Analysis of Landscape Patterns Changes and Driving Factors of the Guangdong Chaoan Fenghuangdancong Tea Cultural System in China

Abstract

Guangdong Chaoan Fenghuangdancong Tea (GCFT) Cultural System is the second batch of China’s Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS), identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2014 as having rich biodiversity, valuable knowledge of indigenous technology, and unique ecological and cultural landscape. Under the dual background of rapid urbanization and agricultural industry structure transformation, China-NIAHS-GCFT is facing the reality of structural changes in land use/cover and landscape patterns. Therefore, it is important to systematically portray land use/land cover (LULC) changes in China-NIAHS-GCFT sites and clarify the spatial pattern differences due to the impact of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition on tea garden areas and the tea industry. This study was conducted in Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, where GCFT is located, to compare and analyze the LULC characteristics of the core area of the heritage site (Chaoan, Chaozhou) and the control area (Raoping, Chaozhou) before and after recognition. We assessed the spatial variation in tea garden area and the intrinsic driving mechanisms of the change by integrating social factors, such as China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, and natural factors, such as elevation, precipitation, and temperature. The results show that: (1) Around 2010, the change in LULC of the core and control areas progressed from slight changes to dramatic changes, mainly shifting from natural to anthropogenic landscapes. The decrease in the cropland and grassland and the increase in built-up land in the core area were obviously larger than those in the control area. (2) Before and after GCFT was recognized as China-NIAHS in 2014, the changing pattern of tea garden shifts from “basically stable and small growth” to a trend of “substantial expansion”. Specifically, the recognition brought about tea garden area expansion and tea industry development in the core area, especially Fenghuang. Meanwhile, a radiating effect extends to the control area, especially the townships adjacent to Fenghuang. (3) Similar natural climatic conditions of temperature and precipitation in the two regions provide a basic growing environment for tea trees; however, elevation was the key natural resource condition affecting the distribution of tea gardens. The elevation conditions of the core area are more suitable for growth of tea trees compared to the control area.

1. Introduction

The Guangdong Chaoan Fenghuangdancong Tea (GCFT) Cultural System is located in the northern mountains of Chaozhou. It is the second batch of China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS) identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2014, as having rich biodiversity, valuable knowledge of indigenous technology systems, and unique ecological and cultural landscape [1]. Among them, land use and landscape structure are not only key carriers for local characteristic agricultural production activities and biodiversity [2], but they are also important for maintaining the ecosystem service functions and promoting harmonious human–land relations. In recent years, the government has adjusted the industrial structure by changing the land use/cover according to tea tree resources. At the same time, the accelerated social process and rapid urbanization have promoted the expansion of built-up land, further bringing about structural changes in land use/cover types. Therefore, systematically portraying land use/land cover change (LULC) in China-NIAHS-GCFT sites and clarifying the spatial pattern differences due to the impact of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition on tea garden area and tea industry are key measures to reveal the development changes of land use and production style in these sites to protect and preserve them scientifically for future generations.

LULC is one of the most direct results of human activities and climate change on the Earth’s surface [3], profoundly affecting not only land surface energy balance and biodiversity [4,5,6,7], but also having close links to local ecosystem services, food security, and socio-economic development. In the 1990s, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP) on Global Environmental Change jointly initiated the LULC core research project [8]. Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) conservation initiative in 2002, proposing land use and landscape structure as one of the core criteria for assessment, and comprehensively characterizing the evolutionary outcomes and change processes of human–land relationships in GIAHS sites. Research on LULC has already received much attention from scholars [9,10]. Currently, related scholars have explored the spatio-temporal patterns, change monitoring, driving mechanisms, and influencing factors of land use at different spatial scales, such as national [11], provincial [12], local [13,14,15], and urban [16], using various models (Markov-PLUS, LSTM-CA, CLUE-S, etc.) [17,18,19], and methods (land use transfer matrix, land use dynamic attitude change) [20]. Li assessed the land use dynamics of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor from 1992 to 2019 based on remote sensing data and fieldwork to reveal the main drivers affecting land use change with the help of geodetector [21]. Li explored the dominant drivers of the spatio-temporal evolution pattern of urban built-up land in 13 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 1985 to 2015 through multiple linear regression, path analysis, and geodetector [22]. Most of these studies focus on the ecologically fragile areas in northern and western China [23,24], and the important urban clusters along the southeast coast of China, such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen [25,26], where human–land relations are more tense. The unique China-NIAHS, with complex land use/cover and agricultural landscape, is under the double threat of rapid urbanization and transformation of agricultural industrial structure. Related LULC and landscape structure studies are relatively few, focusing only on areas such as the Deqing Traditional Freshwater Pearl Culture and Utilization System [2], Honghe Hani Terrace [27,28,29], Shexian dryland stone-ridge Terraces [30], and Chongyi Hakka Terraces [31]. Even fewer studies focus on the areas where characteristic industries are rapidly developing, especially those rely on natural resources for development.

