Study on Comprehensive Evaluation of Land Resources Carrying Capacity in Huaihua City

Land resources carrying capacity (LRCC) represents a fundamental determinant for optimizing human–land relationships and advancing regional sustainable development. This study establishes a tripartite evaluation framework encompassing social carrying capacity, economic carrying capacity, and ecological carrying capacity to holistically assess Huaihua’s LRCC and classify its levels. The results indicate that LRCC has generally shifted from lower to higher levels over the studied period. However, a decline in LRCC was observed between 2020 and 2023, primarily due to reductions in social carrying capacity and economic carrying capacity. Despite this, the comprehensive carrying capacity grade value [Formula: see text] remained relatively high and was classified as relatively high. Huaihua retains considerable untapped potential for augmenting land carrying capacity. It is necessary to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization and adjust the industrial structure of Huaihua City to improve the bearing capacity of land resources.