Regional Ecological Risk Research Articles

Disease risk of the foliar endophyte Colletotrichum from invasive Ageratina adenophora to native plants and crops

The disease risk driven by foliar fungi asymptomatically infecting invasive plants has rarely been determined. In this study, we selected 44 foliar Colletotrichum endophytes isolated from the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora that are phylogenetically closely related to the C. gloeosporioides complex, C. boninense complex, C. orchidearum complex, and C. acutatum complex and evaluated their potential virulence and ability to transmit spores to native plants and cash crops both in vitro and in vivo. We verified that some foliar endophyte Colletotrichum strains adversely affect the leaf and seed germination of native plants and cash crops. Some strains reduce the growth and yield of tomato (SL) (Solanum lycopersicum) and pepper (CA) (Capsicum annuum) plants and even cause the death of strawberry (FA) plants (Fragaria ananassa). Moreover, we confirmed that A. adenophora leaves could horizontally transmit Colletotrichum to surrounding crop plants in vivo. Therefore, a high abundance of Colletotrichum asymptomatically associated with A. adenophora leaves might increase disease risk in surrounding native plants and cash crops. Our results provide a new perspective for regional ecological risk assessment of invasive plants and prevention of economic plant diseases in the invaded range.

Potential ecological risk assessment based on loss of ecosystem services due to land use and land cover change: A case study of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

Ecosystem services (ESs) bridge the gap between human wellbeing and ecosystem processes. Land use and land cover change (LUCC) affect ecosystem services by altering the structure and function of ecosystems. Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), one of the most developed urban agglomerations in China, is subject to intense LUCC that affects ESs while increasing the regional ecological risk (ER). Therefore, to achieve the coordinated development of socioeconomic and ecological quality, there is an urgent need to establish a regional ecological risk assessment (ERA). ESs were introduced into the ERA to clarify their ecological significance and to compensate for the deficiencies of the traditional ERA. In this study, the ERA utilizes key ESs as endpoints to assess potential ER through a new framework by multiplying the probability of LUCC by the resultant loss of key ESs. We found that cultivated land was the most dominant outflow type and built-up land was the predominant inflow type. From 2020 to 2030, there is a greater possibility of changes in cultivated land, forest, grassland, and built-up land as well as in relatively stable water bodies and unused land. Overall, ESs show a positive trend. The overall potential ER was relatively minimal, with a significant northwestern spatially concentrated characteristic of high values. This study helps understand the potential development process of ERs and provides a scientific basis for risk management.

Regional ecological risk assessment through the application of production-living-ecology land use function indicators: a case study of the eco-economic zone of Yellow River Delta.

To date, land use structure information has been employed extensively for ecological risk assessment (ERA) purpose in regional/landscape scales; in contrast, land use function (LUF) information-based ERA research is still scarce. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out more ERA case studies in macroscale with the help of pertinent LUF indicators. As an important way to construct production-living-ecology LUF indexes, this study employs the weighted stacking method and related economic statistical data for regional ecological risk assessment (RERA) purpose within Yellow River Delta High-efficiency Eco-economic Zone (YRDHEZ), China. This YRDHEZ-RERA research pointed out that (1) it was rational to use a series of economic statistical data to more comprehensively and precisely characterize regional production and living function grades in YRDHEZ. (2) The Yellow River Delta had lower agriculture and non-agriculture production functions, whereas the rest of the zone had higher production functions. (3) Most people lived in the south part, whereas north coastal zone had very low population density; the east part had higher per capita disposable income of urban/rural households than that of west. (4) The south part of the zone had higher production/living functions and integrated ecological risk source intensity than those of north coastal zone, whereas the coastal zone had higher ecology function, eco-environmental vulnerability, and final integrated ecological risk than those of inland region. As for regional ecological risk management, establishing nature reserve with strict spatial governance for coastal/estuarine wetlands and coordinating production/ecology functions of coastal salterns/breeding ponds are relevant feasible measures.

