The researchers used satellite images to study changes in land use in the Shule River Basin from 1987 to 2010. They found that artificial vegetation increased while natural vegetation decreased. Cropland, shrub land, and urban areas expanded, while non-vegetated areas fluctuated. Grasslands transformed into shrub land or non-vegetated areas, and wetlands decreased. The rate of change was slow from 1987 to 1996 but accelerated from 1996 to 2010. Agricultural growth, large-scale farming, and immigration policies drove these changes, while natural factors had minimal impact.