China-NIAHS is a natural–social–economic complex ecosystem. Its sustainable production functions and non-production functions, such as ecological conservation and cultural heritage, not only support the multiple needs of local socio-economic and cultural development, but are also important for global human issues such as addressing global climate change and protecting biological and cultural diversity [32]. With the emphasis on China-NIAHS and its own interdisciplinary characteristics, scientists have conducted considerable research on the tourism resource value [33], rural revitalization [34], industrial development paths, aesthetic value, and ecosystem services of agricultural heritage [35] from multiple professional perspectives. Among them, China-NIAHS recognition promotes regional economic growth by improving the brand effect of heritage sites and agricultural products, and then further changes land use and landscape structure to meet the needs of industrial structure adjustment and industrial development, which is one of the hot topics of agricultural heritage research.

GCFT is a tea culture system that originated in the Southern Song Dynasty and gradually developed into a locally characteristic industry in the 1970s and 1980s. Agricultural production activities are closely related to the natural resources and environmental condition [36]. The local tea tree resources endowment and subtropical monsoon climate conditions bring abundant rainfall and high mountain clouds, which provide natural resources and environmental conditions for development of the tea industry. More importantly, GCFT was recognized as China-NIAHS in 2014, which not only radiates the upgrading of the local tea industry structure and socio-economic progress, but also further affects the local land use/cover and landscape structure. At present, GCFT has been identified as China-NIAHS for nearly 10 years and is applying for GIAHS on this basis. Therefore, clarifying the impact of GCFT recognition on LULC and the differences in its spatial characteristics, and quantitatively evaluating the impact of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition on local tea garden area changes are essential for a deep understanding of the interaction between heritage site development and land use patterns, as well as future GIAHS recognitions.

This study takes Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, where China-NIAHS-GCFT is located, as the study area, and analyzes the LULC characteristics before and after China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition. The study attempts to elucidate the intrinsic driving mechanisms of the change in tea garden area by integrating social factors such as China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition and natural factors such as elevation and climate. This study contributes to a quantitative understanding of the impact of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition on land use and landscape pattern conservation. While promoting the sustainable development of agricultural heritage, it provides a scientific basis for rational planning of resource utilization and industrial development in agricultural heritage sites.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Area

Chaozhou is in the northeast of Guangdong Province (Figure 1). It is adjacent to Zhangzhou, Fujian Province in the east; adjacent to the South China Sea and connected to Shantou in the south; connected to Jiedong of Jieyang in the west; and adjacent to Meizhou in the north. Chaozhou has two districts and one county, namely Chaoan District, Xiangqiao District, and Raoping County. Chaoan is west of Chaozhou and has a land area of 1064 km²; Raoping is east of Chaozhou and has a land area of 1694 km². The climate is mild with abundant rainfall, the terrain is high in the north (highest elevation is 1497.8 m) and low in the south (sea level), and mountains and hills account for 65% of the city’s total area, mainly distributed in Raoping and northern Chaoan.

