ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Coupling Coordination Analysis of Multifunctional Land Use: A Case Study of Fujian Province, China
,
 
 
 
 
More details
Hide details
1
School of Public Administration and Law, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
 
 
Submission date: 2025-06-03
 
 
Final revision date: 2025-07-17
 
 
Acceptance date: 2025-08-03
 
 
Online publication date: 2025-11-29
 
 
Corresponding author
Jiaxian Xu   

School of Public Administration and Law, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
 
 
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Coordination of land production, living, and ecological (PLE) functions is crucial for regional sustainable development. Taking county-level areas in Fujian Province as the research units, this study comprehensively evaluated regional PLE functions across three dimensions: production, living, and ecological functions. The entropy method and a coupling coordination degree model were employed to measure the level of PLE functions’ coupling coordination, and a geographically weighted random forest model was used to investigate influencing factors. The results indicate that: (1) Spatially, county-level PLE functions in Fujian Province exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity from 2014 to 2022. Overall, the production function showed a decreasing trend, while the living and ecological functions showed increasing trends. The spatial distribution displayed a pattern of “higher values in the southeast and lower values in the northwest”. (2) Regarding the degree of coupling coordination, the multifunctional coupling coordination level of land use in Fujian Province improved significantly, though it remained at an elementary coordinated stage. (3) In terms of influencing mechanisms, natural geographical conditions and socio-economic characteristics jointly drove the coordination of PLE functions within the region. This study provides a deeper understanding of the spatiotemporal changes in land PLE functions in Fujian Province and offers references for optimizing land-use allocation and promoting sustainable development.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
REFERENCES (70)
1.
STÜRCK J., VERBURG P.H. Multifunctionality at what scale? A landscape multifunctionality assessment for the European Union under conditions of land use change. Landscape Ecology, 32, 481, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980....
 
2.
GROOT R.S.D., WILSON M.A., BOUMANS R.M.J. A typology for the classification, description and valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and services. Ecological Economics, 41 (3), 393, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-....
 
3.
AUBRY C., RAMAMONJISOA J., DABAT M.H., RAKOTOARISOA J., RAKOTONDRAIBE J., RABEHARISOA L. Urban agriculture and land use in cities: An approach with the multi-functionality and sustainability concepts in the case of Antananarivo (Madagascar). Land Use Policy, 29 (2), 429, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
 
4.
LONG H.L., MA L., ZHANG Y.N., QU L.L. Multifunctional rural development in China: pattern, process and mechanism. Habitat International, 121, 102530, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habi....
 
5.
WIGGERING H., DALCHOW C., GLEMNITZ M., HELMING K., MÜLLER K., SCHULTZ A., STACHOW U., ZANDER P. Indicators for multifunctional land use-Linking socio-economic requirements with landscape potentials. Ecological Indicators, 6 (1), 238, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
 
6.
GONG J., LIU D.Q., ZHANG J.X., XIE Y.C., GAO E.J., LI H.Y. Tradeoffs/synergies of multiple ecosystem services based on land use simulation in a mountain-basin area, western China. Ecological Indicators, 99, 283, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
 
7.
ZHANG Y.N., LONG H.L., TU S.S., GE D.Z., MA L., WANG L.Z. Spatial identification of land use functions and their tradeoffs/synergies in China: Implications for sustainable land management. Ecological Indicators, 107, 105550, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
 
8.
LIN G., JIANG D., FU J.Y., CAO C.L., ZHANG D.W. Spatial conflict of production-living-ecological space and sustainable-development scenario simulation in Yangtze River Delta agglomerations. Sustainability, 12 (6), 2175, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1206....
 
9.
ZHANG Z., LI J.M. Spatial suitability and multi-scenarios for land use: Simulation and policy insights from the production-living-ecological perspective. Land Use Policy, 119, 106219, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
 
10.
NOWACK W., SCHMID J.C., GRETHE H. Social dimensions of multifunctional agriculture in Europe - towards an interdisciplinary framework. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 20 (5), 758, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/147359....
 
11.
TANG Y., CHENG Y.P., GAO S., WANG X.Z. Study on the measurement and prediction of the ecological structure for water efficiency in China: from the perspective of "production-living-ecological" function. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668....
 
12.
WANG D., JIANG D.J., FU J.Y., LIN G., ZHANG J.L. Comprehensive assessment of production-living-ecological space based on the coupling coordination degree model. Sustainability, 12 (5), 2009, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1205....
 
13.
DENG Y.X., YANG R. Influence mechanism of production-living-ecological space changes in the urbanization process of Guangdong Province, China. Land, 10 (12), 1357, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10....
 
14.
ABDULLAHI S., PRADHAN B., MANSOR S., SHARIFF A.R.M. GIS-based modeling for the spatial measurement and evaluation of mixed land use development for a compact city. GIScience & Remote Sensing, 52 (1), 18, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1080/154816....
 
