Understanding the Role of Urbanization on Vegetation Dynamics in Mountainous Areas of Southwest China: Mechanism, Spatiotemporal Pattern, and Policy Implications

Li Peng,Ying Liu,Wei Deng

doi:10.3390/ijgi10090590

Abstract

As an important component of terrestrial ecosystems, the mountainous areas of southwest China are facing eco-environmental stress due to rapid urbanization. This study analyzed the vegetation dynamics during urbanization in 410 counties in the mountainous area of southwest China using trend analysis and bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis. The results demonstrate the following: (1) The regional differences in the natural background and the stage of economic development resulted in obvious geographical heterogeneity in the relationship between urbanization and vegetation coverage. (2) The relationship between the rate of urbanization level change (RULC) and the slope of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (Slope−NDVI) in the mountainous areas of southwest China is characterized by an inverted-U-shaped curve. Based on the inflection point (0.206, 57.60) of the inverted-U-shaped curve, the optimal mean annual RULC is 1.37%. (3) The relief degree of the land surface, the gross domestic product (GDP) change rate, and the slope of temperature change are positively correlated with the Slope−NDVI. Overall, an understanding of how urbanization affects vegetation dynamics can inform decisions concerning ecological restoration and urban–rural development in China.

Highlights

IntroductionThe relationship between urbanization and the ecological environment will become an urgent problem in China in the future, and it will become a focal point among scholars [1,2,3]
The regions with low normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were mainly located in the western plateau region, a portion of the plain region, the urban areas, and some of these regions were in hilly areas where agricultural cultivation dominated
This study focused on the vegetation dynamics during the process of urbanization in the mountainous areas of southwest China and hypothesized an inverted-U-shaped relationship between the rate of urbanization level change (RULC) and the Slope−NDVI to investigate the dynamic driving force of vegetation dynamics

Summary

Introduction

The relationship between urbanization and the ecological environment will become an urgent problem in China in the future, and it will become a focal point among scholars [1,2,3]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion