Ecological Function Areas Research Articles

Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality

IntroductionThe National Key Ecological Functional Areas (NKEFAs) are location-oriented ecological engineering of China, which rely on the main functional area planning. The co-benefits of ecological product supply and ecological environment improvement of NKEFAs has not been fully assessed in the literature.MethodsNKEFAs is considered a quasi-natural experiment, and the time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) model is used to assess the impact of NKEFAs on carbon sequestration (CS) and environmental quality (EQ) based on the panel data of 330 cities in China from 2001 to 2019. Then, we explore whether the co-benefits of ecological product supply and eco-environment protection can be achieved.Results and discussionNKEFAs can enhance CS and EQ and thus achieve co-benefits for both. NKEFAs can achieve the co-benefits of CS and EQ through territory spatial allocation and labor force aggregation, but industrial structure upgrading only positively mediates the impact of NKEFAs on CS. The co-benefits of CS and EQ are heterogeneous across functional area types, geospatial locations, and quantiles, while only CS at windbreak-sand fixation area, northwestern region, and low quantile regions is enhanced. This study makes a theoretical and methodological contribution to the existing literature on the policy effect assessment of ecological engineering. It also provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the ecological effects of relevant policies in other countries by integrating the co-benefits of ecological products and eco-environment, analyzing regional heterogeneity, and exploring the underlying mechanisms.

Prevalence and risk factors of hookworm infections among vegetable growers in Anhui Province from 2018 to 2019

To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of hookworm infections among vegetable growers in Anhui Province, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the control strategy and interventions for hookworm human infections. A total of 1 179 vegetable growers were randomly sampled from 7 counties in Anhui province according to the natural ecological function areas in 2018 and 2019, and the basic features and risk factors of hookworm infections were collected from all subjects using a self-designed questionnaire, including living environment, vegetable planting and fertilization, type of household crops, animal feeding, hygiene and labor habits. In addition, stool samples were collected from all participants, and each stool sample was subjected to twice tests with the Kato-Katz technique. The risk factors of hookworm infections were identified among vegetable growers with the Bayesian log-binomial regression model. The prevalence of hookworm infection was 3.90% among the 1 179 vegetable growers. The prevalence of hookworm infection was 10.07% (15/149) among unemployed subjects, 5.32% (31/583) among farmers, and 0 among full-time vegetable growers (0/377) and subjects with other occupations (0/70), and there was a significant difference among subjects in terms of occupation (χ2=36.37, P < 0.01). Bayesian log-binomial regression analysis showed that fertilization with human feces [relative risk (RR)=18.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): (4.31, 77.17)], barefoot labor in vegetable fields [RR=2.86, 95% CI: (1.43, 5.70)], and living in plain ecological areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River [RR=4.19, 95% CI: (1.19, 14.81)] were independent risk factors of hookworm infections among vegetable growers. Stratified analysis showed that fertilization with human feces, barefoot labor in vegetable fields, drinking well water or mountain spring, and living in plain ecological areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were independent risk factors of hookw, orm infection among farmers, and living in plain ecological areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and growing rice were independent risk factors of hookw, orm infection among unemployed individuals. The prevalence of hookworm infection is high among vegetable growers in Anhui Province, and fertilization with human feces, barefoot labor in vegetable fields and living in plain ecological areas along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are risk factors of hookw, orm infections among vegetable growers.

Transfer payment in national key ecological functional areas and economic development: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

Transfer payment in national key ecological functional areas and economic development: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China

