Spatial–Temporal Characteristics of Illegal Land Use and Its Driving Factors in China from 2004 to 2017

The scientific analysis of spatial-temporal differentiation characteristics and driving factors of illegal land use is of great significance for the formulation and optimization of policies to control the emergence of illegal land use. This paper establishes two variable systems of illegal land use and its driving factors, defined the multidimensional characteristic variables of illegal land use and analyzes the relationships among them by the Pearson’s correlation coefficient; In addition, the spatial–temporal characteristics of each variable of illegal land use from 2004 to 2017 are described by the spatial autocorrelation analysis; Finally, based on the geographical detectors, the influence direction and degree of the factors of economic structure, social structure and land market behavior on the characteristics of different illegal land use are studied. The results show that the spatial agglomeration of different characteristics of illegal land use had been weakening from 2004 to 2017, but the rate of weakening was different, and L-L agglomeration changed between Xinjiang and other central-western provinces, H-H agglomeration changed in the coastal regions of the central-eastern of China, the level and ability of the central government and local governments to govern illegal land use is constantly improving on the whole; the compositional factors of economic development structure, social development structure, and land market behavior of driving factors had different influence in the degree, the location or the direction of different characteristics of illegal land use. According to the spatial–temporal characteristics and the differences of driving factors, managers can formulate differentiated illegal land use control policies, which will help to control the occurrence of illegal land use and help the settlement of illegal land use cases, and ultimately achieve sustainable development.