Spatiotemporal Response of Ecosystem Service Value to Land Use Change in the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration over the Past 20 Years

With rapid urbanization and human activities exacerbating threats to the degradation of various ecosystem services in modern urban agglomerations, the exploration of the state of ecological security at the scale of urban agglomerations is of great significance. This study considered the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration as the research area, based on the land use data in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. At the same time, the landscape ecological risk index was introduced. The land use change characteristics of the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration were analyzed by using the land use transfer matrix, the value per unit area equivalent factor method, and the bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis method to elucidate the impacts of the changes in the ecological risk index induced by the land use transition on the value of ecosystem services. This study analyzed the land use change characteristics of the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration and elucidated the impacts of changes in the ecological risk index on the value of ecosystem services caused by land use transformation. The results showed that:① During the period from 2000 to 2020, the land use types of the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration were mainly dominated by grassland, cropland, and forest land. The construction land area had expanded significantly mainly from cropland and grassland, and the six land use types had strong cross-transformation. The total area of land use change was 6 646.05 km2. ② In terms of spatial changes, the spatial pattern of ecosystem service value in the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration had not undergone obvious transformation. However, the regional variability was significant, generally showing the distribution characteristics of high in the northwest and low in the southeast. ③From the perspective of temporal change, the value of ecosystem services in the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration showed an upward trend, with the total flow of value increasing from 186.459 billion yuan to 192.156 billion yuan, with a total value-added of 5.697 billion yuan. ④ There was a rising trend in the overall ecological risk index of the Lanzhou-Xining Urban Agglomeration over the past 20 years. Low ecological risk areas and lower ecological risk areas dominated the ecological risk areas. There was a significant positive correlation between the value of ecosystem services and the ecological risk index. This study aimed to reveal the understanding of the impacts of land-use practices on ecosystem service values and ecological risks, to provide important references for regional ecological risk management and land-use policy formulation, and thus to promote the high-quality development of the ecological environment in the Yellow River Basin.

Potential Ecological Risk Assessment of Soil Heavy Metals in Fengdong New District Based on Information Diffution Model

The large-scale construction of new districts has led to severe soil heavy metal pollution. Therefore, taking Fengdong New District as the target research area, the descriptive statistics of heavy metal content characteristics and Kriging interpolation analysis have been conducted, and the potential ecological risk index and information diffusion theory were further combined to create an information diffusion model based on risk assessment. Finally, the pollution degree, ecological risk, and risk occurrence probability of Pb, Cu, Cd, and Hg were discussed. The findings revealed that the average concentrations of the four heavy metals far exceeded the background value of soil heavy metals by a factor of 1.943 (Pb), 1.419 (Cu), 3.074 (Cd), and 3.567 (Hg), respectively. Moreover, the distribution of soil heavy metals showed strong variability(CV>65%)owing to human interference. The distribution of Pb and Cu pollution were predominantly influenced by industrial production and land development for construction purposes, whereas industrial activities, agricultural practices, and transportation served as the primary sources of Cd contamination. On the other hand, industrial construction emerged as the major factor contributing to Hg pollution. The average values of individual potential ecological risk index for heavy metals of 9.716 (Pb), 7.095 (Cu), 92.292 (Cd), and 142.469 (Hg), coupled with the regional comprehensive potential ecological risk index (RI) average of 251.573, signified that the region was overall characterized by a relatively high potential ecological risk status. The overall potential ecological risk for Pb and Cu in the region were mild, whereas Cd and Hg posed moderate to high risks, indicating that Cd and Hg were the dominant driving factors behind regional heavy metal pollution. The evaluation results of the information diffusion model based on the potential ecological risk indicated that the probability ranking of different levels of comprehensive potential ecological risk was as follows:slightly high (38.98%) > moderate (38.55%) > high (5.89%) > slight (5.15%) > extremely high (3.56%). The exceeding probabilities of potential ecological risk levels for Cd and Hg were significantly higher than those for Pb and Cu. The exceeding probability of different pollution levels of Hg were slight (94.89%), moderate (66.85%), slightly high (23.62%), high (3.9%), and extremely high (2%), of which only the surpassing probability of the slight level was lower than that of Cd. The prediction error of pollution probability of each potential ecological risk level was less than 5%, demonstrating the reliability of the information diffusion model based on the risk assessment. This research will provide technical reference and support for the monitoring and management of potential ecological risks from soil heavy metals in limited sample data regions.

Future land use simulation model-based landscape ecological risk prediction under the localized shared socioeconomic pathways in the Xiangjiang River Basin, China.

