Landscape ecological risk assessment and its driving factors in the Weihe River basin,China

Weihe River basin is of great significance to analyze the changes of land use pattern and landscape ecological risk and to improve the ecological basis of regional development.Based on land use data of the Weihe River basin in 2000,2010,and 2020,with the support of Aeronautical Reconnaissance Coverage Geographic Information System(ArcGIS),GeoDa,and other technologies,this study analyzed the spatial-temporal characteristics and driving factors of land use pattern and landscape ecological risk.Results showed that land use structure of the Weihe River basin has changed significantly,with the decrease of cropland and the increase of forest land and construction land.In the past 20 a,cropland has decreased by 7347.70 km2,and cropland was mainly converted into forest land,grassland,and construction land.The fragmentation and dispersion of ecological landscape pattern in the Weihe River basin were improved,and land use pattern became more concentrated.Meanwhile,landscape ecological risk of the Weihe River basin has been improved.Severe landscape ecological risk area decreased by 19,177.87 km2,high landscape ecological risk area decreased by 3904.35 km2,and moderate and low landscape ecological risk areas continued to increase.It is worth noting that landscape ecological risks in the upper reaches of the Weihe River basin are still relatively serious,especially in the contiguous areas of high ecological risk,such as Tianshui,Pingliang,Dingxi areas and some areas of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.Landscape ecological risk showed obvious spatial dependence,and high ecological risk area was concentrated.Among the driving factors,population density,precipitation,normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),and their interactions are the most important factors affecting the landscape ecological risk of the Weihe River basin.The findings significantly contribute to our understanding of the ecological dynamics in the Weihe River basin,providing crucial insights for sustainable management in the region.

Impacts of multi-scenario land use change on ecosystem services and ecological security pattern: A case study of the Yellow River Delta

The Yellow River Delta(YRD), a critical economic zone along China's eastern coast, also functions as a vital ecological reserve in the lower Yellow River. Amidst rapid industrialization and urbanization, the region has witnessed significant land use/cover changes(LUCC), impacting ecosystem services(ES) and ecological security patterns(ESP). Investigating LUCC's effects on ES and ESP in the YRD is crucial for ecological security and sustainable development. This study utilized the PLUS model to simulate 2030 land use scenarios, including natural development(NDS), economic development(EDS), and ecological protection scenarios(EPS). Subsequently, the InVEST model and circuit theory were applied to assess ES and ESP under varying LUCC scenarios from 2010 to 2030. Findings indicate:(1) Notable LUCC from 2010 to 2030, marked by decreasing cropland and increasing construction land and water bodies.(2) From 2010 to 2020, improvements were observed in carbon storage,water yield, soil retention, and habitat quality, whereas 2020–2030 saw increases in water yield and soil retention but declines in habitat quality and carbon storage. Among the scenarios, EPS showed superior performance in all four ES.(3) Between 2010 and 2030, ecological sources, corridors, and pinchpoints expanded, displaying significant spatial heterogeneity. The EPS scenario yielded the most substantial increases in ecological sources,corridors, and pinchpoints, totaling 582.89 km^(2), 645.03 km^(2),and 64.43 km^(2), respectively. This study highlights the importance of EPS, offering insightful scientific guidance for the YRD's sustainable development.

Optimization of water-urban-agricultural-ecological land use pattern:A case study of Guanzhong Basin in the southern Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province,China

Extensive land use will cause many environmental problems.It is an urgent task to improve land use efficiency and optimize land use patterns.In recent years,due to the flow decrease,the Guanzhong Basin in Shaanxi Province is confronted with the problem of insufficient water resources reserve.Based on the Coupled Ground-Water and Surface-Water Flow Model(GSFLOW),this paper evaluates the response of water resources in the basin to changes in land use patterns,optimizes the land use pattern,improves the ecological and economic benefits,and the efficiency of various spatial development,providing a reference for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.The research shows that the land use pattern in the Guanzhong Basin should be further optimized.Under the condition of considering ecological and economic development,the percentage change of the optimum area of farmland,forest,grassland,water area,and urban area compared with the current land use area ratio is+2.3,+2.4,-6.1,+0.2,and+1.6,respectively.The economic and ecological value of land increases by14.1%and 3.1%,respectively,and the number of water resources can increase by 2.5%.

