How Human Activity Has Changed the Regional Habitat Quality in an Eco-Economic Zone: Evidence from Poyang Lake Eco-Economic Zone, China.

Tianzhu Zhang,Chao Li,Yang Gao,Bailin Zhang,Yuyang Chang,Zhen Xie

doi:10.3390/ijerph17176253

Abstract

Human activities such as deforestation and urbanization have affected the regional habitat quality of the Poyang Lake area. To evaluate the evolution of habitat quality and its influencing factors in the area, we used Classification and Regression Trees (CART) to interpret the land-use status and used the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) model to analyze the characteristics of changes in habitat quality in the Poyang Lake Eco-Economic Zone (PLEEZ) from 1988 to 2018. The results show that, from 1988 to 2018, land use in the PLEEZ underwent significant changes. The changes in land use led to a gradual increase in habitat degradation and a gradual decrease in habitat quality in the study area. Rapid urbanization notably decreased the habitat quality in the study area. However, at the same time, the ecological protection projects such as returning farmland to forests slowed the decline in habitat quality. Driven by these two factors, habitat quality in the PLEEZ gradually declined but the rate of its decline was suppressed. The findings of this study are of great significance for the coordinated development of social, economic, and ecological development in the PLEEZ and similar areas.

Highlights

The eco-economic zone is a new regional development model proposed to achieve coordination and balance between social economy and ecology
This article discussed the effect of land-use change on habitat quality in detail
Natural conditions are the fundamental determinant of the spatial distribution of habitat quality, and human activities are the main factors influencing habitat quality changes

Summary

Introduction

The eco-economic zone is a new regional development model proposed to achieve coordination and balance between social economy and ecology. Low carbon and ecology have become central themes and how to build a benchmark eco-economic zone has become a focus of social concern [1]. Some eco-economic zones have been established in China, including Dongting Lake. Zone [4], Western Sichuan Plateau Eco-Economic Zone [5], etc. The purpose of establishing an eco-economic zone is to protect the ecology and to develop the economy. The rapid development of urbanization has caused cultivated land and high-rise buildings to invade the habitats on which living creatures depend, which poses a huge challenge in protecting biodiversity [6,7,8].

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