黄河流域生态功能区植被碳汇估算及其气候影响要素

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 黄河流域生态功能区植被碳汇估算及其气候影响要素 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202203110591 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 水沙科学与水利水电工程国家重点实验室(清华大学)2021年对外开放基金(sklhse-2021-A-06);辽宁省兴辽英才项目资助;国家自然科学基金项目(52079060) Estimation of vegetation carbon sink in the Yellow River Basin ecological function area and analysis of its main meteorological elements Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:基于改进的CASA模型和土壤呼吸模型,综合遥感数据、气象数据、植被数据等多源数据类型,以黄河流域为研究对象,估算生态功能区植被碳源/汇,探讨其时空变化及主要气候影响要素。结果显示:(1)黄河流域植被净初级生产力(NPP)在2000-2020年整体呈波动上升趋势,多年平均NPP值为317.18 gC m-2 a-1;林地＞耕地＞沼泽＞草地,水体、戈壁、风蚀劣地和裸沙地的NPP总体处于较低值。空间尺度上,黄河流域NPP呈现出南高北低的分布特点,高值区集中在黄土高原农业与草原生态区与汾渭盆地农业生态区交界处,空间差异显著。(2)土壤微生物呼吸量极大值出现2018年,为15.82 gC m-2 a-1,最小值出现在2004年为14.34 gC m-2 a-1;空间上呈现从东南往西北、从东往西依次递减的空间分布格局。(3)黄河流域总体呈碳汇属性(碳汇区域超过60%),年均固碳量约为111.02 MgC/a,年均排碳量为-9.96 MgC/a,年均净碳汇总量约为111.41 MgC/a。(4)黄河流域植被碳汇的形成与降水和太阳辐射的相关性最大,气温的影响面积仅占12.44%;当气温为30℃,降水150 mm,太阳辐射550 MJ/m2时,植被固碳能力效果最强。研究结果为区域全面准确地评估陆地生态系统碳源/汇,实现黄河流域高质量发展,达到碳中和目标提供参考依据。 Abstract:Based on the improved CASA (Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach) model and soil respiration model, this paper integrates multi-source data, such as remote sensing data, meteorological data and vegetation data, to estimate vegetation carbon sources/sinks in ecological function areas, and explore their spatio-temporal variations and main climate influencing elements in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that (1) the overall Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of vegetation in the Yellow River Basin presented a fluctuating upward trend from 2000 to 2020, with a multi-year average NPP value of 317.18 gC m-2 a-1. The NPP of various vegetation types showed that: forest land>cropland>swamp>grassland, and water bodies, Gobi, wind eroded poor land and bare sand land were at lower values overall. On the spatial scale, the NPP in the Yellow River Basin shows the distribution characteristics of high in the south and low in the north, and the high value areas are concentrated at the junction of the Loess Plateau agricultural and grassland ecological zone and the Fenwei Basin agroecological zone, with significant spatial differences. (2) The maximum value of soil microbial respiration appeared in 2018 at 15.82 gC m-2 a-1, and the minimum value appeared in 2004 at 14.34 gC m-2 a-1; spatially it showed a spatial distribution pattern decreasing from southeast to northwest and from east to west. (3) The Yellow River Basin has a carbon sink attribute in general (the carbon sink area exceeds 60%) The average annual carbon sequestration is about 111.02 MgC/a, the average annual carbon emission is -9.96 MgC/a, and the total annual net carbon sink is about 111.41 MgC/a. (4) The formation of vegetation carbon sink in the Yellow River Basin is mostly correlated with precipitation and solar radiation, and the influence area of air temperature only accounts for 12.44%; the effect of vegetation carbon sequestration capacity is the strongest when the temperature is 30℃, precipitation is 150 mm, and solar radiation is 550 MJ/m2. The results of the study provide a reference basis for a comprehensive and accurate regional assessment of carbon sources/sinks in terrestrial ecosystems to achieve high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin and meet the carbon neutrality target. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

