The 'golden ten years': underground coal mining and its impacts on land use and subsequent social problems: a case study on the Jining city region, China
The period between 2003 and 2012 is considered as the 'golden ten years' (GTY) for the Chinese coal industry. However, at the same time, coal mining subsidence has also caused many problems. In this paper, the Jining city region in Shandong province is considered as an example to analyse the transitions in land use, agricultural production, village movements, and immigration. Results show that in this region between 2003 and 2012: 1) The dominant land use transitioned from farmland to waterlogged areas and construction land; 2) Direct losses to agricultural production can feed around one million people, and 3); 74,231 people were influenced by land-use change. In conclusion, although the GTY of Chinese coal mining led to a great deal of economic prosperity, this period was also characterised by damage to land and deep social impacts. So some of the major implications for improving mining and land protection are discussed.