How Does Transport Accessibility Affect Residents’ Livelihood and Land Use Change? Evidence From the Tibetan Plateau

This paper investigates how transport accessibility influences residents’ livelihood transformation and land use change on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) through questionnaire surveys and interviews in nine villages. The study finds that households near cities primarily enhance income via non-agricultural employment, with cash crops making limited contributions to income growth. Binary logistic model results show that outbound transportation frequency, proportions of non-agricultural income and employed population and altitude significantly impact micro-level land use change. Notably, the ‘inverse Thünen model’ is identified, where improved transport accessibility near cities correlates with higher rates of arable land rental, idling, or abandonment due to labour migration to urban areas. The research enriches household-level empirical evidence and offers policy insights for optimising transport infrastructure and sustainable livelihood strategies to enhance farmers’ and herdsmen’s living standards on the TP.