基于“参照系-现状-变化量”的生态系统评估方法

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于“参照系-现状-变化量”的生态系统评估方法 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202110122868 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家重点研发计划项目（2016YFC0500200） Research on ecosystem assessment method based on Reference-State-Deviation Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: National Key Research and Development Program(2016YFC0500200) 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:生态系统评估是开展生态系统管理的重要手段，其评估结果已成为衡量区域生态系统状况优劣的重要依据。由于没有充分考虑生态系统禀赋的区域差异性，缺乏有效区分气候变化和人类活动影响的手段，导致生态系统评估结果的实用性与区域可比性一直存有争议。在生态大数据背景下，基于生态完整性理论，结合长期地面监测数据、野外调查数据、遥感数据等海量数据，耦合生态系统过程模型，构建了基于"参照系-现状-变化量"（RSD）的生态系统评估体系，以受干扰较少接近原生、完整的地带性植被生态系统（完整的生态系统）作为参照系，其表现出来的组成、结构、功能等特征为参照条件，生态系统状况现状与参照条件的偏离程度作为评估生态系统优劣程度的依据，从而将现状评估转变为变化量评估，增强评估结果的时空可比性。并以生态系统过程模型为工具，利用RSD评估方法评估了中国陆地生态系统生产力功能，验证了该方法体系的可行性。评估结果显示，2000-2018年我国植被净初级生产力（NPP）参照值、现实值和变化量均表现为上升趋势，而NPP现实值与变化量的空间分布存在显著差异，基于RSD的评估方法较好地解决了评估结果区域不可比的问题。研究对完善我国生态系统评估体系，推动生态系统评估结果的实用化，支撑我国重点生态功能区县域考核、生态红线监管、自然保护地体系建设等国家需求具有重要意义。 Abstract:Ecosystem assessment is vital important to carry out ecosystem management, and its results have become a basis to measure the status of regional ecosystem. Due to the insufficient consideration of the regional differences of ecosystem endowments and lack of effective measures to distinguish the impact of climate change and human activities, the practicability and regional comparability of ecosystem assessment results have been controversial. Under the background of ecological big data, this paper combined with long-term ground monitoring data, field investigation data, remote sensing data and other massive data, coupled with the ecosystem process model, and took the less disturbed, nearly native and integral zonal vegetation ecosystem (integral ecosystem) as references based on the ecological integrity theory. The composition, structure and function of the integral ecosystem were defined as the reference conditions. The deviation between the current and reference state of ecosystem was used to evaluate the ecosystem. An ecosystem evaluation method based on "Reference-State-Deviation (RSD)" was then constructed. The RSD evaluation method could transform the assessment of current state into deviation assessment and enhance the temporal and spatial comparability of the assessment results. Taking the self-developed model, CEVAS-RS model and CEVAS-CLI model as tools, the productivity of terrestrial ecosystem in China was evaluated, and the feasibility of the method was verified. This study is of great significance to improve China's ecosystem assessment system, promote the practicability of ecosystem assessment results, and support the national needs of China's key ecological function areas and counties assessment, ecological red line supervision, nature reserve system construction and so on. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Impact of the establishment of National Key Ecological Functional Areas on the rural residents’ income: Empirical analysis based on PSM-DID

Impact of the establishment of National Key Ecological Functional Areas on the rural residents’ income: Empirical analysis based on PSM-DID

祁连山国家公园植被时空变化及其对人类活动的响应

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 祁连山国家公园植被时空变化及其对人类活动的响应 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202107221990 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 甘肃省创新群体项目（20JR10RA038）；中国科学院"西部之光"交叉团队项目-重点实验室合作研究专项；国家重点研发计划项目（2019YFC0507401） Spatial and temporal changes in vegetation cover and response to human activities in Qilian Mountain National Park Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:祁连山国家公园地处青藏、蒙新、黄土三大高原交汇地带的祁连山北麓，作为国家公园体制试点之一，是我国重要的生态功能区、水源涵养地和生物多样性保护优先区域，其生态功能不可忽视。以祁连山国家公园2000-2019年归一化植被指数（NDVI）和净初级生产力（NPP）数据为基础，结合气温、降水、土地利用、矿产开采和旅游发展数据，利用泰尔-森趋势分析（Theil-Sen趋势分析）、曼-肯德尔检验（Mann-Kendall显著性检验）、土地转移概率矩阵和多元残差分析方法，分析该区域的植被时空分布特征、变化趋势特征及其对气候变化和人类活动的响应。结果表明：（1）2000-2019年祁连山国家公园内NDVI和NPP在空间上呈现出东南高西北低，由东南向西北递减的格局。时间上呈现上升趋势，上升速率分别为0.0053/a和0.0014/a；（2）祁连山国家公园内NPP提高、降低和稳定区域分别占总面积的87.29%、0.40%和12.30%。降低区域零星分布于整个国家公园，其中在走廊南山和冷龙岭交汇处，靠近甘青两省交界边缘分布最为集中。提高区域分布广泛，尤其以国家公园东部最为明显；（3）祁连山国家公园NDVI与气温呈现显著正相关区域约占40.18%，与降水呈现正相关区域约占25.70%，气温上升、降水增多促进了国家公园植被生长，适宜的水热组合对植被生长更有利；（4）人类活动对植被变化的影响具有两面性：约有28.91%矿业、旅游和水电站在整改、规范之后植被生长状况仍较差，生态环境没有明显恢复；退耕还林还草工程、生态林建设工程成效显著，近3年林地、草地面积增多。（5）祁连山国家公园大部分植被覆盖变化是由气候变化和人类活动共同导致。 Abstract:Qilian Mountain National Park is located in the north piedmont of Qilian Mountains at the intersection of Qinghai-Tibet, Mongolian-Xinjiang and Loess. As one of the national park system pilots, Qilian Mountain National park is an important ecological function area, a water retention area and a priority area for biodiversity conservation in China, and its ecological functions cannot be ignored. Based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of Qilian Mountain National Park from 2000-2019, combined with temperature, precipitation, land use, mineral extraction and tourism development data, we used the Theil-Sen slope estimation, Mann-Kendall test, land transfer matrix and multivariate residual analysis methods to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of vegetation, change trend characteristics and its response to climate change and human activities. The results showed that (1) NDVI and NPP in Qilian Mountain National Park from 2000 to 2019 showed a spatial pattern of high in the southeast and low in the northwest, decreasing from southeast to northwest. Temporally, they showed an increasing trend, with an increase rate of 0.0053/a and 0.0014/a, respectively. (2) The improved, decreased and stable areas of NPP in Qilian Mountain National Park accounted for 87.29%, 0.40% and 12.30% of the total area, respectively. Decreased areas are scattered throughout the national park, with the most concentrated distribution at the intersection of Zoulang South Mountains and Lenglongling, near the border edge of Gansu and Qinghai provinces. The improved areas are widely distributed, especially the most obvious in the eastern part of the national park. (3) The NDVI of Qilian Mountain National Park shows a significant positive correlation with temperature in about 40.18% of the area, and a positive correlation with precipitation in about 25.70% of the area, the increase in temperature and precipitation promotes the growth of vegetation in the national park, and a suitable combination of hydrothermal conditions is more favorable to the growth of vegetation.(4) The impact of human activities on vegetation changes was two-sided:Approximately 28.91% of mining, tourism and hydroelectric power stations in the national park still had poor vegetation growth after rectification and regulation, and the ecological environment has not recovered significantly; The cropland to forest and grassland conversion projects and ecological forest projects have been effective, the area of forest and grassland has increased, in the past three years.(5) Most of the vegetation cover changes in Qilian Mountain National Park were caused by a combination of climate change and human activity. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

