Health risk zoning and governance of cultivated land based on health gain–loss assessment of cultivated land requisition and compensation and ecological vulnerability evaluation

Abstract

The Cultivated Land Requisition–Compensation Balance Policy (CLRCBP) is a critical initiative in China's cultivated land protection practices, wherein cultivated land health is a comprehensive indicator to assess the policy's effectiveness. In this study, a cultivated land health evaluation system was developed based on the vitality–organization–resilience framework from the perspective of productivity and sustainability. The health gain–loss (HGL) of cultivated land requisition and compensation in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region from 2000 to 2020 was quantitatively assessed. The ecological vulnerability of the region was assessed using the sensitivity–recovery–pressure model and spatial principal component analysis. Results revealed systematic implementation biases in the land requisition and compensation practices in the PRD region such as more requisition, less compensation; near requisition, distant compensation; prime requisition, inferior compensation; sustainable requisition; and unsustainable compensation. From 2000 to 2020, the average cultivated land health level fluctuated but marginally increased, whereas the health balance between requisitioned and compensated lands transitioned from deterioration to gradual improvement. The spatial heterogeneity in ecological vulnerability increased and 28.80 % of cultivated lands were located in high or relatively high vulnerability zones in 2020, indicating that a portion of cultivated land remained at high health risk. By integrating spatial ecological vulnerability assessments with HGL patterns, cultivated lands were classified into four distinct health risk categories to devise informed targeted management strategies. An adaptive governance framework was proposed for the CLRCBP that aligns with rapid urbanization dynamics and the functional transition requirements of contemporary cultivated land systems.