Quantifying the Spatio-Temporal Dynamics and Coupling Coordination of PLE Spaces in Heilongjiang's Grain Belt: A Grid-Based Geospatial Analysis

Sijia Ge^1,2Yanji Ma^1,2*

• ¹Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China
• ²University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

China’s major grain-producing areas are facing increasingly prominent tensions between grain security and ecological protection. A systematic understanding of the evolution and coordination mechanisms of “production–living–ecological” (PLE) spaces is essential for promoting efficient land allocation and regional sustainable development. This study takes Heilongjiang Province—a representative major grain-producing area—as a case study. Based on land-use data from 2000, 2010, and 2020, a functional classification-evaluation system for PLE spaces was constructed. Spatial analysis, land use transfer matrices, coupling coordination models, and center of gravity migration methods were employed to assess functional evolution and spatial synergy. The results show that:(1) Production space in the Songnen and Sanjiang plains expanded significantly, primarily through the conversion of ecological space;(2) The spatial agglomeration of production space slightly declined (Moran’s I decreased from 0.7567 to 0.7508);(3) Overall coupling coordination steadily improved, though “production–living” integration remained weak in rural areas;(4) The coupling coordination center of gravity showed a “northward-then-southward” shift, reflecting a transition from ecological to agricultural spatial dominance.This research makes three significant advances:First, by integrating spatiotemporal dynamics with spatial coupling analysis, we systematically decode the functional transition logic and trade-off mechanisms governing PLES in grain-producing regions.Second, our empirical framework substantiates China’s "Big Food Vision" policy—a transformative paradigm that transcends traditional "food-as-grain" constraints by diversifying food sources across forests, grasslands, and aquatic systems within integrated territorial spaces, while harmonizing ecological conservation with sustainable land use.Third, results demonstrate marked regional differentiation in PLES evolution: while agricultural cores exhibit relatively high coordination, synergistic articulation between production and living functions remains suboptimal, necessitating targeted spatial governance interventions.