GCFT has developed the characteristic model of “single plant picking, single plant production, individual sales” (Figure 2), adopting the ecological management method of no chemical fertilizer and physical prevention, forming a product–ecology–knowledge–landscape–culture composite tea culture system. According to the differences in the strains and ages of tea, as well as the climate of the origin, the time of tea harvesting and the management of tea trees, the production process of dancong tea is adjusted accordingly in different regions to ensure the uniqueness of its fragrance. The complex and elaborate processing techniques have resulted in a dancong tea with good shape, color, aroma, flavor, and rhythm, which can also reflect the characteristics of different species. Dancong tea constitutes the core of Chaoshan tea culture, accumulating the rich beauty of spirit and material, becoming an important lineage of Lingnan culture, and at the same time is an important part of Chinese tea culture. Overall, GCFT not only maintains the stability of the agricultural system, but also maintains the biodiversity of the local ecosystem, and promotes ecosystem service functions. Additionally, Fenghuang Town is the core protection area of GCFT system, with a long history of tea industry development and outstanding natural resource conditions.

Chaoan and Raoping have similar socio-economic levels and natural resource environments, such as water and heat conditions, and both have tea pillar industry development (

Table 1. Tea industry development in the study area.

Year	Production (tons)	Output Value (CNY Billion)
2011	9470	3.58
2012	10,691	4.21
2013	12,696	4.50
2014	13,094	12.90
2015	13,883	14.39
2016	14,840	16.23
2017	15,711	17.56
2018	16,717	22.10
2019	18,092	42.52
2020	20,667	47.98

). The biggest difference between the two regions is that one is a recognized agricultural heritage site. Therefore, it is meaningful to compare and analyze the influence of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition on the regional landscape structure and tea industry development, taking Chaoan as the core area and Raoping as the control area.

2.2. Materials

The datasets used in this study include land use/cover data, local statistical data, and remote sensing data reflecting natural resource characteristics, such as elevation and climate.

Global land cover product, GlobeLand30, in 2000, 2010, and 2020, with 30 m resolution is from http://www.globallandcover.com (accessed on 5 February 2023). The overall accuracy of this dataset is 80.3%, and the overall accuracy within China reaches 82.39% [37,38]. GlobeLand30 includes 10 land cover types including cropland, forest, grassland, shrub, water bodies, wetland, tundra, artificial surface, bare land, glacier and permanent snow. This data product has been used in many studies on land cover change trends at home and abroad, and the 30 m resolution can meet the needs of urban-scale land use/cover change research. Due to the limited time resolution of GlobeLand30, this study regards 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 as two periods: before and after China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition (for Section 3.1). The local statistical data refers to the tea garden area data of each town in Chaoan and Raoping from 2011 to 2020, which is derived from the statistical compilation data provided by the local statistical bureau. We regard 2011–2014 and 2014–2020 as the two periods before and after China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, respectively (for Section 3.2). Time-series climate data, including annual precipitation and mean annual temperature from 2011 to 2020 were derived from National Earth System Science Data Center, National Science & Technology Infrastructure of China (http://www.geodata.cn (accessed on 5 February 2023)) and National Tibetan Plateau/Third Pole Environment Data Center [39,40,41,42] (https://data.tpdc.ac.cn/ (accessed on 5 February 2023)), respectively. They are generated by Delta spatial downscaling scheme based on the global 0.5° climate dataset published by Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and the global high-resolution climate dataset published by WorldClim. The DEM data with a spatial resolution of 90 m used in our research are derived from https://www.resdc.cn/ (accessed on 5 February 2023). This dataset was generated based on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour, which has the advantages of being realistic and freely available and has been used in many applied studies worldwide for environmental analyses.

2.3. Methods

2.3.1. Land Use Transition Matrix

Land use transfer analysis is a two-dimensional matrix based on the analysis of land cover state for the same region in different time periods. The transfer matrix can be used to obtain the inter-conversion between different land use types in two periods, which describes the land use types and the area of change of different land use types in different years [20]. In this paper, we measured the changes of each land use type in the study area from 2000 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2020. These processes were conducted by ArcGIS 10.2.

2.3.2. Trend Analysis

The simple regression model was employed to calculate the interannual variations of tea garden area, temperature, and precipitation. The least-squares method, based on linear regression, was applied to quantify trends of the above variables:

$$Slope=\frac{n\times {{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^{n}i\times X_i-{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^{n}i{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^n{X}_i}{n\times {{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^n{t}^2-{\left({{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^{n}i\right)}^2}$$

where the slope is the regression coefficient, representing the trend of a variable. i refers to the number of years, and Xi represents the value of different variables in the i-th year. $Slope$ > 0 indicates an upward trend, while $Slope$ < 0 indicates a downward trend.

