Landscape Ecological Risk Research Articles

The impact of gradient expansion of urban–rural construction land on landscape fragmentation in typical mountain cities, China

ABSTRACT Hillside urbanization currently provides the most economical solution for urban expansion. However, limited attention was paid to the characteristics, processes, and patterns of gradient expansion of construction land (GEC) in mountainous regions and its impact on landscape fragmentation. This study suggests an approach to identify GEC in mountainous regions and quantify its spatial impact on the fragmentation of cultivated land and ecological land. The results are as follows: (1) GEC can be categorized as ‘unidirectional’, ‘bidirectional’, or ‘multidirectional’ expansion, influenced by the proportion of topography in different directions of the cities. The magnitude of expansion is correlated with the city's economic level. (2) GEC leads to an increasing trend of landscape fragmentation, with nearly a three-fold increase in arable land fragmentation and a two-fold increase in ecological land fragmentation within the focus areas over 20 years. (3) The impact of GEC on the fragmentation of cultivated and ecological land diminishes with distance, primarily influencing within 3 km. The results of this study provide a methodological reference for identifying key areas and characteristics of GEC, and serve as a theoretical basis for reducing landscape ecological risks in the process of mountainous urban development and promoting sustainable development.

Landscape ecological risk assessment across different terrain gradients in the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River Basin is an important ecological barrier zone in China, and the landscape pattern has changed greatly due to intense human activities. It is of great significance to explore the dynamic forecasting of ecological risk based on terrain gradient for the ecological security of the Yellow River Basin. In this study, the distribution characteristics of ecological risk from 2000 to 2040 are evaluated by CA-Markov and ERI models. We put forward a new method of landscape ecological risk assessment based on terrain gradient and further analyzed the relationship between ecological risk and terrain index. The results showed that the proportion of the cultivated land and the grassland in the Yellow River basin is more than 73%, with the largest dynamic change in 2020. The ecological risk in the study area showed a spatial pattern of “high in the northwest and southwest, low in the east and south-central.” During the study period, the overall ecological risk showed a decreasing trend, and the high risk was reduced by four times. The future ecological risk of all terrain gradient will show a decreasing trend, the high risks mainly occurred in areas with “flat terrain with low terrain gradient and low vegetation coverage.” This study will provide a new perspective for the dynamic forecasting of ecological risk and the analysis of the change of ecological risk through terrain gradients.

Spatiotemporal pattern of landscape ecological risk in the Yangtze River Basin and its influence on NPP

The rapid development of the social economy and the continuous change in land use have greatly altered the ecological risk of the regional landscape. This study focused on the Yangtze River Basin in China and aimed to examine the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of landscape ecological risk (LER) over a period of 34 years (1982–2015), after determining the optimal sub-watershed scale. Based on the conditional probability framework, the non-linear response of NPP to LER was revealed. Finally, the primary driving factors of LER were explored, and additional potential causes for changes in NPP were discussed. The study findings indicated that the mean annual LER of the Yangtze River Basin exhibited a spatial distribution characterized by high values observed in the western regions and low values in the eastern regions at the optimal sub-basin scale. Specifically, 30.56 and 22.22% of the sub-basins demonstrated a significant upward and downward trend in annual LER, respectively (P < 0.05). The spatial distribution pattern of the mean annual NPP demonstrated high values in the middle region and low values in the western area, with annual NPP significantly increasing in 94.44% of the sub-basins (P < 0.05). The relationship between annual NPP and annual LER was found to be non-linear, indicating that higher annual LER results in a higher probability of median and high values of annual NPP from the perspective of watershed average. Furthermore, climate factors emerged as the main influencing factor of the NPP. Based on these discoveries, upcoming endeavors should concentrate on optimizing landscape formations and executing a judicious distribution of plant species.