15.
FU J.Y., BU Z.Q., JIANG D., LIN G., LI X. Sustainable land use diagnosis based on the perspective of production-living-ecological spaces in China. Land Use Policy, 122, 106386, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
 
16.
HUANG J., XUE D.Q., DONG C.Y., WANG C.S., ZHANG C., MA B.B., SONG Y.Y. Eco-environmental effects and spatial differentiation mechanism of land use transition in agricultural areas of arid oasis: A perspective based on the dominant function of production-living-ecological spaces. Progress in Geography, 41 (11), 2044, 2022 [In Chinese]. https://doi.org/10.18306/dlkxj....
 
17.
ZONG W.W., CHENG L., XIA N., JIANG P.H., WEI X.Y., ZHANG F.L., JIN B.X., ZHOU J.S., LI M.C. New technical framework for assessing the spatial pattern of land development in Yunnan Province, China: A "production-life-ecology" perspective. Habitat International, 80, 28, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habi....
 
18.
LIAO G.T., HE P., GAO X.S., DENG L.J., ZHANG H., FENG N.N., ZHOU W., DENG O.P. The production-living-ecological land classification system and its characteristics in the hilly area of Sichuan province, southwest China based on identification of the main functions. Sustainability, 11 (6), 1600, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1106....
 
19.
WEI C., LIN Q.W., YU L., ZHANG H.W., YE S., ZHANG D. Research on sustainable land use based on production-living-ecological function: a case study of Hubei province, China. Sustainability, 13 (2), 996, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1302....
 
20.
DING L., ZHAO W.T., HUANG Y.L., CHENG S.G., LIU C. Research on the coupling coordination relationship between urbanization and the air environment: a case study of the area of Wuhan. Atmosphere, 6 (10), 1539, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos6....
 
21.
ZHU X.Y., GAO J.L. Characteristics and influencing mechanisms of production-living-ecological space dynamics in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA), Chongqing, China. Regional Sustainability, 5 (2), 100139, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regs....
 
22.
LI P.X., GAO J.L., CHEN J.L. Quantitative assessment of ecological stress of construction lands by quantity and location: case study in Southern Jiangsu, Eastern China. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 22, 1559, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668....
 
23.
LIU Y.S., ZHOU Y. Reflections on China's food security and land use policy under rapid urbanization. Land Use Policy, 109, 105699, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
 
24.
ZOU L.L., LIU Y.S., WANG J.Y., YANG Y.Y., WANG Y.S. Land use conflict identification and sustainable development scenario simulation on China's southeast coast. Journal of Cleaner Production, 238, 117899, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
 
25.
MA W.Q., JIANG G.H., CHEN Y.H., QU Y.B., ZHOU T., LI W.Q. How feasible is regional integration for reconciling land use conflicts across the urban-rural interface? Evidence from Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan region in China. Land Use Policy, 92, 104433, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
 
26.
FU J.Y., GAO Q., JIANG D., LI X., LIN G. Spatial-temporal distribution of global production-living-ecological space during the period 2000-2020. Scientific Data, 10, 589, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597....
 
27.
ONDETTI G. The social function of property, land rights and social welfare in Brazil. Land Use Policy, 50, 29, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.land....
 
28.
FAN Y.T., JIN X.B., GAN L., JESSUP L.H., PIJANOWSKI B.C., YANG X.H., XIANG X.M., ZHOU Y.K. Spatial identification and dynamic analysis of land use functions reveals distinct zones of multiple functions in eastern China. Science of The Total Environment, 642, 33, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scit....
 
29.
TIAN C. Decoupling Characteristics between Coupling Coordination degree of production-living-ecological function and carbon emissions in the urban agglomeration of the Shandong Peninsula. Land, 13 (7), 996, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13....
 
30.
HOU Y.Z., ZHANG Z.L., WANG Y.R., SUN H.H., XU C. Function Evaluation and Coordination Analysis of Production-Living-Ecological Space Based on the Perspective of Type-Intensity-Connection: A Case Study of Suzhou, China. Land, 11 (11), 1954, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11....
 
31.
XIAO J.Y., DAI J.J., CHEN L.Q., SONG Y. The identification of land use conflicts and policy implications for Donghai county based on the "production-living-ecological" functions. Land, 13 (12), 2013, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13....
 
32.
DU H.W., WANG Z.Q., LI H.Y., ZHANG C. Analysis of spatial and temporal pattern evolution and decoupling relationships of land use functions based on ecological protection and high-quality development: a case study of the Yellow River basin, China. Land, 13 (6), 862, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13....
 
