Land use in the Horqin Desert and its surrounding areas was studied using data from 1985 and 2000. The researchers used GIS and statistics to analyze changes over time and space. They found that grassland was the most common land use, followed by plough land, forestland, unused land, water bodies, and residential/industrial land. The speed of changes varied, with cultivated land changing the fastest. Different counties showed varying degrees of change, with some areas experiencing more significant shifts in land use. The most common change was from grassland to plough land, expanding from the center of the desert outward. Other notable changes included protective forest construction, deforestation, and reclamation of unused land.