Rethinking landscape ecological risk assessment and its applicability: Counterintuitive findings from coastal areas

AbstractLandscape ecological risk assessment (LERA) serves as a crucial tool for guiding effective environmental management. However, the conventional approach of LERA suffers from two notable drawbacks: the utilization of low‐resolution land‐use data (e.g., 30 × 30 m) and the application of arbitrary evaluation units (e.g., uniformly‐sized grids), both of which introduce uncertainty and inaccuracies into the assessment outcomes. Moreover, the extent to which the traditional LERA accurately reflects the true ecological risk level remains unexplored. To address these limitations, this study presents a modified LERA conducted in Xiapu, a coastal county in China, spanning the years 2013–2015. Fine‐grained land‐use data were employed to overcome the shortcomings of low‐resolution data. Additionally, spatial correlations between land‐use changes and ecological risk alterations were analyzed to unravel the mechanisms behind land‐use changes' impact on ecological risk, while also testing the accuracy of LERA results. Major findings can be summarized as follows: (1) Ecological risk changes in Xiapu during 2013–2015 were relatively minor, with high‐risk areas predominantly concentrated along the coast. (2) A total of 1137 ha of land in Xiapu County experienced changes, with construction land witnessing the most substantial increase. (3) Counterintuitive and unreasonable LERA outcomes were identified, particularly pertaining to illogical ecological risk changes arising from transformations between construction and non‐construction land. (4) Based on the counterintuitive findings, potential factors affecting the limitations and applicability of LERA were discussed. This study represents the first critical examination of the limitations of LERA, offering valuable insights to stimulate future researchers to rethink LERA and emphasize the importance of validating assessment outcomes during its application.

Application of geographical detector and geographically weighted regression for assessing landscape ecological risk in the Irtysh River Basin, Central Asia

The exponential growth of human activities has resulted in a substantial increase in land use practices that not only modify the characteristics of landscape patterns but also pose significant landscape ecological risk (LER), with the latter being pivotal for ecosystem conservation and sustainable social development. However, research on LER and driving factors of Irtysh River Basin (IRB) are limited. Objectively assessing the LER of the high latitudes within Central Asia (Irtysh River Basin) and quantitatively identifying the environmental factors driving its changes holds significant research value for ensuring the ecological security of human habitation amidst global change. In this study, the spatial autocorrelation analysis method and geographically weighted regression (GWR) and geographical detector (Geo-Detector) models were utilized to reveal the spatiotemporal changes in LER based on land use/land cover (LULC) changes in the IRB from 1992 to 2020. The findings indicate that (1) the temporal scale reveals a slight increasing trend in LER within the IRB. (2) The spatial distribution is characterized by a dominance of lower- and medium-risk regions, with evident positive spatial autocorrelation. (3) The spatial pattern of LER is influenced by various factors, with a significant impact from temperature in the geo-detector model. In addition, the spatial heterogeneity of the effects of major factors was further obtained using the GWR model. The findings presented herein can serve as scientific references for the development of sustainability and ecological safety management in global arid zones and high-latitude cold regions, thus promoting environmental protection in various countries, enhancing consensus on ecological protection and facilitating international cooperation on conservation.

Multimodal linguistic landscape ecological optimization strategy for Nanchang urban area based on big data analysis

Abstract How to better coordinate construction development and regional landscape ecology in the process of urbanization is a realistic problem to be solved. This paper firstly constructs a multimodal language landscape ecological analysis and prediction model based on the patch-corridor-substrate theory for the urban geographical characteristics of Nanchang city and analyzes the urban dynamic data and landscape element change transfer by Markov transfer matrix combined with the entropy weight method to realize the analytical functions of land use change, landscape ecological pattern, spatial measurements, and landscape ecological health risk evaluation. It has been found that the landscape ecological condition of Nanchang City has generally deteriorated from 2005 to 2023, and the average value of the landscape ecological index has decreased. With the improvement of ecological environment laws and regulations, the city will develop in a more scientific, orderly, and sustainable direction, the degree of damage to the landscape will gradually decrease, and the landscape patches become more regular. The degree of forest land separation decreased from 1.932 to 1.228. The area of unutilized land continued to decrease, the degree of disturbance increased to 0.994, and the degree of loss increased to 0.342. The area of the lower ecological risk zone continued to decrease to 1,364.96km2. The proportion of the medium ecological risk zone decreased from 33.42% to 5.26%, and the area decreased by 1,996.77km2. The area of the high ecological risk and high ecological risk zones decreased by 400.72% respectively. Higher ecological risk and high ecological risk areas were reduced by 400.72km² and 31.91km², respectively, according to which this paper puts forward three landscape ecological optimization strategies, such as constructing an ecological network system, strengthening monitoring and early warning, and rationally planning land space. This paper is of great significance in carrying out a regional landscape ecological evaluation, regulating the spatial pattern of Nanchang, optimizing the use of regional land resources, and guaranteeing the sustainable development of the region.