A GIS-Based Study on the Layout of the Ecological Monitoring System of the Grain for Green Project in China

The Grain for Green Project (GGP) is an essential ecological system protection and restoration measure which can effectively improve the ecological environment. Constructing ecological monitoring system and obtaining ecological parameters can scientifically evaluate the ecological benefits of the GGP, consolidate the existing achievements, take the road of high-quality development, and promote the construction of a national ecological civilization. Firstly, an index system was constructed based on the factors driving forest ecosystem functions, involving climate (thermal and moisture conditions), vegetation types, and typical ecological zones. Then, GIS spatial analysis technology and the merging criteria index method were used to identify GGP ecological function monitoring zones. Finally, according to the scale of the project, the spatial distribution of existing stations, typical ecological zones, and the density of monitoring stations, the eco-efficiency monitoring stations, were arranged in an overall way, which constitutes the GGP ecological monitoring network. The results showed that the ecological function monitoring zones of GGP included 77 divisions, and 99 ecological monitoring stations (20 compatible level-1 stations, 31 compatible level-2 stations, 18 professional level-1 stations, and 30 professional level-2 stations) were arranged. Among them, 83 are located in national major ecosystem protection and restoration engineering areas (NMEPREA), 79 in national ecological fragile areas (NEFA), 41 in national ecological barrier areas (NEBA), and 58 in national key ecological function areas (NKEFA). The proportion of types of NMEPREA, NEFA, NEBA, and NKEFA covered by monitoring is 66.7%, 100%, 100%, and 76%, respectively. The ecological monitoring system of GGP can not only meet the monitoring needs of the GGP but also effectively monitor the effectiveness of protection and restoration of typical ecological zones. In addition, this study can provide a methodological basis for other countries or ecological projects to build a more scientific and reasonable ecological monitoring system.

Territorial spatial usage regulation based on resources endowment and sustainable development: A case of Wuhan, China

Urbanization with mismanagement has seriously threatened regional ecology and cultivated land security. At present, the territorial spatial usage regulations often isolate functions from a single aspect, which makes it difficult to meet demands of regional economic development, ecological protection, and sustainable development. This paper attempted to construct a zoning system of territorial spatial usages that comprehensively considers local development demands, resource endowment conditions, and sustainable development, and proposed a method to regulate sustainable development intensity. Wuhan City was selected as the study area. At first, the land resource function was zoned by the modified multi-objective land allocation (MOLA) model considering the resource endowment conditions and social development demands. The study area was divided into ecological, agricultural, and construction land resources. Also, the functions of land, water, and geological resources are integrated into the zonation framework of territorial spatial usages. Then, the construction and agricultural development intensity in different usage areas were quantitatively regulated by comprehensively considering the current basic demands, sustainable development, land use status, and relevant policies. The calculation results show that the development intensity of construction land in the construction space should be limited to 43%–53%, while the development intensity in the general farmland area should be limited to 10%. The agricultural development intensity should be greater than 65% in the general farmland, while it should be lower than 64% in the general ecological function area. Additionally, by comparing with the land-use status, the construction in the study area is within a reasonable scope (about 44%). The north and south of Huangpi District, the north of Xinzhou District, Hannan District, and the east of Caidian District still have great potential for development. Finally, based on territorial spatial usage and development intensity regulation, this paper proposed some effective suggestions for territorial spatial development. This paper can provide a reference for the territorial spatial planning and ecological environment protection of Wuhan City. At the same time, it provides a new idea for urban planning research considering the resource, environment, and economic development.

