Changes in land use of the ecotone between agriculture and animal husbandry in north China-a case study of Village Yaoledianzi in Inner Mongolia

With Village Yaoledianzi,an ecological demonstration village in the ecotone between agriculture and animal husbandry in north China as an example,the land use history from 1950 to 1999 has been reconstructed on the basis of PRA,GPS and field measurement.The characteristics of the changes in land use has also been analyzed by spatial overlay in GIS.Factor analysis and stepwise regression are used to probe into effects of human activities on land use.It is found that before 1985 cultivated land and sand land expanded both at the cost of grassland;land use turned in reverse and to be more logical after 1985.