Evaluation and regulation strategy for ecological security in the Tarim River Basin based on the ecological footprint

Population growth, oasis expansion, and increased consumption of water and fossil energy pose a significant threat to the ecological security of the Tarim River Basin (TRB). However, single-factor assessments and traditional ecological footprint models limit the ability to compare ecological security across prefectures, and existing studies neglected renewable resources in the ecological security regulation strategies. This study constructed TRB's ecological footprint accounts, analyzed the status of the sustainable development of the watershed in combination with the landscape ecological risk index, and explored the strategies and feasibility of watershed ecological security regulation based on multi-objective planning and multi-scenario simulation. The results are as follows: 1) the ecological deficit of the basin has expanded by approximately 1.79 times since the beginning of 21st century, with the eastern part of the basin being at higher ecological risk. Overall, the annual decrease in per capita ecological carrying capacity was 0.85%, while the annual increase in per capita ecological footprint was 32.35%. 2) Fossil energy dominates the inter-annual variation in the ecological footprint of the watershed; its contributions to the total ecological footprint significantly increased from 9.55% to 71%. 3) On the basis of increasing crop yields and optimizing cropping structure, fully utilizing solar energy resources, increasing cultivated land by 15% or reducing fossil energy by 50% will improve the ecological security of the watershed. This study represents an important supplement to ecological security assessments of inland river basins in extreme arid regions, such as the TRB, and provides insights into ecological security regulation and sustainable socioeconomic development in such regions.

1990~2020年赤峰市土地利用变化及景观生态风险评价

1990~2020年赤峰市土地利用变化及景观生态风险评价

Landscape ecological risk assessment study of the Yunnan section of the Tropic of Cancer

Natural landscapes constitute a vital component of ecosystems, and their stability and diversity are essential in maintaining regional ecosystem functions. The scientific and rational assessment of ecological risks in regional landscapes is crucial for activities such as ecosystem security evaluation, optimization of ecosystem function zoning, and establishment of landscape security patterns. We focused on the Yunnan section of the Tropic of Cancer, employing Landsat 8 remote sensing data to categorize landscape types and construct ecological risk indices. Using software platforms such as ArcGIS, GEE, and Fragstats4.2, an evaluation and spatial characteristics analysis of the ecological risk in the Yunnan section of the Tropic of Cancer was conducted, yielding the following findings: ① The overall level of ecological risk within the Yunnan section of the Tropic of Cancer is relatively low. The lower ecological risk zone covers an area of 19,100.35 km2, accounting for 34.09 % of the total study area, while the higher ecological risk zone spans 2,032.91 km2, constituting only 3.63 % of the total study area. ② Landscape types in areas of lower and low ecological risk are predominantly characterized by woodland landscapes, comprising 90.93 % and 62.19 %, respectively. Conversely, areas with high ecological risk and higher ecological risk are dominated by cultivated land, representing 67.75 % and 95.61 %, respectively. This underscores the importance of strengthening forestry development and controlling the expansion of cultivated land to mitigate regional landscape ecological risks. ③Regions with higher ecological risks in the landscape are primarily in the northwestern part of Yanshan County, the southern part of Gengma County, and the northern part of Wenshan city. These areas are susceptible to the impacts of intense farming, extreme weather, and the karst geological environment. In contrast, regions with high ecological risks are in the central and eastern parts of Mojiang County, the western part of Yanshan County, and the northern part of Wenshan city. These areas are mostly influenced by urban economic development, extensive construction projects leading to deforestation and grassland degradation, and the substantial demand for arable land due to a significant population increase. ④ The spatial pattern of ecological risk in the Yunnan section of the Tropic of Cancer, as indicated by Moran's I index, is positive and exceeds 0.6. The Z score significantly surpasses the reference value of 2.58, with p < 0.01. This indicates a strong degree of spatial autocorrelation and a high positive correlation in the spatial distribution characteristics.

