Suitability evaluation of reserve resources of cultivated land development in Beijing

Suitability evaluation of reserve resources of cultivated land provides a scientific basis for reasonable exploitation and utilization of unused lands. Taking the whole unused land in Beijing as the evaluating object and based on physical, socioeconomic and graphic data, the evaluation systems for reserve resources of cultivated land development were established form the perspectives of physical suitability, ecological security and constraint factors. On the support of spatial analysis function in GIS software, area and spatial distribution of reserve resources of cultivated land development suitability under different conditions were evaluated, and the economic viability of reserve resources of cultivated land development was probed. The results indicated that the total area of reserve resources of cultivated land that could be developed was 11 675.25 hm2, form the physical suitability perspective. However, it would reduce to 11 221.14 hm2, if ecological security factors were considered. Furthermore if economic feasibility factors were taken into account, there would be no reserve resources of cultivated land that could be developed in Beijing. The combination of constraint factors with integrated evaluating framework can effectively improve the rationality of evaluation results, which also can provide a reference for the policy making of land development and consolidation in Beijing.