Potential Analysis of the Comprehensive Land Consolidation for Entire Karst Region based on Improved Random Forest Method: A Case Study in the Li River Basin

As a guiding mechanism for protecting cultivated land, achieving intensive and economical land use, and improving the ecological environment, the potential analysis of comprehensive land consolidation in the whole area relies on the accuracy of land use classification. In karst regions, such as the Li River Basin, the unique topography and geomorphology often render traditional land-cover classification methods prone to uncertainties, thereby affecting the consistency of conclusions in potential analysis for comprehensive land consolidation in the whole region. This study developed an improved random forest classification algorithm optimized for land-cover classification in the Li River Basin. Based on this algorithm, a potential evaluation model of comprehensive land consolidation in the whole area was constructed, and the spatial distribution characteristics of areas requiring consolidation under different potential levels for various land use types in the Li River Basin were analyzed in depth. The results indicate that the improved random forest algorithm performs best in land use classification in the Li River Basin, with overall accuracy and the kappa coefficient enhanced by 3% and 4%, respectively, compared with the standard random forest algorithm. The spatial distribution of potential levels of comprehensive land consolidation in the whole area across various land use types in the Li River Basin shows significant differences, ranking as ecological land > agricultural land > construction land. Compared to traditional evaluation models, the new model identifies consolidation areas for various land use types, covering 94.97% of the total area in the Li River Basin. This study can facilitate a comprehensive consolidation of land use types in karst regions from all elements, dimensions, and periods, thus provides scientific basis for land use and ecological protection in such areas.