Spatiotemporal variations in ecological quality of Otindag Sandy Land based on a new modified remote sensing ecological index

Otindag Sandy Land in China is an important ecological barrier to Beijing;the changes in its ecological quality are major concerns for sustainable development and planning of this area.Based on principal component analysis and path analysis,we first generated a modified remote sensing ecological index(MRSEI)coupled with satellite and ground observational data during 2001–2020 that integrated four local indicators(greenness,wetness,and heatness that reflect vegetation status,water,and heat conditions,respectively,as well as soil erosion).Then,we assessed the ecological quality in Otindag Sandy Land during 2001–2020 based on the MRSEI at different time scales(i.e.,the whole year,growing season,and non-growing season).MRSEI generally increased with an upward rate of 0.006/a during 2001–2020,with clear seasonal and spatial variations.Ecological quality was significantly improved in most regions of Otindag Sandy Land but degraded in the southern part.Regions with ecological degradation expanded to 18.64%of the total area in the non-growing season.The area with the worst grade of MRSEI shrunk by 15.83%of the total area from 2001 to 2020,while the area with the best grade of MRSEI increased by 9.77%of the total area.The temporal heterogeneity of ecological conditions indicated that the improvement process of ecological quality in the growing season may be interrupted or deteriorated in the following non-growing season.The implementation of ecological restoration measures in Otindag Sandy Land should not ignore the seasonal characteristics and spatial heterogeneity of local ecological quality.The results can explore the effectiveness of ecological restoration and provide scientific guides on sustainable development measures for drylands.

Performance evaluation of ecological compensation policy for cultivated land in China

The paper evaluates the changes in the ecological environment of cultivated land in the major crop-producing areas major crop-producing areas in the past 20 years by constructing an ecological pollution index;and quantitatively analyzes the effects of the existing policies and their main influencing factors by applying the PSM-DID method based on the frequency of policy enactment.The results are as follows:first,the existing ecological compensation policies for cultivated land are effective but not significant in improving the ecological environment in the major crop-producing areas.The economic development level and grain cultivation area of the major crop-producing areas are significantly and positively correlated with the improvement of the arable land ecological environment,while the level of agricultural infrastructure construction is significantly and negatively correlated with the improvement of the arable land ecological environment.Second,the reason for the ineffectiveness of the current arable ecological land compensation policy in protecting the arable land ecological environment in the main grain-producing regions is that the existing arable ecological land compensation policy in China has its own institutional defects and needs to be further improved.At the same time,the level of environmental pollution of cultivated land in the main grain-producing regions is positively correlated with the level of income from cultivated land and cultivated area.

Application of GIS in Ecological Land Type(ELT)mapping--A case in Changbai Mountain area

This paper depicted the physiographic landscape features and natural vegetation situation of study area (the eastern Jilin Province), and expatiates the definition, basic characters and its development of Ecological Land Classification (ELC). Based on the combination of relief map, satellite photography for study area and vegetation inventory data of 480 sample sites, a 5-class and a 15-class ecological land type map was concluded according to 4 important factors including slope, aspect, vegetation and elevation. Ecological Classification System (ECS) is a method to identify, characterize, and map ecosystems. The Ecological Land Type (ELT) was examined and applied initially in eastern Jilin Province.

Study on the Ecological Planning of Urban Preparatory Construction Land

Taking Shawen Ecological Tech-Industrial Park in Guiyang City for example,the ecological planning methods and procedures of urban preparatory construction land were studied.It was found that the urban preparatory construction land could be classified into four categories through analyzing its ecological sensitivity,i.e.the most sensitive area,secondarily sensitive area,less sensitive area and non-sensitive area.All types of construction were prohibited in the most sensitive area which provided 'negative' results for the future development of preparatory construction land.On this basis,certain land use types were selected to carry out suitability analysis of land use which could provide 'positive' results for the future development of preparatory construction land,i.e.guide the direction and layout of land use development.To improve the studies on ecological planning,the above-mentioned analysis results were combined to construct the ecological network,so as to form an ecological planning method combining both horizontal and vertical ecological analysis.

