Sensitive Areas: A Case Study of Yunyang County in the Three Gorges Reservoir Areas. Energy Procedia, 11: 4188–4195, doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2011.10.821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang, S. S., Xi, J., Cao, Y., et al., 2007. Anticipation of Migration and Psychological Stress and the Three Gorges Dam Project, China. Social Science & Medicine, 65(5): 1012–1024, doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.05.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jabbar, M. T., Shi, Z. H., Wang, T. W., et al., 2006. Vegetation Change Prediction with Geo-Information Techniques in the Three Gorges Area of China. Pedosphere, 16(4): 457–467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, S., Sleigh, A., 2000. Resettlement for China’s Three Gorges Dam: Socio-Economic Impact and Institutional Tensions. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 33(2): 223–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jim, C. Y., Yang, F. Y., 2006. Local Responses to Inundation and De-Farming in the Reservoir Region of the Three Gorges Project (China). Environmental Management, 38(4): 618–637, doi:10.1007/s00267-005-0253-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kittinger, J. N., Coontz, K. M., Yuan, Z. P., et al., 2009. Toward Holistic Evaluation and Assessment: Linking Ecosystems and Human Well-Being for the Three Gorges Dam. Eco-Health, 6(4): 601–613

    Google Scholar 

  • Klintenberg, P., Seely, M., Christiansson, C., 2007. Local and National Perceptions of Environmental Change in Central Northern Namibia: Do They Correspond? Journal of Arid Environments, 69(3): 506–525

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, S., Larson, S., 2007. Index-Based Tool for Preliminary Ranking of Social and Environmental Impacts of Hydropower and Storage Reservoirs. Energy, 32(6): 943–947

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J. G., Mason, P. J., Clerici, N., et al., 2004. Landslide Hazard Assessment in the Three Gorges Area of the Yangtze River Using ASTER Imagery: Zigui-Badong. Geomorphology, 61(1–2): 171–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long, H. L., Tang, G. P., Li, X. B., et al., 2007. Socio-Economic Driving Forces of Land-Use Change in Kunshan, the Yangtze River Delta Economic Area of China. Journal of Environmental Management, 83(3): 351–364

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long, H. L., Wu, X. Q., Wang, W. J., et al., 2008. Analysis of Urban-Rural Land-Use Change during 1995-2006 and Its Policy Dimensional Driving Forces in Chongqing, China. Sensors, 8(2): 681–699, doi:10.3390/s8020681

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okadera, T., Watanabe, M., Xu, K. Q., 2006. Analysis of Water Demand and Water Pollutant Discharge Using a Regional Input-Output Table: An Application to the City of Chongqing, Upstream of the Three Gorges Dam in China. Ecological Economics, 58(2): 221–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pahl-Wostl, C., Tàbara, D., Bouwen, R., et al., 2008. The Importance of Social Learning and Culture for Sustainable Water Management. Ecological Economics, 64(3): 484–495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rautela, P., Rakshit, R., Jha, V. K., et al., 2002. GIS and Remote Sensing-Based Study of the Reservoir-Induced Land-Use/Land-Cover Changes in the Catchment of Tehri Dam in Garhwal Himalaya, Uttaranchal (India). Current Science, 83(3): 308–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Seeber, C., Hartmann, H., Xiang, W., et al., 2010. Land Use Change and Causes in the Xiangxi Catchment, Three Gorges Area Derived from Multispectral Data. Journal of Earth Science, 21(6): 846–855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shao, J. A., Huang, X. Q., Qu, M., et al., 2005. Land Use Change and Its Socio-Economic Driving Forces under Stress of Project in Old Reservoir Area—Case Study of Linshui Reservoir Area of Dahonghe Reservoir in Sichuan Province. Chinese Geographical Science, 15(4): 315–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen, G. Z., Xie, Z. Q., 2004. Three Gorges Project: Chance and Challenge. Science, 304(5671): 681

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R., 2008. Hydropower: Dimensions of Social and Environmental Coexistence. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 12(6): 1588–1621