The Delineation and Ecological Connectivity of the Three Parallel Rivers Natural World Heritage Site.

Landscape connectivity refers to the degree of continuity between the spatially structured units of a landscape. Ecological connectivity can characterise the degree to which ecological functional areas are connected in terms of function and ecological processes. In this study, the landscape pattern index and ecosystem service values were used to evaluate the ecological functional resistance of each landscape type, taking the Three Parallel Rivers Natural World Heritage Site as an example and the habitat distribution and population size of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey as a reference. The minimum cost distance model, combined with the barrier impact index (BEI) and ecological connectivity index (ECI), was used to determine the degree of barrier impact on the study area and the ecological connectivity of the core reserve of the heritage site in both 2000 and 2020. The resistances of the different land types and landscape heterogeneity to the ecological function of species migration between the core protected areas of the heritage site were, in descending order, those of the forest, shrubs and grass, water, unused land, cultivated land, and built-up land. In 2020, the study area had a large BEI, with areas such as built-up areas, major roads, the sides of large rivers, and arable land being significant contributors to the blockage of landscape connectivity. The overall landscape connectivity in the study area was generally low, with clear spatial differentiation and a three-column parallel distribution pattern influenced by the topography and landscape. With the adjustment of the core reserve boundaries of the heritage site, the proportion of areas with high connectivity (ECI = 4-5) increased from 11.31% in 2000 to 34.36% in 2020. This increased landscape connectivity was conducive to the migration and reproduction of large terrestrial animals, such as the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, with increasing numbers of populations and individuals. This study provides theoretical and methodological insights into the delineation and conservation of natural heritage sites and landscape connectivity.

A Supply-Demand Framework for Eco-Compensation Calculation and Allocation in China’s National Key Ecological Function Areas—A Case Study in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

China’s National Key Ecological Function Areas (NKEFAs) provide important ecosystem services but lose significant development opportunities. An NKEFA consists of a few National Key Ecological Function Counties (NKEFCs). China’s central government annually makes fiscal transfers to NKEFCs to compensate for their fiscal imbalance and ecosystem protection costs. The eco-compensation coefficient (ECC), together with the fiscal revenue and expenditure gap (FREG), determines the transfer payment, but the central government fails to provide practical methods for its estimation. This article proposes a framework for ECC estimation by integrating ecosystem service supply (ESS), ecosystem protection cost (EPC), and public service provision capability (PSC) of NKEFCs, and clarifies the criteria and indicators for ESS, EPC, and PSC evaluation. The framework was implemented in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YZEB), and the results were compared with the payments in the current central-to-local fiscal transfer (CTLFT) system. The key findings and conclusions include: (1) The payment in the current CTLFT system mainly depends on the FREG rather than ESS and EPC of NKEFCs. (2) Some counties are notably under-compensated because their ESS or EPC are underestimated, or the province that administers them has a stronger fiscal capability. (3) The framework contributes to fair allocation and efficient use of eco-compensation payments by improving the ECC estimation method and identifying the main stressors and public service weaknesses in NKEFAs. This study gives the following policy implications: (1) Inner-provincial and cross-provincial watershed eco-compensation programs need to be developed to supplement the central-to-local eco-compensation program in the YZEB. (2) Environmental management strategies should be based on the characteristics of stressors and people’s livelihood in NKEFAs.