Coupling analysis of land use change with landscape ecological risk in China: A multi-scenario simulation perspective

The continuous change of global land use and intense human activities lead to the constant change of landscape ecological risk (LER). The increase of LER will pose a serious threat to human welfare and sustainable development. In previous studies, there were few studies on coupling coordination between land use intensity (LUI) and LER in multi-scenario simulation. Therefore, it is of a certain significance to study the coupling and coordination relationship between LUI and LER in a long-term multi-scenario simulation in the future for the sustainable use of land resources and the management of ecological risk. Based on the multi-scenario land use simulation data of China in 2010, 2050, and 2100, this study selects the comprehensive index of land use intensity, landscape pattern index, spatial autocorrelation, and coupling coordination methods to analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of LUI and LER from 2010 to 2100, as well as the coupling coordination relationship between them. The results show that the overall LUI of China remains stable at around 200 from 2010 to 2100, with a spatial distribution that is “low in the northwest and high in the southeast.” The LUI of China decreases under the balanced resources scenario and global environmental protection scenario, while the regional economic development scenario and regional environmental protection scenario exhibit an increasing trend. The overall LER in China is approximately 0.150, with a spatial distribution that is “high in the north and low in the south.” The four scenarios exhibit a downward trend from 2010 to 2100. There is significant spatial dependence between LUI and LER in China, with the largest number of counties exhibiting reluctant coordination between the two (accounting for nearly 45%), while their interaction and mutual influence remain strong. Thus, this study may contribute to understanding this relationship and to creating effective landscape ecological risk management policies.

Microagroecosystem models and their landscape ecological risk evolution in karst mountainous areas

Micro-spatial agroecosystem (AES) changes in karst mountain areas are a response to the human-land relationship of the human activity center. However, the changes and linkages between AESs and landscape ecological risks (LER) from a micro perspective in karst mountain areas (KMA) have not yet attracted in-depth attention from the academic community. This paper proposes the concept of microagroecosystems (MAESs) and constructs the MAES model based on the landscape development intensity (LDI) to evaluate the systematic landscape evolution rules and the LER intensity, which reflects the human-land relationship in KMA. We used the buffer ring with a 200 m cultivation range interval to categorize the MAES model into six models, namely, High-Mid-Low, High-Low-Medium, Medium-High-Low, Medium-Low-High, Medium-High-High, Low-Medium-High and Low-Medium-High, and the different models not only reflect the regional conditions but also represent the different stages of the evolution of AESs in KMAs. We found that AESs in karst mountainous areas are transforming from traditional food crop systems to economic fruit forest ecosystems, and at the same time, the gravity center of human activities is migrating from high to low altitude areas, and the ecological vitality of MAESs is showing a trend of enhancement. In addition, the regions with high altitudes and steep slopes in karst mountainous areas have a single landscape structure and are dominated by traditional food cultivation, while the regions with low altitudes and gentle slopes have a diverse landscape structure and are dominated by modern and sustainable agricultural development. Finally, we reveal that the LER in KMAs shows a trend of initial increase followed by subsequent decrease, the influence of the human-land relationship on the LER in the micro perspective is significant, and the coordination and trade-off between agricultural development and environmental protection is the key direction of development in the future. The study results can provide a reference for the rational allocation of landscape, ecological environment restoration, and optimization of regional human-land relationships in KMAs worldwide.

