Study on the Coupling Relationship between Relocation for Poverty Alleviation and Spatiotemporal Evolution of Rocky Desertification in Karst Areas of Southwest China

The implementation of China’s ex situ poverty alleviation and relocation project has alleviated the further deterioration ecological environment in area. It can create favorable conditions for management problems such as natural restoration rocky desertification soil erosion. Panzhou City, Guizhou Province, is one key areas projects 13th Five-Year Plan National Economic Social Development. typical problem karst an important factor hindering sustainable development local society, economy, ecology. Based on five-phase remote sensing images relocated population data, dynamic change rate, transition matrix, coupling coordination degree model are utilized to analyze spatiotemporal changes City. Meanwhile, cellular automata (CA) Markov used simulate its future scenarios desertification. results show that (i) over past 20 years, vegetation coverage generally increased. significantly promoted reduction area After (2015–2020), positive improvement rate accelerated. (ii) relocation, potential (PRD), light (LRD), medium (MRD), severe (SRD), extreme (ESRD) showed a trend no (NRD). effect remarkable, main contribution from PRD LRD. (iii) greater intensity is, more obvious higher corresponding level is. between LRD highest. (iiii) forecast by 2025 2035, will continue improve.