Land reclamation process in northeast China since 1900

Abstract

Northeast China is an important agricultural region in China. The Northeast Plain is the largest plain in the country and one of the three famous black soil zones in the world. Despite of fertility of the soil, however, large-scale agricultural development mainly took place since 1900. The land exploitation and utilization has been fast and intensive in this region since then and change in the land-cover process has been remarkable. Both national and international researchers on land use and land cover are paying more attention to these processes in this region and their implication for local ecological environment. This article discusses the land reclamation processes and their main driving forces in Northeast China since 1900. According to the research, the 20th century was the most important period for land reclamation in Northeast China. In these years the rate, intensity and quantity of land reclamation have been staggering, and more than 100 000km² of land was converted into farmland. This magnitude of land reclamation inland is unique in the world. Research on the land reclamation of Northeast China can provide some data on the effect of human activity on environment. As in many other places in the world, the primary driving force of reclamation in Northeast China was the increasing pressure of population. In the 20th century the population increased from 10×10⁶ to 110×10⁶ in Northeast China and from 400×10⁶ to 1.3×10⁹ in China. Population pressure is thus the most important driving force for land reclamation.