3. Results

3.1. Land Use/Cover in the Core Area and Control Area

The main land use types in Chaoan and Raoping are cropland, forest, and built-up land, with grassland, shrub, wetland, and water bodies scattered (Figure 3). Spatially, forest has the largest distribution area, accounting for about 55.18% and 52.23% of the total area in Chaoan and Raoping, respectively. Forest is mainly in the northern part of Chaoan (Fenghuang, Dengtang, Guihu, and Wenci, etc.) and the western part of Raoping (Fubin, Jianrao, and Zhangxi, etc.). The areas of cropland and built-up land are the second and third largest. Specifically, the proportions of cropland in Chaoan and Raoping are 14.28% and 26.75%, respectively, and are mainly distributed in the southern part of Chaoan (Jiangdong, Dongfeng, Longhu, and Fuyang, etc.) and central and southern Raoping (Sanrao, Xinfeng, Lianrao, Fushan, and Gaotang, etc.). The area of built-up land in Chaoan and Raoping account for 20.71% and 6.26%, respectively, and is scattered in various townships, mainly in the central part of Chaoan (Fengxi, Guxiang, Fengtang, and Jinshi, etc.) and the southern and northern parts of Raoping (Raoyang, Sanrao, Huanggang, and Qiandong, etc.).

From 2000 to 2010, the changes in land use/cover of both Chaoan and Raoping were generally insignificant (Figure 4). The area of four land use/cover types in Chaoan increased, among which the area of water body increased the most (7.77%). The area of grassland, cropland, and forest increased by less than 1 km², and the increases were 0.75%, 0.68% and 0.05%, respectively. The area of wetland, built-up land, and shrub decreased, among which the area of wetland decreased most obviously (−85.01%), and the area of built-up land and shrub fluctuated slightly, with a decrease of −0.47% and −1.10%, respectively. Although the trend of LULC in Raoping is similar to that of Chaoan, the degree of area fluctuation is higher than that of Chaoan. The area of water bodies and cropland increased by 6% and 2%, respectively, and forest remains almost unchanged, while the area of wetland, built-up land, grassland, and shrub showed a decreasing trend with −83%, −7%, −2% and −1%, respectively. From 2010 to 2020, the land use/cover of both Chaoan and Raoping changed obviously (Figure 4). Only the area of the built-up land in Chaoan increased (95 km², 74.43% increase), while the area of all other land types showed a decreasing trend, with the largest decreases in wetlands (−64.76%) and cropland (−32.86%), followed by water bodies, shrub, grasslands, and forest. The area of built-up land in Raoping increased by about 52 km² (100%), and the area of water bodies still maintained an increasing trend of 14%. Similarly, the areas of wetland, cropland, shrub, grassland, and forest all showed a decreasing trend, and the degree was smaller than that of Chaoan.

From the comparison between the core area (Chaoan) and the control area (Raoping): the intensity of LULC in the study area differed obviously between the two periods (i.e., before and after the successful recognition of China-NIAHS-GCFT), and the LULC in the core area and the control area diverged. In the period of 2000–2010, when the heritage site was in the preparatory stage for China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, the core and control areas (that is, Chaoan and Raoping, respectively) experienced slow land use/cover change, and the degree of change was very similar. LULC change was very active in both the core of the heritage site and the control area during 2010–2020. However, these two regions showed different patterns of LULC, with the core area showing a relatively more complex land use transformation. For example, the change ratio of cropland and built-up land in the two regions differs obviously (32.86% decrease in cropland and 74% increase in built-up land in the core area; 10% decrease in cropland and 100% increase in built-up land in the control area), and the conversion rate of cropland in the core area is higher than that in the control area, with the main conversion going to built-up land (87.7% in core area; 51.3% in control area). Although the rate of forest conversion in the core area is similar to that of the control area, the proportion of conversion to grassland and built-up land is higher than that of the control are. That is, during the development and promotion period after the successful recognition of China-NIAHS-GCFT, the land use/cover of the core area in the heritage site has changed more than that of the control area, mainly in the form of natural landscape transformation to anthropogenic landscape.

