Diversity evolution pattern of rural settlements and its driving mechanism transition: A case study in Southwest China's karst mountains

Abstract

Current evolution patterns and driving mechanisms of rural settlements (RS) in China's Southwest karst mountainous areas are undergoing significant changes. However, existing literature predominantly focuses on their spatial distribution, with a notable lack of long-term studies examining the evolution and responses of RS types to rural transformation. This paper constructs a theoretical framework for the transition and evolution of RS diversity in these karst regions. Using Huajiang Canyon in Guizhou Province as a representative case study, this analysis reveals the patterns and driving mechanisms of RS evolution between 1969 and 2023. The findings indicate that: (1) RS's area in Huajiang Canyon exhibits an overall upward trend, with RS on depression experiencing more pronounced growth than RS's slower expansion on slopeland. (2) The primary driver of settlement evolution and spatial reconfiguration has shifted from a historical focus on proximity to cultivated land towards a contemporary emphasis on quality of life. (3) The study area displays diverse human-land relationships and livelihood strategies, consequently leading to varied RS evolutionary paths characterized by expansion, decline, and abandonment. (4) From the perspective of synergistic development within the “human-settlement -ecology” system, this paper proposes optimization strategies for different evolving RS types in the study area. These results provide valuable insights for RS transformation, restructuring, and rural revitalization initiatives, both in the karst mountainous regions of Southwest China and in mountainous areas of developing countries globally.