33.
YANG X., ZHOU X.H., SHANG G.Y., ZHANG A.L. An evaluation on farmland ecological service in Jianghan Plain, China --from farmers' heterogeneous preference perspective. Ecological Indicators, 136, 108665, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
 
34.
LIANG Y., CHAI D., ZHOU X.P., NING Y.H. Potential conflict diagnosis, simulation optimization and coordination of production-living-ecological space in gully areas of the Loess Plateau, China. Environmental Development, 52, 101099, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envd....
 
35.
MA L., JIN F.J., SONG Z.Y., LIU Y. Spatial coupling analysis of regional economic development and environmental pollution in China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 23, 525, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442....
 
36.
YANG D.R., YANG Q., TONG Z.J., DU W.L., ZHANG J.Q. Coupling coordination analysis of production, living, and ecological spaces in wetlands: A case study of Xianghai Wetland nature reserve, China. Ecological Indicators, 158, 111578, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
 
37.
LIANG H.Y., LI J., YIN S.Q., FENG L., SHAO J.H., LI S.C. Spatial-temporal evolution and influencing factors analysis of coupling coordination of "production-living-ecological" functions in central-southern Liaoning and Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration. Journal of China Agricultural University, 28 (09), 218, 2023 [In Chinese].
 
38.
ZHANG L.L., ZHENG X.Q., MENG C., ZHANG P.T. Spatio-temporal difference of coupling coordination degree of land use functions in Hunan Province. China Land Science, 33 (03), 85, 2019 [In Chinese].
 
39.
CHEN W.Y., ZHAO R.F. Spatial-temporal evolution of land use and its influencing factors from the perspective of production-living-ecological function in Gansu Province. Journal of Gansu Agricultural University, 59 (02), 262, 2024 [In Chinese].
 
40.
YU S.H., DENG W., XU Y.X., ZHANG X., XIANG H.L. Evaluation of the production-living-ecology space function suitability of Pingshan County in the Taihang mountainous area, China. Journal of Mountain Science, 17, 2562, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629....
 
41.
LI W.M., CAI Z.Y., JIN L.S. Spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of the coupling coordinated development of production-living-ecology system in China. Ecological Indicators, 145, 109738, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
 
42.
An extended time-series (2000-2024) of global NPP-VIIRS-like nighttime light data. Available online: https://dataverse.harvard.edu/... (accessed on 17 July 2025).
 
43.
WEI L.Y., ZHANG Y.J., WANG L.Z., MI X.Y., WU X.Y., CHENG Z.L. Spatiotemporal evolution patterns of "production-living-ecological" spaces and the coordination level and optimization of the functions in Jilin Province. Sustainability, 13 (23), 13192, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1323....
 
44.
NI W.Q., XIA Y., ZHAO N.N. Functional evolution and coupling coordination measurement of production-living-ecological space in rural areas: taking Heilongjiang Province as an example. China Land Science, 36 (09), 111, 2022 [In Chinese].
 
45.
XIE X.T., LI X.S., FAN H.P., HE W.K. Spatial analysis of production-living-ecological functions and zoning method under symbiosis theory of Henan, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 69093, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356....
 
46.
LIU X.B., WANG Y.K., LI M., LIU Q., ZHANG Y.X., ZHU Y.Y. Analysis on coupling coordination degree between livelihood strategy for peasant households and "production, living and ecological" functions of lands in typical mountainous areas, China. Mountain Research, 38 (04), 596, 2020 [In Chinese].
 
47.
ZHOU T., WANG J. Classifying and regulation pathway of rural "production-living-ecology" regional area in the Center Plains Urban Agglomeration. Geographical Science, 43 (07), 1227, 2023.
 
48.
YIN J.F., SONG C.Q., SHI P.J., GAO P.C., ZHANG X.B., FENG H.Y. Spatial and temporal transition characteristics and influencing factors of "production-living-ecological" functions of rural areas at county level in Gansu province from the perspective of coupling. Geographical Research, 43 (04), 874, 2024.
 
49.
LIU J.X., ZHANG L., LIU G.G., ZHANG Z.Z. Analysis of the Trade-off Pattern and Influencing Factors Among Production-Living-Ecological Functions of Territorial Space in Hubei Province. Research of Soil and Water Conservation, 31 (02), 354, 2024 [In Chinese].
 
50.
ZOU L.L., LIU Y.S., YANG J.X., YANG S.F., WANG Y.S., CAO Z., HU X.D. Quantitative identification and spatial analysis of land use ecological-production-living functions in rural areas on China's southeast coast. Habitat International, 100, 102182, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habi....
 
51.
XIE X.T., LI X.S. Spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of "production-living-ecological" functions in Henan Province, China. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 37 (22), 243, 2021 [In Chinese].
 
52.
LU C.P., JI W., LIU Z.L., MAO J.H., LI J.Z., XUE B. Spatial-temporal pattern and influencing factors of the "production-living ecological" functional space of the Yellow River Basin at county level in Gansu, China. Geographical Science, 42 (04), 579, 2022.
 