Spatiotemporal changes in land use and residential satisfaction in the Huai River-Gaoyou Lake Rim area

Abstract This research investigates the dynamic interplay between land use changes and landscape ecological risks in China’s Jiangsu Province, specifically focusing on the Huai River-Gaoyou Lake region. Leveraging multi-temporal remote sensing data from 2000 to 2020, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of shifting land cover patterns and their implications. Employing geostatistical techniques, we developed a landscape ecological risk assessment model to quantify ecological vulnerabilities. Additionally, we conducted a resident satisfaction survey aligned with the “Production–Living–Ecological” framework to gain insights into societal perceptions of land use dynamics. Our findings reveal significant land use shifts driven by urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural modernization. While farmland areas have decreased, water bodies and artificial surfaces have expanded, reflecting societal demands and economic growth. The landscape ecological risk assessment model highlights localized vulnerabilities, emphasizing the intricate relationship between land use changes and ecological risks. The resident satisfaction survey indicates overall contentment with various aspects of land use, especially in terms of residential comfort and transportation convenience. However, ecological concerns underscore the need for a balanced approach to land management that prioritizes ecological sustainability alongside economic development.

Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment of Kriya River Basin in Xinjiang and Its Multi-Scenario Simulation Analysis

Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment of Kriya River Basin in Xinjiang and Its Multi-Scenario Simulation Analysis

Long-term assessment of ecological risk dynamics in Wuhan, China: Multi-perspective spatiotemporal variation analysis

Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) is a critical component of ecosystem management aimed at identifying potential harms caused by human activities. However, previous studies have been limited by short periods, narrow perspectives, and a focus on single-risk factors, making it difficult to comprehensively assess ecological risk. To address these issues, our study investigates ecological risk changes in Wuhan from 1996 to 2020, adopting a multi-perspective method. We then employed a unified scalar overlay approach that fuses the Landscape Ecological Risk Index (LERI) and Habitat Degradation Index (HDI) to conduct an in-depth analysis of comprehensive ecological risk. It considers the interrelationships between threat sources and receptors, as well as the morphological structure of patches, to extract spatial information of ecological risks. Our results reveal that: (1) Wuhan's cropland decreased by 1760.98km2 (−38.95%), mainly converting to construction land and woodland. Simultaneously, construction land expanded outwards from the city center (+895.72km2). At the landscape level, Wuhan's landscape patches are becoming progressively more fragmented. (2) Total Ecological Risk Index (SERI) retains the “Low-High-Low” pattern of both LERI and HDI from the inside out, with high ecological risks radiating from the central urban boundary towards the surrounding regions. The lower-risk areas of the SERI converted mainly to the low-risk areas, whereas the area of higher-risk experienced a larger increase (+1083.45km2), mainly from high-risk areas. Overall, the SERI of Wuhan tends to move towards the north and east. (3) Spatially, hot-spots of risk are predominantly concentrated in the north of Wuhan, while cold-spots are primarily located in the city center. Confidence degrees of both hot and cold spots decrease from their center to the external areas. Additionally, ecological risk showed significant spatial dependency in its distribution. Given the current global environmental crisis, ecological risk research is more important than ever, and our new ERA framework is developed to provide valuable insights for urban planners to mitigate ecological risk.

Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment and Spatial Pattern Evolution Analysis of the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration from 1995 to 2020 Based on Land Use/Cover Change

