Post-earthquake recovery and its driving forces of ecological environment quality using remote sensing and GIScience, a case study of 2015 Ms8.1 Nepal earthquake

Abstract

Natural hazards always have significant impacts on the regional ecological environment, causing huge damages to biodiversity, soil erosion, and impoverishment. This study aimed to analyze the variation of ecological environment quality in Nepal from 2014 to 2018, with a specific focus on the impact and recovery of the 2015 Ms8.1 Nepal earthquake. We utilized Google Earth Engine (GEE) and remote sensing based ecological index (RSEI) to evaluate the ecological environment quality. Moreover, Moran’s I and Geodetector model were employed to explore spatial clustering and driving forces of post-earthquake recovery. The results indicate that after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, there was a decrease of 0.0225 in the mean RSEI in Nepal. The monitoring of the severe-affected areas showed that the regional environmental quality gradually improved within three years after the earthquake. After a span of three years, the ecological environment managed to recover to its pre-earthquake level. In terms of spatial distribution, there is a notable correlation in Nepal, with the ecological environment exhibiting higher quality in the southern regions and lower quality in the northern regions. By examining the driving forces behind the changes in ecological environment quality during the post-earthquake recovery period, it has been determined that altitude, precipitation, and their interaction serve as influential factors. These findings provide valuable insights into the state of ecological environment recovery after the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Furthermore, this study establishes a robust theoretical foundation for local decision-makers to develop ecological protection measures and enhance local disaster risk management.