Potential Land Use Conflict Identification Based on Improved Multi-Objective Suitability Evaluation

Accurately identifying potential land use conflicts (LUCs) is critical for alleviating the ever-intensifying contradictions between humans and nature. The previous studies using the method of suitability analysis did not take full advantage of the current land use and multi-function characteristics of land resources. In this study, an improved model of suitability analysis was realized. In order to explore the LUCs status, including the types, intensity and distribution, a multi-objective suitability evaluation model was constructed from the perspective of production-living-ecological functions. And it was applied to Hengkou District, a typical region of the Qin-Ba mountainous area in the central part of China. The results show that the suitability distribution of living- production-ecological functions vary widely from the center to the periphery with altitude in Hengkou District; 22.03% of the land is at a risk of land use conflict. Among them, the high potential conflict areas account for 55.32%, and the conflicts between production and ecological lands (L2P1E1, L3P1E1) are the largest, which are located at the fringe of the central urban and ecologically dominant area. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt effective strategies to achieve a balance between the differential demands of land use. This research could better reflect the true situation of land use in ecologically sensitive mountainous areas and would provide theoretical and methodological support for the identification and prevention of potential LUCs.