53.
LIANG C., LI J.P., LI J.J. The evaluation of the quality of rural human settlements and its coordination with regional economy in China based on the production-living-ecological theory. Chinese Journal of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, 42 (10), 19, 2021 [In Chinese].
 
54.
HUANG M., WEN N., LI Y.T., LUO Z.Y., LIU H.P., ZEN Q. Productional-living-ecological space carbon emissions analysis and strategic simulation in Hunan Province under target of carbon neutrality. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 44 (05), 382, 2024 [In Chinese].
 
55.
WANG C., TANG N. Spatio-temporal characteristics and evolution of rural production-living-ecological space function coupling coordination in Chongqing Municipality. Geographical Research, 37 (6), 1100, 2018.
 
56.
ZHOU D., XU J.C., LIN Z.L. Conflict or coordination? Assessing land use multi-functionalization using production-living-ecology analysis. Science of The Total Environment, 577, 136, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scit....
 
57.
PANG L., ZHOU X., WEI L.G. Function Evaluation and Coupling Coordination Analysis of Land Space "Productive-Living-Ecological" in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region During 2009-2018. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 41 (01), 237, 2021 [In Chinese].
 
58.
ZHAO H.B., GU T.S., SUN D.Q., MIAO C.H. Dynamic evolution and influencing mechanism of urban human settlements in the Yellow River Basin from the perspective of "production-living-ecological" function. Acta Geographica Sinica, 78 (12), 2973, 2023 [In Chinese].
 
59.
ZOU Y.F., RAO Y.F., LUO Y.T., GU X.X., LI X.R., LYU C.H. Spatial layout optimization of rural settlements based on production-living-ecological functions and coordination. Resources Science, 44 (11), 2260, 2022 [In Chinese]. https://doi.org/10.18402/resci....
 
60.
ZHANG L.S., HA M.J., MA C.Q. Evolution characteristics of production-living-ecological function in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration at the county level. Economic Geography, 42 (04), 82, 2022 [In Chinese].
 
61.
BELLIN A., MAJONE B., OSCAR C., ALBERICI D., VILLA F. A continuous coupled hydrological and water resources management model. Environmental Modelling & Software, 75, 176, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envs....
 
62.
YANG Y.Y., BAO W.K., LIU Y.S. Coupling coordination analysis of rural production-living-ecological space in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Ecological Indicators, 117, 106512, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol....
 
63.
ZHANG Y., WU K.N., LI X.L., KANG L., MENG J.L. Study on spatial-temporal differentiation and coupling coordination degree of multi-functionality of county land use in Hebei Province. Chinese Journal of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, 45 (08), 150, 2024 [In Chinese].
 
64.
LU F.F., ZHANG G.F., WANG T.H., YE Y.M., ZHAO Q.H. Geographically weighted random forest based on spatial factor optimization for the assessment of landslide susceptibility. Remote Sensing, 17 (9), 1608, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs1709....
 
65.
GEORGANOS S., GRIPPA T., GADIAGA A.N., LINARD M., LENNERT M., VANHUYSSE S., MBOGA N., WOLFF E., KALOGIROU S. Geographical random forests: a spatial extension of the random forest algorithm to address spatial heterogeneity in remote sensing and population modelling. Geocarto International, 36 (2), 121, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/101060....
 
66.
ZHU C.M., DONG B.Y., LI S.N., LIN Y., AMIRREZA S., YOU S.X., ZHANG J., GAN M.Y., YANG L.X., WANG K. Identifying the trade-offs and synergies among land use functions and their influencing factors from a geospatial perspective: A case study in Hangzhou, China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 314, 128026, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle....
 
67.
FAN Y.T., JIN X.B., GAN L., JESSUP L.H., PIJANOWSKI B.C., LIN J.H., YANG Q.K., LYU L. Dynamics of spatial associations among multiple land use functions and their driving mechanisms: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta region, China. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 97, 106858, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar....
 
68.
GAO J.Z., AN T.T., ZHANG H.F., ZHANG K.C., SHEN J.W., HE G.S., YANG X., ZHAO R., TIAN S.Z. The evaluation method of the marine spatial suitability for islands from the perspective of sustainable development: a case study of the Pingtan Islands. Sustainability, 15 (11), 8996, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1511....
 
69.
LIN L.X., QIU H.L. The changes and driving factors of coastal areas land use in time and space: a case study in Fujian Province, southeast China. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 31 (3), 2695, 2022. https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes....
 
70.
WANG K., TANG Y.K., CHEN Y.Z., SHANG L.W., JI X.M., YAO M.C., WANG P. The coupling and coordinated development from urban land using benefits and urbanization level: case study from Fujian Province (China). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (16), 5647, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph....
 
eISSN:2083-5906
ISSN:1230-1485
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top