The central Yunnan urban agglomeration represents a typical urban cluster in the southwestern region of China. The swift urbanization and land use changes in this region pose a severe threat to the ecosystem. A thorough assessment of the landscape ecological risk in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration holds paramount importance for devising effective risk management strategies and sustainable, high-quality development plans. This study utilizes long-term land-use raster data for six time periods (1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020) in the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration. Using GIS technology, a landscape risk index model is constructed, and a comprehensive assessment of landscape ecological risks in the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration is conducted using the 5 km × 5 km grid analysis method and Kriging interpolation. The results indicate that, between 1995 and 2020, the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration was dominated by forest land, grassland, and cultivated land as the primary land-use types. Forest land covered over 48% of the total area, while grassland and cultivated land accounted for more than 26% and 18%, respectively. Notably, construction land underwent a significant increase, mainly due to conversions from cultivated land, forest land, and grassland. Over a span of 25 years, the study area has experienced a continual rise in landscape ecological risk. The landscape ecological risk was mainly characterized by medium, higher, and high ecological risk. Grassland predominated in areas with medium levels of ecological risk, while cultivated land and construction land were predominant in regions with higher and high levels of ecological risk. Spatially, regions with lower ecological risk were primarily distributed in the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, whereas areas with higher and high levels of ecological risk were concentrated in Qujing City and Kunming City. The spatial aggregation patterns of landscape ecological risk in the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration featured “high–high” (H–H) and “low–low” (L–L) clusters, both displaying an initial increase followed by a decrease. The primary factors contributing to the rise in the landscape ecological risk index were identified as urban expansion, population growth, ecological fragmentation, and vegetation destruction. The study’s outcomes can offer valuable insights for optimizing land resources and promoting sustainable development in the Central Yunnan urban agglomeration.

Landscape pattern evolution and ecological risk assessment of the Yellow River Basin based on optimal scale

Rapid urbanization is a global phenomenon that has altered many ecosystems and created ecological risks. Landscape ecological risk (LER) reflects the extent to which ecosystems are threatened by human activities and environmental change. LER can be also employed to effectively monitor and assess environmental quality. A large number of studies have been conducted to explore the LER in the basin from the perspective of Land Use and Land Cover (LUCC). Ecological environmental issues such as land degradation have seriously hindered the sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Based on the LUCC data of the YRB in the four periods of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, this study aims to determine the most suitable spatial analysis scale using the coefficient of variation and semi-variogram, and analyzes the landscape pattern and LER of the YRB. We found that the landscape pattern of the YRB exhibits obvious scale dependence, and the analysis effect is most effective at the scale of 90 km × 90 km. Throughout the study period, the landscape pattern exhibited increasing fragmentation, a decrease in the degree of aggregation and an increase in the heterogeneity of distribution. In terms of LER, it is in a better state as most of the LER levels have shifted from higher to lower levels, and the proportion of lower and lowest risk is constantly increasing. This study improves the precision of spatial scale investigations and offers valuable insights for future studies on landscape pattern and LER in the basin.

Spatiotemporal evolution of landscape ecological risk in Anhui section of the Huaihe River ecological and economic belt in China

Regional landscape ecological risk (LER) assessment is of great significance for coordinating the relationship between land use and ecological environment, and for promoting the rational allocation of resources, and it is the basis and guarantee for achieving sustainable development. By assessing the landscape ecological risk of the Huaihe River ecological and economic zone, it can promote the development of ecological risk assessment theory, provide a scientific basis for the formulation of ecological civilization construction planning and policies, and help to strengthen environmental monitoring, planning and management, and promote the construction of ecological civilization. Based on the remote sensing image data of land use from 1985 to 2020, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of land use and LER in the Anhui section of the Huaihe River Ecological and Economic Belt in China were explored. The results showed that: (1) The construction land showed an increasing trend, with an increased area of 4753.35 km2, whereas the cultivated land showed a negative growth trend, with a reduced area of 4487.58 km2. (2) During the past 35 years, the ecological risks in the research area showed a decreasing trend as a whole, with medium-low and medium-risk areas ranking as the main; medium-high and high-risk areas are mainly distributed on both sides of the Huaihe River and in the northern-central part of Suzhou City. (3) Moran’s I values of LER in each period were showing significant spatial autocorrelation and tending to converge spatially. In the future, the ecological security pattern should be optimized for local high-risk deterioration areas.

