Long-Term Evolution of Land Use and Landscape Patterns and Their Driving Mechanisms in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

As a major economic corridor and ecological barrier in China, the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) has experienced substantial land-use changes that have significantly influenced regional landscape patterns and sustainability. However, the long-term evolution of landscape patterns and their driving mechanisms remain insufficiently understood, particularly considering the spatial heterogeneity among different regions. Based on land-use datasets from 1993 to 2023, this study integrated land-use transfer analysis, grid-based landscape metrics, and the Geodetector model to examine the spatiotemporal evolution of landscape patterns and their driving factors across the YREB. The results showed that cultivated land decreased from 34.63% to 32.78%, forest land increased from 51.51% to 52.36%, and built-up land expanded from 1.36% to 3.61%. Rapid urban expansion was the primary driver of landscape pattern change, leading to increased fragmentation and landscape complexity. Significant regional differences were observed, with relatively stable landscape structures in the upper reaches, transitional changes in the middle reaches, and intensive landscape reorganization in the lower reaches. Both natural and socioeconomic factors influenced landscape evolution, while their interactions generally exerted stronger explanatory power than individual factors. These findings provide valuable support for ecological conservation, land-use optimization, and territorial spatial planning in the YREB.