Status of and Strategies for the Planning and Design, Maintenance and Management of Chinese Urban Green Land——Application of Ecological Concepts in This Field

The sustainability of the planning and design goals of urban green land and that of its maintenance and management are mutually related and act as an organic whole. For a long time, the independence of the two is more prominent than their organic connection. This research has made preliminary considerations from three aspects. First, it concerns infusing the concept of ecology, contemplating and demonstrating space, as well as reducing the incidence of plant diseases and insect pests of urban green land. Second, the arrangement of flowers and trees for the planning and design of urban green land should comply with the biological attributes of flowers and trees to realize the organic unification of biological and scenic attributes of flowers and trees. Third, the planning and design of urban green land should attach importance to the organic unification of biological and scenic attributes of lawn grass seeds and reduce the difficulty of maintaining lawn. This research attempts to reduce the pressure of maintaining urban green land from the beginning, i.e. the planning and design of urban green land. It also tries to reduce the cost of maintenance and management to the realize planning and design goals of urban green land and the sustainability concerning its maintenance and management and arrive at the mutual unification of the planning and design as well as maintenance and management of urban green land.

Embodiment of "Ecological,Cultural,Landscape,Vigorous" Campus—A Case Study of the Planning of Environmental greening in New Campus of Laiwu Vocational and Technical College

The general situation of new campus of Laiwu Vocational and Technical College was introduced.The guiding ideology was that with the purpose of serving faculties and students as the purpose,the designing will be fully combined with excellent natural environment and campus technology and culture,and with ecological landscape as the major and sustainable development as the aim,striving to highlight the theme and landscape,a comfortable,vigorous,innovative and beautiful outdoor spatial environment would be created.In accordance with the planning principle of "people-orientation,ecology,sustainable development,embodying the characteristics of landscapes,overall planning and varied practices",based on the planning thought of "procession of whole and part,of technology and art,of buildings and environment and of landscaping methods",the overall planning and regional division of constructing "ecological,cultural,landscape,vigorous" campus was proposed,that is,the campus environment would be divided into six functional zones(the entrance door zone,footsteps zone,teaching activities zone,life services zone,athletic activities zone and ecological recreation zone) and ten scenic areas(gate landscape area,scientific and technological culture corridor,ecological recreation area,culture exhibition area,Xiushui Lake scenic area,knowledge park,living landscape area,art exhibition area,mountainous scenic area and sports activities area),and meanwhile landscaping plants were planned.

Evaluation on Land Ecological Security in Hohhot Based on Principal Component Analysis

Based on the status of land ecological resources in Hohhot, 20 indexes covering nature, resource environment, economy and society were selected and the evaluation index system was established. With the principal component analysis, the land ecological security of Hohhot from 2009 to 2015 was analyzed. The results showed that the land ecological security of Hohhot was declining year by year in 2009-2015. Besides, per capital GDP and public green area, the proportion of in- dustry and the price index of agricultural and animal husbandry production materials were the key factors influencing the land ecological security of Hohhot. The key for protection of the land ecological security may lie in the protection of land quality and prevention of land degradation in farming and stock-breeding areas.

Land use change and its corresponding ecological responses:a review

This paper reviews the research on land use change and its corresponding ecological responses. Patterns of land use changes in spatio-temporal level are produced by the interaction of biophysical and socio-economic processes. Nowadays, the studies derived from different socioeconomic conditions and scales show that at short-term scale, human activities, rather than natural forces, have become a major force in shaping the environment, while biophysical factors control the trends and processes of land use change under the macro environmental background. Providing a scientific understanding of the process of land use change, the impacts of different land use decisions, and the ways that decisions are affected by a changing environment and increasing ecological variability are the priority areas for research： （1） explanation of scale dependency of drivers of land use change; （2） quantification of driving factors of land use change; （3） incorporation of biophysical feedbacks in land use change models： and （4） underlying processes and mechanisms of ecological impacts of land use change.

