An Adjusted Landscape Ecological Security of Cultivated Land Evaluation Method Based on the Interaction between Cultivated Land and Surrounding Land Types

Abstract

Because the relationship between cultivated land and the surrounding land types is not taken into account, there existed a deviation in the assessment of cultivated landscape ecological security. A novel methodology assessing the cultivated landscape ecological security is presented in this study, in the grid scale adjusted cultivated landscape ecological security index by the cultivated land disturbance index and the surrounding environment index. This method was applied in Xintai City, Shandong Province. The results demonstrate that (1) between 1985 and 2015, there was a constant loss of 173.2 km2 cultivated land, the bulk of which was converted to building land, primarily on the outskirts of cities. (2) The landscape ecological security of cultivated land has decreased; the bulk of high-risk grids are located in central metropolitan areas and mining districts, and have a tendency to spread out over time. (3) We applied a three–dimensional model to generate a spatial combination of cultivated land and presented zoning suggestions for regional cultivated land use and management. This assessment technique reduces errors that may occur when relying solely on landscape features for cultivated ecological security evaluation. The evaluation’s results more accurately reflect the impact of human activity and urban growth, are more consistent with local features, and have a higher quality of reference value.