Construction of ecological security pattern of national ecological barriers for ecosystem health maintenance

The National Ecological Barrier Zones are an important part of China’s ecological security strategy. The construction of a scientific and reasonable ecological security pattern (ESP) is important for the healthy development of national ecological barrier zones. The existing literature does not consider the impact of the potential changes in ecosystem health and land use on ESP construction. In this study, we considered a typical composite national ecological barrier area, the Sichuan-Yunnan ecological barrier, to analyze the ecosystem health of such areas; we considered the probability of future land growth change, circuit theory, and ecosystem service trade-off and synergy, to construct a sustainable ESP. Spatial heterogeneity was observed in the ecosystem health level of the Sichuan-Yunnan ecological barrier; the high-value areas of ecosystem health were mostly distributed in the central and southern parts of the study area, but the low-value areas were mostly distributed in the northeastern and western regions. The ESP contained 246 ecological sources (distributed in the forest and grassland contiguous areas in the south, central, and northeast regions), 563 ecological corridors that portrayed obvious differences in spatial distribution, 123 ecological pinchpoints, 231 ecological barriers, and topographic gradient characteristics. Based on this data, we proposed the relevant policy opinions on zoning control. The results show that incorporating trade-offs for ecosystem services into ecosystem health assessments can lead to a more effective selection of ecological sources. Meanwhile, the ESP constructed by using the probability of land growth changes to correct the resistance surface can more truly reflect the need for ESP construction under the future development trend. The research framework of “ecosystem health assessment that incorporates ecosystem service trade-offs - the probability of future land growth changes - circuit theory” could address the technical issues in constructing the ESP of compound large regional/national ecological barrier regions and key ecological function areas.

The Dominant Livelihood Types of Farm Households and Their Determinants in Key Ecological Function Areas

The dominant livelihood types of farm households have become increasingly differentiated in recent years, which has attracted the attention of researchers. Identifying the characteristics and driving factors of household livelihood differentiation is of great significance for revealing man-land relationship and policy making. Based on the interview data of farm households in typical villages in key ecological function areas of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China, we analyzed the pattern of the dominant diversified livelihood types and the livelihood characteristics among different farm households. Then we assessed the driving forces of livelihood diversification by optimal scaling regression. The results indicated that: (1) In the study area, the dominant livelihood types show two trends of agriculturally dominant livelihood (accounting for 53.07%) and non-agriculturally dominant livelihood (accounting for 46.93%). Moreover, farm households in the agro-pastoral areas are mainly agriculturally dominated (accounting for 75.68%), while farm households in the mountainous areas are mainly non-agriculturally dominated (accounting for 66.93%). (2) The labor allocation and income source of different types of farm households are consistent with their dominant livelihood types. The farm households with agriculturally dominant livelihoods have more natural resources than those with non-agriculturally dominant livelihoods. In terms of housing conditions, farm households with agriculturally dominant livelihoods are inferior to those with non-agriculturally dominant livelihoods. (3) The farm labor, dependency ratio, agricultural income, supplemental income and locational conditions have negative impacts on the non-agricultural trend of farm household livelihood decisions, while off-farm labor, non-farm income, education level and the per capita amount of compensation have significant positive impacts on it.

Dynamic Monitoring of the Ecological Vulnerability for Multi-Type Ecological Functional Areas during 2000–2018

Studies that consider both the differences of evaluation systems and index weights among different ecological areas in different study periods for ecological vulnerability evaluation have not been reported yet. In addition, the comparability of vulnerability assessment results among different study areas is poor. This paper proposed a novel quantitative vulnerability evaluation method for multi-type and multi-temporal ecological functional areas using a dynamic weighting method: Three-River Source region grassland–wetland ecological functional area (TRSR), Guiqiandian karst rocky desertification control ecological functional area (GQD), Hunshandake desertification control ecological functional area (HSDK), and Chuandian forest and biodiversity ecological functional area (CD), and then introduced net primary productivity (NPP) to realize the determination of multi-type ecological vulnerability thresholds, which is helpful to compare the vulnerability evaluation results of different ecological functional areas in a unified and comparable level. The proposed novel quantitative vulnerability evaluation method had higher applicability in vulnerability assessment for multi-type ecological functional areas (91.1% for TRSR, 91.9% for HSDK, 91.7% for CD, and 94.2% for GQD) based on the dynamic weight determination method. The determination of vulnerability thresholds based on NPP could provide a comparable level to investigate the spatial distribution patterns of ecological vulnerability in multi-type ecological functional areas for different periods. The average ecological vulnerability of the TRSR, GQD, and CD was classified as mild vulnerability, while that of the HSDK was classified as moderate vulnerability. The research results could provide a novel method for the support of ecological protection for multi-type ecological zones on a national scale.