3.2. The Impact of China-NIAHS-GCFT Recognition on Tea Garden Area and Its Spatial Difference

In the GCFT heritage site, in addition to the six primary land use/cover types mentioned above, tea garden, under the forest type, also is the more important secondary land use type with a relatively large area.

Figure 5 shows that tea gardens in the core (Chaoan) are mainly distributed in the northern townships of the district, such as Fenghuang, Chifeng, Guihu, Wenci, Wanfeng, and Dengtang. As of 2020, the total tea garden area in the core is 50.33 km², among which, Fenghuang has the largest area (42.92 km²), accounting for about 86% of total tea garden in the core, followed by Guihu (2.62 km²), Chifeng (1.93 km²), and Wenci (1.24 km²). In terms of the proportion of tea garden area to the total area of the township, Fenghuang’s tea garden area accounted for nearly 20% of the administrative area, much higher than other townships (0.7–2.2%). From 2011 to 2014, except for Dengtang and Wanfeng, the tea garden area in Fenghuang, Chifeng, Guihu, and Wenci all showed a small expansion trend, increasing from 30.91 km² to 32.25 km² (4.3%), 1.68 km² to 1.73 km² (3%), 1.07 km² to 1.31 km² (22.4%), and 0.88 km² to 1.21 km² (37.5%), respectively (

Table 2. Tea garden area and its changing situation in the study area.

County	Townships	Tea Garden Area (km2)			The Proportion of Tea Garden Area to Administrative Area	Change of Tea Garden Area
		2011	2014	2020		2011–2014	2014–2020
Chaoan	Fenghuang	30.91	32.25	42.92	18.9%	4.3%	33.1%
	Chifeng	1.68	1.73	1.93	2.2%	3.0%	11.6%
	Guihu	1.07	1.31	2.62	2.0%	22.4%	100.0%
	Wenci	0.88	1.21	1.24	1.7%	37.5%	2.5%
	Wanfeng	0.54	0.54	0.46	1.6%	0.0%	−14.8%
	Dengtang	0.52	0.52	1.16	0.7%	0.0%	123.1%
Raoping	Fubin	18.89	24.12	25.46	16.0%	27.7%	5.6%
	Xintang	1.63	3.6	12.6	15.8%	120.9%	250.0%
	Jianrao	3.08	6.0	7.75	10.6%	94.8%	29.2%
	Dongshan	2.22	3.04	4.56	6.1%	36.9%	50.0%
	Raoyang	1.17	3.46	3.92	4.6%	195.7%	13.3%
	Zhangxi	1.68	0.93	3.15	2.9%	−44.6%	238.7%
	Shangrao	2.22	2.22	2.42	2.4%	0.0%	9.0%
	Tangxi	0.98	0.99	1.75	2.2%	1.0%	76.8%
	Sanrao	0	0	1.68	1.1%	0.0%	0.0%
	Xinfeng	3.35	3.35	1.34	1.1%	0.0%	−60.0%
	Qiandong	0.27	0.27	0.27	0.2%	0.0%	0.0%
	Hanjiang	0.27	0.27	0	0.0%	0.0%	−100.0%
	Xinxu	0.04	0.04	0	0.0%	0.0%	−100.0%
	Fushan	0.02	0.06	0	0.0%	200%	−100.0%

, Figure 5a,b). In comparison, from 2014 to 2020, except for the decrease of tea garden area in Wanfeng (−14.8%), all other townships showed a great increase of tea garden area, and the largest expansion was in Fenghuang (+10.67 km², 33.1%), followed by Guihu (+1.31 km², 100%), and Dengtang (+0.64 km², 123.1%), while Chifeng (+0.20 km², 11.6%) and Wenci (+0.03 km², 2.5%) had a smaller increase (Table 2, Figure 5b,c).

