Spatio-temporal Evolution and Optimization of Landscape Ecological Risk in Karst Mountainous Areas

[Objective]The ecological vulnerability and landscape ecological risk of karst mountainous areas have increased as a result of enhanced disturbance of natural resources by human activities.This paper aimed to explore the characteristics of ecological risk evolution under different landscape patterns in the region,with a view to providing reference for land classification protection,sustainable use of resources and regional ecological risk optimization in karst mountainous areas.[Method]Taking Huangping County,a typical karst mountainous area,as an example,eight evaluation factors of natural and landscape patterns were selected to construct a landscape ecological risk evaluation model,to quantitatively explore the spatio-temporal evolution of landscape ecological risk and the trend of risk level transfer in the study area from^(2)010-2018,and to reveal the complex relationship between ecological risk and topography in karst mountainous areas.[Result]①From 2010 to 2018,land use types changed to different degrees,with the most amount of woodland transferred out(1627.37 hm^(2))and the most amount of construction land transferred in(1303.93 hm^(2));a total of 3552.31 hm^(2) of land was transferred,with a change ratio of 2.13%,and there was a significant conversion between construction land,arable land,and woodland.②From 2010 to 2018,the landscape ecological risk in the study area changed significantly,and the landscape ecological risk index decreased from 0.3441 to 0.1733,showing an upward and then downward trend;the landscape ecological risk of the whole region was dominated by low-risk and lower-risk zones,and the ecological risk level generally shifted from a high level to a low level,and the ecological environment was improved.③There was a negative correlation between ecological risk and topographic position,and high-risk zones were mainly distributed among low topographic zones;with the change of time,the advantage of risk level for the selection of topography was gradually weakened,and the influence of anthropogenic factors on the ecological risk of the landscape was becoming more and more prominent.[Conclusion]This paper can provide theoretical basis for land use optimization and ecological protection in karst mountainous areas.

Ecological Risk Assessment of World Heritage Sites Using RS and GIS:A Case Study of Huangshan Mountain, China

Ecological risk assessment(ERA) is an indispensable method for systematic monitoring of World Heritage Sites(WHSs) exposed to various anthropogenic factors and natural disasters. Remote sensing(RS) and geographical information systems(GIS) can eliminate many limitations in traditional ERA methods. In this study, changes in ecological risk at Huangshan Mountain, the first mixed WHS in China, over the period of 1984–2019 were explored using remote sensing images and products by considering both natural disasters and human disturbance. Results show that of the four land cover types in Huangshan Mountain, namely water, forest, building and farmland, the main land cover type is forest. During the 35 yr, lands categorised at low or relatively low ecological risk levels are dominant in Huangshan Mountain, with the lowest and highest ERIs(ecological risk index) in 1990 and 2010, respectively. The areas at the five ecological risk levels have declined as follows: relatively low > low > medium > relatively high > high. Changes in ecological risks are closely related to changes in land cover and natural disasters. Even though major natural disasters may affect the ecological risk level in the whole region, changes in land cover caused by human activities will shift the ecological risk level in some areas. Our attempts can be modified and applied to other sites, and offer policy implications for protection and preservation of WHSs.