Original article
YIN Li, WEI Wei, LI Hongrui, ZHANG Ke, LIU Liyang, BO Liming
A scientific understanding of the spatial pattern change and formation mechanisms of Africa's territorial functions is crucial for fundamental research on Africa's land resources. It also aligns with China's Going Global strategy and supports the development of a China-Africa community with a shared future. Using China's territorial dominant functions of urbanization, food security, and ecological security as spatial reference benchmarks, this study classified Africa's territorial space into three major functional areas: urban-rural construction, agricultural production, and ecological protection. By applying spatiotemporal cubes, spatial transformation intensity models, and interpretable machine learning, this research analyzed the spatial evolution characteristics and regional disparities of Africa's territorial functions from 2002 to 2022. Furthermore, the study examined the mechanisms behind these changes by exploring the importance and interaction strengths of key driving factors. The results indicate that: 1) Over the study period, approximately 3.97% of Africa's territorial functional spaces had undergone structural transformation. Urban-rural construction space had expanded significantly by 9.71%, while the per capita scale of construction land had decreased by 33.78%, highlighting an increasing imbalance between population and available land. Agricultural production space had shown a fluctuating decline, with a distinct zone of drastic change forming along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, while the internal structure of ecological protection space had significantly changed, albeit in an optimizing trend overall. 2) A clear high-dynamic transformation zone had emerged between 5°N and 15°N, where the dynamic mutual transformation between agricultural production and ecological protection spaces was most pronounced. Despite ongoing desert greening efforts, significant land degradation persisted, leading to the expansion-related structural transformations of urban-rural construction space being less prominent on a continental scale. 3) Socioeconomic development and population growth had limited effects on the structural changes of Africa's territorial functional spaces at a continental scale. Instead, variations in hydrological conditions such as atmospheric vapor pressure, temperature, and precipitation, as well as geographical factors like latitude and topographic relief, played a decisive role. Africa's territorial functional space patterns are determined by spatial transformation processes with varying scales, intensities, and driving mechanisms. Future Chinese investments and spatial development strategies in Africa must not only take into account Africa's own unique spatial evolution processes and the underlying patterns that drive these transformations, but also incorporate a thorough understanding of the continent's diverse geographical and socioeconomic contexts. It is crucial to fully leverage the spatial differentiation characteristics, including regional disparities in land use, ecological zones, and development potentials, as well as the emerging trends of its territorial functional spaces. By doing so, these strategies can maximize the comprehensive spatial benefits, fostering sustainable development outcomes that align with both African realities and Chinese strategic objectives in the region, ultimately fostering a mutually beneficial partnership.