The tea gardens in the control area (Raoping) cover about 64.91 km² (in 2020) and are mainly distributed in the inland townships in the west and north of Raoping, such as Fubin, Shangrao, Raoyang, Xinfeng, Jianrao, Xintang, Tangxi, Dongshan, Zhangxi, Qiandong, Sanrao, Xinxu, Fushan, and Hanjiang. Among them, the tea garden in Fubin, located in the southeast of Fenghuang (core area), is the largest. In 2020, the tea gardens of Fubin reached 25.46 km², accounting for about 40% of the total tea garden area of the control area, followed by Xintang (12.60 km²), Jianrao (7.75 km²), Dongshan (4.56 km²), and Raoyang (3.92 km²), with other townships having a relatively small scale. It is worth noting that from the proportion of tea garden area to the township total area, development momentum of the tea industry in Fubin and Xintang is similar. Their tea garden area accounted for about 16% of total township area, and Jianrao is slightly lower (11%), which is much higher than other townships (0.2–6.2%). From 2011 to 2014, only Fubin and Xintang in the central part of the control area, and Raoyang and Jianrao in the north showed an expansion trend in tea garden area (Figure 5a,b), increasing by 5.23 km², 1.97 km², 2.29 km², and 2.92 km², respectively. Other townships increased slightly or shrank (Zhangxi: −0.75 km², −44.6%). However, after the China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, except for a 60% tea garden decrease in Xinfeng, the tea garden areas in most townships in the control area increased obviously, mainly in the townships around Fenghuang (core heritage area), such as Fubin (1.34 km², +5.6%), Zhangxi (2.22 km², +238.7%), and Xintang (9 km², +250%), and in the northern townships in the control area (Jianrao: 1.75 km², 29.2%; Dongshan: 1.52 km², 50%; and Raoyang: 0.46 km², 13.3%) (Table 2, Figure 5b,c).

From 2010 to 2020, tea garden areas in towns in the study area showed an increasing trend in different ranges, but in each period (before and after China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition), there was a great difference of each town in the core area and control area (Figure 5d). Before the China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition (2011–2014), the tea garden area of almost all townships in both the core and control areas showed an insignificant increase (p > 0.05), and most of the townships of the core area (Fenghuang: 0.42 km²/year, Wenci: 0.1 km²/year, Guihu: 0.07 km²/year, Chifeng: 0.02 km²/year, Dengtang and Wanfeng: <0.001 km²/year) showed a less rapid increase than Raoyang (0.84 km²/year), Jianrao (1.17 km²/year), and Dongshan (0.33 km²/year), which are located in the northeastern part of the control area, as well as Xintang (0.78 km²/year) and Fubin (2.02 km²/year), which are closely adjacent to the core area. It is noteworthy that the tea garden area in Fenghuang and Dengtang in the core area increased significantly after the China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition (2014–2020) (Fenghuang: 2.27 km²/year, Dengtang 0.12 km²/year), while at the same time, tea garden area in the northern part of the control area and more townships adjacent to Fenghuang also showed a significant increasing trend. The China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition has effectively promoted the expansion of the tea garden areas and the development of the tea industry in the core area and its adjacent regions in the control area.

3.3. Effects of Natural Resource Conditions on Tea Garden Area

Elevation is an important factor affecting the tea quality and development condition of tea industry. In this GCFT system, the areas with elevation between 600 and 1200 m are the core distribution areas of tea tree heritage resources. Overall, the elevation across the entire study area showed a pattern of high in the north and low in the south (Figure 6a), which basically matches the distribution of tea growing regions.

The elevations of the tea-growing region and the non-tea-growing region in the core area and the control area were further compared (Figure 6b). The average elevation of the tea-growing region was obviously higher than that of the non-tea-growing region, both in the core area (359 m in tea-growing region; 27 m in non-tea-growing region) and control area (247 m in tea-growing region; 33 m in non-tea-growing region), implying that elevation was the key condition affecting the distribution of tea plantations. Additionally, the tea growing regions of the core area (359 m) have higher average elevation than that in the control area (247 m). In detail, among the core area, Wanfeng and Fenghuang have the highest average elevation (633.4 m and 616.1 m, respectively), followed by Chifeng, Guihu, and Dengtang, and Wenci has the lowest (197.3 m). Among the control areas, Raoyang, Hanjiang, and Shangrao have the relatively highest average elevation of 428.9 m, 419.4 m, and 407 m, respectively. Although the average elevation of the control area is not as high as that of the core area, the relatively extensive middle and high elevation areas also provide ideal natural resource conditions for the growth of local tea trees and the development of the tea industry.