Landscape ecological risk assessment of an ecological area in the Kubuqi desert based on Landsat remote sensing data

Conducting ecological risk assessment of fragile ecological landscapes is a prerequisite for building an ecological security pattern and a necessary consideration for sustainable development. Engebei ecological demonstration zone is a typical ecologically fragile area located in the Kubuqi Desert. To explore the ecological status of Engebei, an ecological risk assessment model is used to assess its ecological risk, and the spatial correlation analysis is conducted based on the Moran index. The optimal grain size is obtained through grain size effect analysis, which is the foundation of landscape pattern analysis. The landscape ecological risk assessment model is constructed by the landscape indexes. Based on the division of small ecological risk zones, a spatial correlation analysis of ecological risks is conducted on Engebei. Results manifest that: (1) Overall, from 2005 to 2021, its spatial distribution features of landscape ecological risk level are relatively-high and high in the middle, and gradually reduce in the north-south direction, as shown below: the relatively-low ecological risk areas are widely spread, and the overall risk index decrease from 0.1944 to 0.1940; the area of low and high-level ecological risk areas show a decreasing trend, which decrease by 5.0102 km2 and 1.3132 km2 respectively; the area of relatively-low, middle, and relatively-high-level ecological risk areas increase by 0.2655 km2, 3.7803 km2, and 2.4852 km2, respectively. (2) The ecological risk value is correlated positively with spatial distribution, and the spatial aggregation forms are primarily low-low and high-high. (3) The ecological risk values in Engebei have a significant spatial correlation, and the spatial distribution shows a clustering effect, which is consistent with the spatial distribution. The study has certain reference value for the development and comprehensive regulation of ecological construction in Engebei, even in other ecologically fragile areas.

Optimal Scale and Scenario Simulation Analysis of Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment in the Shiyang River Basin

The evaluation of landscape ecological risk (LER) in a river basin holds significant importance for the overall ecological environmental protection of the basin and subsequent sustainable development. The Shiyang River basin, a typical arid inland river basin, was selected as the research object, and the optimal scale of LER research was explored. Multi-period land use data was used to build an LER assessment model and reveal the temporal and spatial changes of LER in the Shiyang River basin. The PLUS model was used to simulate the spatial distribution characteristics and change trends of LER under different scenarios in 2030. The results show that the LER in the Shiyang River Basin has obvious scale dependence, with optimal granularity and magnitude of 60 m and 4.5 km, respectively. LER is dominated by higher risk and high risk categories, with significant spatial differences, showing a trend of low in the southwest and high in the northeast. The LER of the Shiyang River Basin decreased from 2000 to 2020. It is expected that the LER value under different scenarios in 2030 will show a downward trend, and the LER value under the ecological conservation priority scenario will be the lowest. This study can provide a reference for LER assessment in arid inland river basins.

Multi-dimensional landscape ecological risk assessment and its drivers in coastal areas

The eastern coastal areas of Japan are threatened by multiple ecological risks due to frequent natural disasters, climate changes, human activities, etc. Identification spatio-temporal variations and driving mechanisms of landscape ecological risk could be used as significant basis for policymakers. In this study, taking the eastern coastal areas of Japan affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster as the study area, the “Nature-Landscape Pattern-Human Society” (NA-LP-HS) multi-dimensional ecological risk assessment framework was established to analyze the spatio-temporal patterns, and identity driving factors using spatial cluster analysis and spatial principal component analysis (SPCA) based on ArcGIS from 2009 to 2021. The findings revealed the distinct geographic patterns in landscape ecological risk, with a noticeable decline from the southwest to the northeast. During the period from 2009 to 2015, the driving factors leading to a sharp risk increase were natural disasters and vegetation coverage. These high-risk areas were concentrated in Sendai Bay and its surroundings. From 2015 to 2021, ecological instability was primarily attributed to a reduction in vegetation coverage, the occurrence of natural disasters, and heightened rainfall erosion. These high-risk areas were mainly clustered within the Tokyo-centered urban agglomeration. Spatial clustering of ecological risks was obvious across all time periods. The key factors contributing to the clustering of high ecological landscape risks focused on the “landscape pattern” criterion, specifically including vegetation coverage, land use land cover. This study demonstrated the ability of multi-dimensional ecological risk assessment to identify high-risk areas and driving factors, and these results could provide a visual analysis and decision-making basis for sustainable development of coastal areas.