Period-oriented spatial comparative evaluation of biodiversity conservation effectiveness in China

The period-oriented comparative evaluation of biodiversity conservation effectiveness is the main basis for implementing the transfer payment policy of ecological compensation. In response to the lack of such a spatial comparative assessment system, the paper proposes a method to construct the period conservation effectiveness index (PCEI) and applies it to the spatial comparative assessment of Chinese biodiversity conservation effectiveness in three periods from 1990 to 2015, while validating the rationality of the reference. The results show that (1) spatially, the biodiversity conservation effectiveness of key ecological function areas (KEFAs) in Central China and South China is better, while Southwest and Northwest are in the middle, and East China and Northeast are worse; (2) temporally, the biodiversity conservation effectiveness of KEFAs as a whole is worse from 1990 to 2000, best from 2000 to 2010, and middle from 2010 to 2015; (3) The existing reference establishment methods can reflect the spatial differences of natural environment background, which effectively support the spatial comparison assessment of biodiversity conservation effectiveness. This study constructs a spatial comparison assessment system of biodiversity conservation effectiveness within periods, which can provide a scientific basis for national and even global large-scale ecological compensation and other fund allocation methods.

Sentinel-2 Images Based Modeling of Grassland Above-Ground Biomass Using Random Forest Algorithm: A Case Study on the Tibetan Plateau

Accurate information on grassland above-ground biomass (AGB) is critical to better understanding the carbon cycle and conserve grassland resources. As a climate-sensitive key ecological function area, it is important to accurately estimate the grassland AGB of the Tibetan Plateau. Sentinel-2 (S2) images have advantages in reducing mixed pixels and the scale effect for remote sensing, while the data volume is correspondingly larger. In order to improve the estimation accuracy while reducing the data volume required for AGB estimation and improving the computational efficiency, this study used the Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) algorithm to find the optimal feature set and compared the performance of the Cubist, Gradient Boosting Regression Tree (GBRT), random forest (RF) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithms for estimating AGB. In this study, ten S2 bands, ten S2-derived vegetation indexes, 218 pieces of AGB field survey data, four types of meteorological data and three types of topographic data were used as the alternative input features for the AGB estimation model. The impurity and permutation importance were used as the feature importance calculation method input to the RFE, and the Cubist, GBRT, RF and XGBoost algorithms were used to construct the AGB estimation models. The results showed that the RF algorithm based on the monthly average temperature (T), elevation, Normalized Difference Phenology Index (NDPI), Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) performed best (R2 = 0.8838, RMSE = 35.05 g/m2, LCCC = 2.44, RPPD = 0.91). The above findings suggest that the RF model based on the features related to temperature, altitude, humidity and leaf water content is beneficial to estimate the grassland AGB on the Tibetan Plateau.

Study on the Measures for Optimizing China’s Provincial Territorial Space Based on the Perspective of Resource and Environmental Carrying Capacity in the New Situation

The comprehensive resource and environment carrying capacity (RECC) evaluation is an important method for measuring the rationality of the population, resource, and environment allocation, which is an important scientific guidance for scientific research and the judgment of regional economic and social development potential and the optimization of the national land spatial pattern. This paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system of the RECC under the new situation of climate policy and high-quality economic development; it analyzes the factors influencing the RECC, the overall level, the spatial difference, and the carrying status by using the TOPSIS model based on the entropy weight method, and it identifies the shortcomings; then, it analyzes the characteristics of regional dynamic change and sustainable development trend, and finally, it simulates the optimal spatial pattern under the scenario simulated by the FLUS model. The conclusions are as follows: ① the resource factors have the greatest influence on the carrying capacity of the resources and the environment, followed by economic factors. Among them, per capita water resources, forest coverage rate, and health institutions have the highest impact on RECC. ② The overall level of comprehensive RECC from 2015 to 2020 shows an upward trend, and although the positive impact of resource-led provinces on the level of economic development power and RECC is greater than the negative one, the environmental support is the shortcoming of the future development of the regional economy. ③ The overall spatial performance of RECC is characterized as being high in Guanzhong, second in northern Shaanxi, and low in southern Shaanxi. The northern area of Yulin in the Guanzhong Plain City Cluster, which is an important national energy chemical base, is the core of the national-level urbanization development areas, and the northern area of the Guanzhong Plain City Cluster is the key choice of the provincial-level urbanization development areas. The area along the west bank of the Yellow River in the Qinba Mountain area in southern Shaanxi and the Baiyu Mountain area in northern Shaanxi can be positioned as national key ecological function areas.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Ecological Connectivity in the Ethnic Areas, Sichuan Province, China.