Agricultural production activities are closely related to natural climatic conditions, and the mean annual temperature (MAT) and annual precipitation (AP) are the key indicators to quantitatively measure the regional climatic characteristics and hydrothermal conditions. In recent years, AP and MAT in the study area were about 1500 mm and 21 °C, respectively, which are suitable for the biological characteristics of tea trees (warm, acid-loving, moisture-loving, and shade tolerant) (Figure 7). The results showed that AP (k_Chaoan = 15.43, p > 0.05; k_RaoPing = 10.68, p > 0.05) and MAT (k_Chaoan = 0.15, p < 0.05; k_RaoPing = 0.15, p < 0.05) experienced an increasing trend from 2011 to 2020 in both core and control areas, respectively, especially MAT increased significantly. However, in terms of comparison between the two areas, there was no significant difference in climatic condition, implying that natural climatic factors may not be a key factor driving the difference in tea garden area changes between the two areas (Figure 7).

4. Discussion

Forest, cropland, and built-up land were the main land use/cover types in the study area (including core area and control areas) during past 20 years. Around 2010, that is, before and after the China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, the land use/cover status of the core and control areas changed from a slight scale to an obvious trend, mainly showing a shift from natural to anthropogenic landscapes, which is consistent with the findings of Yang [43]. This phenomenon can be explained by the following mechanism: land is a complex of human social production, life, and environmental factors [44], and land use type change is a process of reallocation of limited land resources among various uses [45]. Therefore, in the context of rapid urbanization rate, anthropogenic landscapes, such as built-up land, are bound to experience a great expansion, yet this expansion is more often at the cost of encroaching on natural landscapes (e.g., cropland, unused land, and grassland, etc.). At the same time, the core area is more strongly influenced by the development of the tea industry driven by the China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition compared to the control area, which also makes the land use/cover changes in the core area more prominent (the decrease in cropland, grassland, and shrubs; the increase of built-up land).

Before and after GCFT was recognized as China-NIAHS (2011–2014 and 2014–2020), the change of tea garden area in core area showed a clear difference, changing from “basically stable and small growth” to a trend of “substantial expansion”, especially in Fenghuang. This trend can be well explained by the industry visibility and brand effect brought by China-NIAHS-GCFT. Local statistics and field research data show that after China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition (after 2014), the unit price of local tea and the share of tea output value in regional GDP increased significantly (Table 1), and the clear industrial prospect has further driven the increase of the tea garden area. This means that in the core area of the GCFT heritage site, the recognition and protection of China-NIAHS-GCFT and its additional brand effect are important driving factors for the improvement of the local economic level [46], which not only ensures the rapid development of the urbanization process, but also greatly increases the land use area of the natural landscape (tea garden area) with the help of tea industry development. The ecological value of this natural landscape (tea garden area) has, to some extent, offset the ecological pressure brought by the dramatic increase of anthropogenic landscape such as built-up land. This finding is different from the negative correlation between economic growth and natural landscape as traditionally believed, implying that the industry development based on natural resources conservation has great economic and ecological benefits at the same time, especially in the China-NIAHS sites where the preservation of traditional agriculture is the core, the superimposed effect of economic and ecological benefits is more obvious.

Compared with the core area, tea garden area of most townships in the control area (Xintang, Fubin, Raoyang, Jianrao, and Dongshan) showed a much higher increase rate. After the China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, the northern part of the control area and some townships adjacent to Fenghuang also showed a significant expansion. The China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition not only greatly promotes the industrial development and economic growth of the core area, but also radiates the rapid rise of the specialty tea industry in the neighboring townships (Xintang, Fubin, Sanrao, etc.). Judging from the ratio of tea garden area to administrative area, Xintang and Fubin have the highest percentage of tea garden area (about 16% of the total area), which was close to the proportion of Fenghuang (20%). Additionally, the existing tea garden areas in these two townships are about 40% and 20% to the total tea garden area in the control area, respectively. The tea industry is developing well and has great potential, which can be regarded as potential China-NIAHS-GCFT sites.

