Land use dynamics analysis in the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin

This study utilized land use remote sensing monitoring data of the Inner Mongolia Yellow River Basin for the years 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2023, along with ArcGIS Pro software (version 3.1) for spatial overlay analysis, zonal statistics, and raster calculation, to analyze regional land use patterns and their spatiotemporal changes and trends. The results indicate that: (1) Grassland is the core dominant land type, exhibiting minor fluctuations; cultivated land first increased and then decreased, influenced by the alternation of agricultural development and ecological policies; residential and industrial-mining land showed significant growth, with a 33.27% increase from 2020 to 2023, acting as the core driving factor; forest land rebounded after 2017; water bodies remained stable; and unused land decreased slowly. (2) The comprehensive dynamic degree showed a "fluctuating upward" trend, reaching 0.31% during 2020–2023; the dynamic degree of residential and industrial-mining land was 16.62% in 2020–2023, while that of cultivated land and grassland was lower, with periodic fluctuations. (3) The comprehensive land use index showed a trend of increase–decrease–reincrease. (4) From 2014 to 2017, there was a trend of grassland degradation and unused land expansion; from 2017 to 2020, ecological restoration effects were evident, and residential and industrial-mining land gradually contracted; from 2020 to 2023, residential and industrial-mining land showed an expansion trend, while grassland degradation and restoration offset each other.