Rapid land-use change has taken place in many arid regions of China such as Yulin prefecture over the last decade due to rehabilitation measures. Land-use change and soil erosion dynamics were investigated by the combined use of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). The objectives were to determine land-use transition rates and soil erosion change in Yulin prefecture over 15 years from 1986 to 2000. Significant changes in land-use and soil erosion occurred in the area over the study period. The results show the significant decrease in barren land mainly due to conversion to grassland. Agricultural land increased associated with conversions from grassland and barren land. The area of water erosion and wind erosion declined. The study demonstrates that the integration of satellite remote sensing and GIS is an effective approach for analyzing the direction, rate, and spatial pattern of land-use and soil erosion change.
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