It is noteworthy that in the core area (Chaoan), only Fenghuang experienced significant increase of tea garden area after the China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition, while the radiating effect of the recognition of China-NIAHS-GCFT was relatively insignificant in other tea growing townships (such as Wenci, Guihu, Chifeng, and Dengtang). Similarly, in the control area, only the townships adjacent to the core area and the northern parts of the control area have a positive trend in tea industry development, while other townships are still in the initial stage. The reasons for this phenomenon may be twofold: (1) The environmental differences caused by different elevation gradients can affect the physiological ecology of tea trees directly or indirectly [47]. It has been proven that as the elevation increases, tea buds sprout later, and in turn, the buds grow slowly and hold tender well. The soluble nitrogenous compounds and soluble sugars in the new shoots increase, which further increase the content of polyphenols, amino acids, and aroma substances, improving the tea quality [47,48,49]. This further supports the result of our study. Although the average elevation of tea-growing regions is much higher than in non-tea-growing regions, only Fenghuang, Raoyang, Xintang, and Shangrao of tea-growing regions have relatively high elevation, which is better able to meet the natural environment requirements for tea tree growth. Other towns are limited by the natural factor of elevation and have inadequate conditions for industrial development. (2) Local tea gardens are classified as low mountain tea (elevation below 500 m), middle mountain tea (elevation between 500 and 800 m), and high mountain tea (elevation above 800 m) according to their altitude [49]. The analysis of soil traits showed that compared with low mountain tea gardens, middle and high mountain tea gardens had suitable soil pH, higher organic matter content, and moderately balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content [47]. These factors were positively correlated with elevation, supporting the view that local tea quality generally shows the pattern of high mountain tea > middle mountain tea > low mountain tea [49]. Furthermore, the driving effect of the recognition of China-NIAHS-GCFT on different qualities of tea is not entirely consistent, but rather varies according to tea quality: the positive feedback driving effect on high mountain tea is relatively more obvious, while the radiating effect on low mountain tea is limited by the elevation conditions. The China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition provides ideal social conditions for expansion of the natural landscape of tea plantations and tea industry development, while the elevation and meteorological conditions are the basic natural growth environment affecting tea tree growth, and elevation is especially crucial to the distribution pattern of local tea gardens.

5. Conclusions

The China-NIAHS system, especially the regions that rely on land and other natural resources to develop characteristic industries, faces the reality of changes in land use/cover and landscape structure under the dual background of rapid urbanization and agricultural industry structure transformation. In response to this problem, this study takes Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, where China-NIAHS-GCFT is located, as the research object to explore the impact of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition on local land use/cover change characteristics, the spatial variation in the change of core industrial land (tea garden area) and its social and natural drivers. The study is a deepening and development of previous qualitative perceptions of the significance of China-NIAHS and provides ideas for further quantifying the role and value of China-NIAHS.

The study shows that land use/cover conditions of the core and control areas shifted from natural to anthropogenic landscapes around 2010, and this phenomenon is more prominent in the core areas than in the control areas. The China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition has brought about the tea garden area expansion and tea industry development in the core area. At the same time, this radiating effect tends to extend to the control area, leading to an expansion of tea garden in the control area as well. The similar natural climatic conditions of temperature and precipitation in the two regions provide a basic growing environment for tea trees, but elevation was the key natural resource condition affecting the distribution of tea plantations. The elevation conditions of the core area are more suitable for the growth of tea trees compared to the control area. This study provides basic and quantitative scientific support for elucidating the practical significance of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition for land use and landscape pattern conservation, promoting the sustainable use and optimal layout of land resources in heritage sites, and carrying out the selection and identification of China-NIAHS in other regions.

In the future, the time scale of land use/cover data products can be further refined to better match the time of China-NIAHS-GCFT recognition; at the same time, the spatial scale of the study can be reduced to the township level, especially focusing on the townships with tea industry as the strength, in order to elucidate the social and ecological values of China-NIAHS more comprehensively.