## 3 Results
### Comparison of Research Hot Regions and Sensitive Regions  
Comparing the spatial distribution map of the rocky desertification research hot regions (Figure 4) and the spatial distribution map of the rocky desertification sensitive regions (Figure 5), we found that on the national scale, two maps have high overlap in the core area of rocky desertification; however, there are differences in the outer space distribution map based on the intensity classification. First, two maps indicate that the central and western regions of Guizhou, eastern Yunnan and northwestern Guangxi are sensitive areas and research hot regions on rocky desertification. In the case of regions that have moderate or greater sensitivity and moderate or greater levels of research hotness, there are 52 county units or \(11\) prefecture units that have collectively been identified. The county unit coincidence rate was 48% and the prefecture unit coincidence rate was 85%. The high degree of coincidence among the geographic units indicates that the rocky desertification sensitivity model roughly integrates the driving factors of rocky desertification and can better reflect the actual rocky desertification intensity level; on the other hand, it also shows that in the past 60 years, the research on rocky desertification has had clear targets, an outstanding focus and a good level of geographical matching. In addition, the research area is focused on the areas that are sensitive or prone to rocky desertification and on degraded areas. Second, in general, the distribution of areas that are sensitive to rocky desertification is larger than the areas of research hot regions on rocky desertification. Specifically, in Qionglai Mountain--Liangshan Area of Sichuan, Wushan-Shennongjia Area of Hubei, Hengduan Mountain Area of Western Yunnan and Dupangling Area of Southern Hunan, the sensitivity to rocky desertification is obviously high but research popularity is not high enough. To analyze the \"decoupling of space\" between sensitivity and research popularity in the above four areas, further statistics on the differences between the typical rocky desertification areas and the above 4 \"space decoupling\" areas in terms of topography, vegetation coverage, population distribution, traffic accessibility were analyzed (Figure 6 and Table 1). Hotness Index, Sensitivity Index, Environmental and Social Backgrounds Index in Key Regions. Comparative analysis shows that compared with typical rocky desertification areas (e.g., Bijie, Liupanshan and Guiyang in the central and western Guizhou), the Qionglai Mountain--Liangshan Area in Sichuan is located in the eastern margin of the Hengduan Mountains and has large fluctuations in its types of landforms. The average slope of the terrain in the region is much higher than that in the typical rocky desertification regions, which means that people that people are relatively difficult to active here. At the same time, the population density in the region is much lower than that in the typical rocky desertification areas. This result means that rocky desertification has a minor impact on people's lives in this region; additionally, the road network density is lower and the vegetation coverage is higher in this region, which means that it is relatively difficult for mankind to be active, too. Therefore, given the higher terrain slope, higher vegetation coverage, lower road network density and low social impact in this area, the study of rocky desertification in the Qionglai Mountain--Liangshan Area is naturally low. Similar to the Qionglai Mountain--Liangshan Area in Sichuan, the Wushan-Shennongjia Area in Hubei and the Hengduan Mountain Area in western Yunnan also have a higher terrain slope, higher vegetation coverage, lower population density and lower road network density and these factors lead to a significantly lower study of rocky desertification in the above two regions.