Abstract: With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization, rural land-use conflict has become more frequent. It is of great significance to rural development to analyze the forms of land-use conflict and assess its intensity in different rural areas. This paper presents the studies in the distinctive rural areas of Yanling County from 1990 to 2010. Using correlation analysis and principal component analysis, among the 32 driving factors in the categories of population, social economy and agriculture intensification that cause the changes of arable land-use in Yanling County, 6 major factors are identified. Based on the studies of structural changes of land-use as well as municipal policies and regulations and their effects on the social and ecological environment, an indicator system is established, and the intensity of the land-use conflict is evaluated by using Pressure-State-Response Index of Land-use (ILU). The results show that the pressure on land-use is increasing on yearly basis, the state is deteriorating, and the response is gradually strengthened. Overall, the intensity of land-use conflict in Yanling County has increased from 1990 to 2010. The three major causes for the intensified land-use conflict are as follows: (1) economic development and changes of economic structures. Increase of farmers’income brings changes to way of life and means of work, which in turn affects the composition of workforce and the choice of occupation, and then changes land-use and causes dramatic changes to the industrial structures of Yanling County, leading to intensified conflicts between arable land and construction land, and between arable land and forest land. (2) Changes of agricultural activities. The industrialization of flower and livestock business provides more economic benefits to rural households, constantly drives changes and adjustments in the structure of agricultural activities, and causes land-use conflicts. However, obviously the small business of family-owned contract service conflicts the large-scale operation required by modern agriculture. (3) Influences of the development in science and technology and the government policies, etc. Government policies serve to attenuate the land-use conflicts to some extent. From the conflict management perspective, we propose that government can regulate land-use by utilizing the self-adjustment mechanism of the market and reinforcing the policies on planning. Land-use conflict can be prevented or minimized by improving the effectiveness of land-use through multipurpose planning and balancing, and by standardizing the better ways to use the land.

Key words: distinctive rural areas, land-use, land-use conflicts, Yanling County in Henan Province