Rural development outpaces urban expansion in threatening biodiversity in China

Over the past three decades, China has experienced a rapid increase in built-up land, causing widespread conversions of agricultural and natural land. Prior studies focused on urban expansion, but the impacts of rural development on biodiversity remain unknown. Here we investigate to what extent the increase in urban and rural built-up areas affected biodiversity in China. Between 1990 and 2020, urban and rural built-up area expansion resulted in a total loss of 0.57% and 1.21% of the habitats of endangered species. Yet, little over 10% of the species analyzed have experienced over 10% habitat loss, which indicates a risk of collapse. Most affected species were concentrated in central and southern China, one of 25 biodiversity hotspots worldwide. The unexpectedly large impact of rural changes is likely related to the Hukou system, fueling the expansion of built-up land in rural areas. Changes in this system are thus an important lever towards the mitigation of habitat loss in China.