With ongoing economic and social development, natural habitats are becoming increasingly fragmented, blocking habitat connections and reducing landscape connectivity. The study of changes in ecological connectivity can provide valuable information for habitat and landscape restoration, which are necessary for sustainable regional development. Despite the growing interest in this issue, studies that reveal the change in ecological connectivity in the compounded areas of ecological vulnerability and deep poverty are still lacking. In this paper, one of the most underdeveloped and ecologically fragile southwestern ethnic regions of China, the Sanzhou region of Sichuan Province, was the study area. Based on a vector map of current land-use status and vector data on ecosystem factors and nature reserves in 2010 and 2015, the change in ecological connectivity was analyzed using the minimum cumulative resistance model using GIS spatial analysis method. Firstly, ecological sources were identified based on the distribution of ecological functional areas. Secondly, the ecological resistance surface based on ecosystem service value is revised by integrating the three dimensions of topography and hydrology, ecological environment and development, and utilization intensity. Finally, the ecological connectivity of ethnic areas in southwest China in 2010 and 2015 was compared and analyzed through the perspective of ecological resistance. The results show that: (1) From 2010 to 2015, the overall ecological connectivity decreased. (2) There were six areas of high ecological resistance featuring human activity and ecological degradation: the Anning River Valley in Liangshan Prefecture, Ganzi, Dege and Luho counties in Ganzi Prefecture, and Ruoergai and Hongyuan counties in Aba Prefecture. (3) Low ecological resistance areas were more numerous and widely distributed, forming an ecological protection barrier for the three autonomous prefectures, and regulating and protecting their natural environments. It is necessary to maintain and strengthen this protection; accordingly, measures are proposed to improve ecological connectivity. This study provides a reference for achieving ecological security and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in this region.

The Spatial-Temporal Differentiation of Aerosol Optical Properties and Types in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region Based on the Ecological Functional Zones

Atmospheric aerosol pollution has seriously affected the ecological environment and human health in recent years. There are great differences in aerosol optical properties and types due to the influence of environmental conditions, meteorology, industrial and agricultural activities, and other factors of each ecological functional zones. Using MODIS aerosol products (including MCD19A2 and MOD04_3K), this study discussed the temporal and spatial distribution of aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångström wavelength index (AE) and aerosol types in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region (BTH region) based on the ecological functional zones from 2015 to 2020. The results showed as follows: (1) The AOD in BTH region showed an obviously spatial pattern of low in the north and high in the south, while the spatial pattern of AE was opposite to that of AOD. In addition, the dominant aerosol type of the north part was clean aerosol, the dominant aerosol type of the middle part was biomass burning or urban-industrial aerosol, while that of the other part was mixed aerosols. (2) The seasonal changes of AOD and AE indexes in each ecological functional area had obvious seasonal changes, and the AOD and AE values were highest in summer. At the same time, the proportion of biomass combustion or urban industrial aerosol was the highest in summer. (3) The ecological functional areas with fewer human activities were dominated by clean aerosols, with lower AOD and higher AE value. The ecological functional areas dominated by cities were dominated by mixed aerosols, with higher AOD. The ecological functional areas dominated by agriculture and heavy industry were dominated by biomass combustion or urban industrial aerosols, with the largest AOD. (4) Compared with 2015, the average AOD of each ecological functional area decreased significantly to 2020, and biomass combustion or urban industrial aerosols changed to mixed aerosols.

Monitoring and analysis of desertification surrounding Qinghai Lake (China) using remote sensing big data.

Desertification is one of the most serious ecological environmental problems in the world. Monitoring the spatiotemporal dynamics of desertification is crucial for its control. The region around Qinghai Lake, in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China, is a special ecological function area and a climate change sensitive area, making its environmental conditions a great concern. Using cloud computing via Google Earth Engine (GEE), we collected Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS, and MODIS Albedo images from 2000 to 2020 in the region around Qinghai Lake, acquired land surface albedo (Albedo), and normalized vegetation index (NDVI) to build a remote sensing monitoring model of desertification. Our results showed that the desertification difference index based on the Albedo-NDVI feature space could reflect the degree of desertification in the region around Qinghai Lake. GEE offers significant advantages, such as massive data processing and long-term dynamic monitoring. The desertification land area fluctuated downward in the study area from 2000 to 2020, and the overall desertification status improved. Natural factors, such as climate change from warm-dry to warm-wet and decreased wind speed, and human factors improved the desertification situation. The findings indicate that desertification in the region around Qinghai Lake has been effectively controlled, and the overall desertification trend is improving.