Ecological footprint analysis based on RS and GIS in arid land

Sustainable development has become a primary objective for many countries and regions throughout the world now. The ecological footprint (EF) is a kind of concise method of quantifiably measuring the natural capital consumption and it can reflect the goal of sustainability. In this paper, the concept, the theory and method of ecological footprint are introduced. On this basis, the study brings forward the method of ecological footprint and capacity prediction. The method is employed for the ecological footprint prediction combining consumption model with population model and the technique is adopted for the ecological capacity (EC) prediction uniting the Geographical Cellular Automata (Geo CA) and Geographic Information System (GIS). The above models and methods are employed to calculate EF and EC in 1995 and 2000 and predict them in 2005 in Hexi Corridor. The result shows that EF is continually increasing, and EC ascended in the anterior 5 years and will descend in the posterior 5 years. This suit of method is of the character of accuracy and speediness.

Integrating landscape ecological principles and land evaluation for sustainable land use

Many existing methods for appraisal of agricultural areas and farming systems are short of dynamics and spatial analysis. The main objective of this paper is to merge approaches in classical land evaluation, largely based on soil science, and newer approaches in landscape ecology, which are rather based on the relationships between spatial patterns (physiography, land use and farming system design, vegetation etc.) and processes (farming activities, scale changes, geomorphological processes, bio ecological processes). Rapid changes in rural areas have an impact on both processes and patterns. Planning for sustainable use of these areas should include the assessment of the interrelations between these patterns and processes.

Ecological niche suitability model with an application in Taojiang land use planning

Ecological suitability analysis is an important step in ecological planning. It applies the basis toestablish a sound development planning. In this paper, by applying multi-dimension niche concept, an eco-logical niche suitability (ENS) model was developed. The ENS model, combined with geographical informa-tion system (GIS) and spatial simulation, was used to analyze regional resources and environmental features ,and identify the suitability of regional resource and environment to regional development. An application ofthe ENS model in Taojiang agricultural land use planning is presented.

Design and Applications of Land Resources and Ecological Environment Information System: A Case Study of Zigui County in the Three Gorges Area of China

The design and applications of a land information system built upon ARC/INFO and ArcView are presented. The proposed system not only maintains all the advantages of the more conventional implementations but also enhances them in the following ways: 1) the application program interfaces (API) are used to transmit data and messages among different parts of the system; 2) the integrated system can support studies on land evaluations and ecological analyses by efficient management of attribute and spatial data and 3) correspondingly, spatial records and attributive records are linked by the same identifiers (ID). A case study application in Zigui County of the Three Gorges Area in China demonstrates that the system could employ land-use maps and land property data to predicate and analyze the land utilization changes in the past, present and future. The ecological environment analysis can be carried out with the data of land, economics and terrain map used, showing that the system can be widely applied, especially to survey land and environment resources in the countryside area.

Protection and Construction Measures of Wild Animals' Habitats in Ecological Green Land Design in Town-and-City Concentration Areas of China

Town-and-city concentration area is confronted with ecological degeneration due to the expansion of urbanization,and enriching urban bio-diversity is conducive to the improvement of ecological function of urban green system.The paper has studied how to increase urban bio-diversity by making use of urban green lands for protection and construction of wild animals' habitats,and proposed the significance and theoretical idea for protection and construction of wild animals' habitats.By taking ecological green lands design in Qinglongchang of Chengdu City for example,it has analyzed the current situation of animals' diversity;proposed to plan corridor,construct biological channel and provide multiporous habitats;listed plants' selection and collocation mode;and finally illustrated how to set artificial facilities for attraction of animals.It hopes to provide a reference for the design of ecological green lands in cities advocating the harmonious development of living environment and natural environment.

