Urban-rural disparities in the ecological impact of built-up land expansion: A comprehensive assessment from China

There is still a lack of systematic understanding on whether urban or rural settlement expansion has a greater impact on habitat quality. Here, we assessed the urban-rural disparities in the impact of built-up land expansion on habitat quality in China for the periods 2000–2020 and 2020–2050, using high-resolution land-use data and the PLUS-InVEST models. Our findings reveal that over the past two decades, built-up land expansion had significantly degraded habitat quality, and rural settlement expansion had a substantially greater negative impact on habitat quality compared to urban growth, particularly in areas with high rural population densities. The difference in impact is mainly attributed to the lack of unified planning in rural development, while urban follows strict, intensive, and green planning, with increasing emphasis on mitigating human activities’ impact on the eco-environment. Further projections indicate that the expansion rate of built-up land in China would slow down over the next 30 years, leading to a reduced impact on habitat quality. This study highlights the critical need for targeted policy measures to mitigate the ecological risks associated with rural expansion and provides valuable insights for more effective land-use planning and ecological conservation strategies. Our findings provide critical insights for optimizing land use strategies in China and offers a valuable framework for other developing countries. Rural residential expansion causes greater habitat loss than urbanization. Urban and rural built-up land expansion have distinct ecological impacts. High-resolution modeling reveals 50 years of habitat quality changes. Urban planning mitigates ecological harm, but rural expansion remains unchecked. Targeted policies are needed to control rural land sprawl and protect biodiversity.