Mapping and evaluating cultivated land fallow in Southwest China using multisource data

Accurately and effectively mapping and evaluating cultivated land fallow has already become an important issue that has received much attention in China. However, systematically analysing regional cultivated land fallow remains inadequate because current studies have mainly focused on quantifying cultivated land fallow using statistical data based on administrative units or a single aspect of cultivated land fallow using high or medium spatial resolution images at the local or regional scales. Against the existing shortcomings, this study first developed an integrated index of cultivated land fallow (ILF) for mapping and evaluating cultivated land fallow in Southwest China using multisource spatial data. The performance of the ILF was validated by comparing its results with Google Earth images and ecological carrying capacity of cultivated land (TEC). And the spatial distribution of cultivated land fallow in Southwest China was evaluated at the regional, provincial and metropolitan scales. The results revealed that the ILF provided a reliable evaluation of cultivated land fallow in Southwest China. Compared to the Google earth images, the pixel with the high ILF value was the cultivated land that was found to prioritize fallow. There was also a significant correlation between ILF and TEC at the prefectural level in Sichuan, with an R² value >0.65. In Southwest China, the cultivated land related to highly appropriate fallow (HAF) accounted for 5.73% of the total cultivated land in 2010. The cultivated land related to inappropriate fallow (IF) accounted for 53.26% and 37.36% in Sichuan and Chongqing but only comprised 22.90% and 19.72% in Yunnan and Guizhou, respectively. Special attention needs to be paid to Guiyang and Kunming, where the HAF made up 25.38% and 17.48% of their total cultivated land, respectively. Human activities have been found to already become the most important impact factors for cultivated land fallow in Southwest China. This study is especially valuable for providing a scientific basis for policy-making on viable cultivated land fallow policy in Southwest China.