Dynamics of Saline-alkali Land and Its Ecological Regionalization in Western Songnen Plain, China

As the important reserve land resources for food production,saline-alkali land should play a significant role to ensure the national food security in the context of global food crisis. The western Songnen Plain is one of main distribution regions of saline-alkali land in China,with great potential in agricultural development. In this study,the extent,transformation,spatial distribution and temporal change of saline-alkali land in the western Songnen Plain during 1954–2005 were investigated by using remote sensing and GIS spatial analysis methods. Saline-alkali land change was detected from a temporal series of topographic maps in 1954,satellite images of Landsat MSS in 1976,Landsat TM/ETM in 1988,2000 and 2005 through artificial visual interpretation. The results indicated a significant expansion in saline-alkali land area and aggravation in salinization. The area of saline-alkali land had increased from 401.48×103 ha in 1954 to 1 097.45×103 ha in 2005. While the ratio of light,moderate and serious salinized land areas changed from 6.72︰2.92︰1.00 to 1.25︰1.06︰1.00 in the study period. Grassland,cropland,swampland and water body were the major land use and land cover types from which saline-alkali land transformed. And the secondary salinization occured mainly in Da′an City,Tongyu County,Changling County,Daqing City,Dorbod Mongolian Autonomous County and Zhaoyuan County. Finally,seven large ecoregions and 14 corresponding sub-ecoregions were delineated out based on spatio-temopral dynamic characteristics of saline-alkali land and geo-relational environmental attributes. According to the results,measures of amelioration and ways of development of saline-alkali land in the western Songnen Plain were put forward.

Comparative Analysis on Eco-Efficiency of Arable Land Ecological Footprint in Hubei

This paper uses the ecological footprint model to make comparison of the eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint in different years in Hubei Province, and makes comparison of that in Hubei and some countries. The results indicate that, since 1965, the eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint in Hubei has been improved year by year. However, the efficiency of arable land ecological footprint, compared with some other areas in the world, is much lower. In 1965, average eco-efficiency of world arable land ecological footprint is 3 421 US dollar/hm^2 while that of Hubei Province is 134 US dollar/hm^2, about 1/26 of the world＇s average level. The eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint for 2003 in Hubei Province, however, has become about 1/9 of the world＇s average level for the same year. Finally the author puts forward the ways to raise the eco-efficiency of arable land ecological footprint.

Ecological rebuilding and land reclamation in surface mines in Shanxi Province, China

It is well known that the mining industry produces a large amount of derelict land, and causes pollution of water loss and soil erosion as well as other environmental damage in China. As land is under pressure in China, it is now policy to restore or reclaim land despoiled by mining, the aim being to develop sustainable and healthy arable land ecosystems. This paper outlines the principles and approaches of ecological restoration, which have been adopted in Shanxi Province with reference to three typical surface mines. In the research, the principles of ecological engineering and ecological succession are considered as the critical theories of ecological restoration in mine degraded land. Meanwhile, the paper made a comparative research on main links of ecological rebuilding in three surface mines in Shanxi Province, which include new land construction, treatment of toxic substances, control of soil erosion, fertility management, irrigation, ecological planning and the establishment of legislation systems. As the research demonstrated, for successful restoration, new land construction is the fundamental framework, but it must be integrated with ecological engineering including ecological planning, the control of soil erosion and vegetation establishment and ecosystem creation in order to optimise land productivity and soil fertility. In addition, the establishment of the legislation systems and organization of administration are also indispensable aspects of ecological rebuilding in mined land.

Land use change and its ecological effect in Qian’an County of Jilin Province

Based on GIS and statistical methods, with the help of searching historical literatures and calculating the landscape indices, the land use changes of Qian'an County in both spatial and temporal aspects from 1945 to 1996 has been analyzed in this paper. And the driving forces of land use changes and their ecological effects are discussed too. The main findings of this study are as follows: (1) Land use changed greatly in Qian'an during 1945-1996, characterized by a decrease in grassland, wetland and water bodies, and an increase in cultivated land, saline-alkali land, and the land for housing and other construction purposes. Grassland decreased by 175,828.66 ha, and cultivated land increased by 102,137.23 ha over the half century. Accordingly, the main landscape type changed from a steppe landscape to a managed agricultural ecosystem. (2) Results of correlation analysis show that the land use change in the study area was mainly driven by the socioeconomic factors. (3) The ecological effects of land use change in the area are characterized by serious salinization, degression of soil fertility and the weakening of landscape suitability.