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, D. F., Li, H., Lin, P., 2003. Monitoring Land Use and Landscape Changes Caused by Migrant Resettlement with Remote Sensing in Region of Three Gorges of Yangtze River. Transactions of the CSAE, 19(5): 218–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan, Y., Yao, F. J., 2005. Three Gorges Project: Effects of Resettlement on the Environment in the Reservoir Area and Countermeasures. Population & Environment, 27(4): 351–371, doi:10.1007/s11111-006-0027-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tullos, D., 2009. Assessing the Influence of Environmental Impact Assessments on Science and Policy: An Analysis of the Three Gorges Project. Journal of Environmental Management, 90(Suppl. 3): S208–S223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanni, M. J. V., Arend, K. K., Bremigan, M. T., et al., 2005. Linking Landscapes and Food Webs Effects of Omnivorous Fish and Watersheds on Reservoir Ecosystems. Bioscience, 55(2): 155–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L. M., Feng, R. G., Yang, Y. F., et al., 2004. Spatial Disparity of Slope Farmland and Food Security in Three Gorges Area. Journal of Mountain Science, 1(1): 89–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L. M., Yang, Y. F., Guan, Q. F., 2002. Environmental Emigration Stress of Slope Farmland in the Three Gorges Area. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 12(4): 420–426 (in Chinese with English Abstract)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J. G., Huang, J. H., Han, X. G., et al., 2003. Three Gorgess Dam—Experiment in Habitat Fragmentation? Science, 300(5623): 1239–1240, doi:10.1126/science.1083312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, S. L., Zhao, Q. Y., Belkin, I. M., 2002. Temporal Variation in the Sediment Load of the Yangtze River and the Influences of Human Activities. Journal of Hydrology, 263(1–4): 56–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. S., Xiang, Q., Xu, J. T., et al., 2010. Modeling the Driving Forces of the Land Use and Land Cover Changes along the Upper Yangtze River of China. Environmental Management, 45(3): 454–465, doi:10.1007/s00267-009-9377-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zahar, Y., Ghorbel, A., Albergel, J., 2008. Impacts of Large Dams on Downstream Flow Conditions of Rivers: Aggradation and Reduction of the Medjerda Channel Capacity Downstream of the Sidi Salem Dam (Tunisia). Journal of Hydrology, 351(3–4):318–330, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007. 12.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J. X., Liu, Z. J., Sun, X. X., 2009. Changing Landscape in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Yangtze River from 1977 to 2005: Land Use/Land Cover, Vegetation Cover Changes Estimated Using Multi-Source Satellite Data. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 11(6): 403–412, doi:10.1016/j.jag.2009. 07.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q. F., Lou, Z. P., 2011. The Environmental Changes and Mitigation Actions in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China. Environmental Science & Policy, 14(8): 1132–1138, doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2011.07.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, S. R., Lu, X. X., Higgitt, D. L., et al., 2008. Recent Changes of Water Discharge and Sediment Load in the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Basin, China. Global and Planetary Change, 60(3–4): 365–380, doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.04.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, H. M., Xiang, S., Yang, K., et al., 2008. Three Gorges Dam and Its Impact on the Potential Transmission of Schistosomiasis in Regions along the Yangtze River. Eco-Health, 5(2): 137–148, doi:10.1007/s10393-008-0168-y

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resource and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China

    Jiupai Ni  (倪九派)

  2. College of Geography Science, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 400047, China

    Jing’an Shao  (邵景安)

Authors
  1. Jiupai Ni  (倪九派)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jing’an Shao  (邵景安)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jing’an Shao  (邵景安).

Additional information

This study was supported by the Key Project of Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, China (No. 210181), and the Foundation of Application Basic Research Project of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Education, China (No. KJ090805).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ni, J., Shao, J. The drivers of land use change in the migration area, Three Gorges Project, China: Advances and prospects. J. Earth Sci. 24, 136–144 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-013-0306-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-013-0306-5

Key Words

Search

Navigation