Spatial patterns and trade-offs/synergy analysis of multifunctional land use in mountainous counties based on system theory

Multiple land functions and services can be conducive to humans and sustain the ecosystem. A land function can be classified to clarify the basis of regional development and potential under the perspective of land role. The multifunctional use of land can represent an effective strategy to deal with the scarcity of land resources. Their overall value can be enhanced to examine the spatial distribution pattern of multifunctional land use. Furthermore, the multifunctional trade-offs and synergistic relationships among land use facilitates can also contribute to the configuration and layout of territorial spatial planning. Taking Fuping County of Hebei Province as the study area, the land function was classified to explore the spatial patterns and trade-offs/synergy under the perspective of land role. The resource allocation and actual situation were combined to optimize the land element factors, as the evaluation indexes. The evaluation index system was then constructed to quantify the multifunctionality of land use. Two approaches were employed to assess the land multifunctionality, including the weighted composite index and Simpson's inverse index. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis and bivariate local Moran's index were utilized to examine the quantitative relationship and spatial correlation of multifunctional land use. The results show that: (1) The spatial distribution of land function was subjected to the natural influencing factors on a variety of patterns. (2) Contrasting patterns were found in the spatial distribution of land multifunctionality, in terms of the total volume and structure. There was also a low level of structural synergy among land functions within the county. In terms of the total volume, the multi-functionality of land exhibited an overall spatial distribution pattern of “low in the center and gradually increasing towards the north and south”. In structural features, the multi-functionality of land was characterized by the spatial distribution pattern of “high in the center, gradually decreasing towards the north and south”. (3) The land multifunctional trade-offs/synergy at the village scale revealed that the trade-offs/synergy were observed only in the ecological function and raw material supply function among the 15 two-by-two combinations of six functions. While the rest combinations were synergistic, including the landscape and supporting function, the production and supporting function, as well as the historical record and supporting function. The more pronounced synergistic relationships were also found in the production and historical record function, the historical record and supporting function, the production and landscape function, as well as the five combinations of them. Furthermore, the synergistic relationships were observed in the landscape and supporting function, as well as the historical record and supporting function across the majority of the county, the values were equated to 52.47% and 52.61% of the total area, respectively. The findings can provide a strong reference for the land resource utilization and management strategies in Fuping County. Furthermore, further improvement can be applied to the land multifunctional and resource management, such as the optimal regulation of national land space.