Landscape ecological risk (LER) is an effective index to identify regional ecological risk and measure regional ecological security. The localized shared socioeconomic pathways (LSSPs) can provide multi-scenario parameters of social and economic development for LER research. The research of LER under LSSPs is of scientific significance and practical value in curbing the breeding and spread of LER risk areas. In this study, land-cover raster files from 2010 to 2020 were used as the foundational data. Future land use simulation (FLUS), regression, and Markov chain models were used to predict the land cover patterns under the five LSSP scenarios in the Xiangjiang River Basin (XJRB) in 2030. Thus, an evaluation model was established, and the LER of the watershed was evaluated. We found that the rate of land cover change (LCC) in the XJRB between 2010 and 2020 had a higher intensity (increasing at an average of 18.89% per decade) than that projected under the LSSPs for 2020-2030 (averaging an increase of 8.58% per decade). Among the growth rates of all land use types in the XJRB, that of urban land was the highest (33.3%). From 2010 to 2030, the LER in the XJRB was classified as lower risk (33.73%), lowest risk (33.11%), and moderate risk (24.13%) for each decade. Finally, the LER exhibited significant heterogeneity among different scenarios. Specifically, the percentages of regions characterized by the highest (9.77%) and higher LER (9.75%) were notably higher than those in the remaining scenarios. The higher-level risk area under the localized SSP1 demonstrated a clear spatial reduction compared to those of the other four scenarios. In addition, in order to facilitate the differential management and control of LER by relevant departments, risk zoning was carried out at the county level according to the prediction results of LER. And we got three types of risk management regions for the XJRB under the LSSPs.

Country-Wide Ecological Health Assessment Methodology for Air Toxics: Bridging Gaps in Ecosystem Impact Understanding and Policy Foundations.

Amid the growing concerns about air toxics from pollution sources, much emphasis has been placed on their impacts on human health. However, there has been limited research conducted to assess the cumulative country-wide impact of air toxics on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, as well as the complex interactions within food webs. Traditional approaches, including those of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), lack versatility in addressing diverse emission sources and their distinct ecological repercussions. This study addresses these gaps by introducing the Ecological Health Assessment Methodology (EHAM), a novel approach that transcends traditional methods by enabling both comprehensive country-wide and detailed regional ecological risk assessments across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. EHAM also advances the field by developing new food-chain multipliers (magnification factors) for localized ecosystem food web models. Employing traditional ecological multimedia risk assessment of toxics' fate and transport techniques as its foundation, this study extends US EPA methodologies to a broader range of emission sources. The quantification of risk estimation employs the quotient method, which yields an ecological screening quotient (ESQ). Utilizing Kuwait as a case study for the application of this methodology, this study's findings for data from 2017 indicate a substantial ecological risk in Kuwait's coastal zone, with cumulative ESQ values reaching as high as 3.12 × 103 for carnivorous shorebirds, contrasted by negligible risks in the inland and production zones, where ESQ values for all groups are consistently below 1.0. By analyzing the toxicity reference value (TRV) against the expected daily exposure of receptors to air toxics, the proposed methodology provides valuable insights into the potential ecological risks and their subsequent impacts on ecological populations. The present contribution aims to deepen the understanding of the ecological health implications of air toxics and lay the foundation for informed, ecology-driven policymaking, underscoring the need for measures to mitigate these impacts.

Examining Relationships between Regional Ecological Risk and Land Use Using the Granger Causality Test Applied to a Mining City, Daye, China

Land use changes are an important factor contributing to the increasingly severe deterioration of the ecological environment. Therefore, regional analyses of land use and ecological risk should be developed for the restoration of ecological functions. In this study, a comprehensive ecological risk assessment was constructed on a regional scale and applied to Daye, a traditional mining city in China. Cointegration analyses and Granger causality tests were used to explore the complex relationship between land use and ecological risks in the study area from 2007 to 2021. The results show a long-term and stable relationship between land use changes in different sub-regions and ecological risks, albeit with distinct Granger causality relationships. This research presents the development trend of the relationship between land use change and ecological risks in a mining city, from rapid economic growth to economic restructuring and full-region ecological governance.

Influence of road network expansion on the landscape ecological risk in the Yangtze River Delta region over the past two decades

One of China's regions with the finest foundations for urbanization, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), has experienced tremendous urbanization growth over the past 20 years. It is crucial to assess how the region's rapidly expanding road network may affect the landscape ecological risk (LER) by using landscape analysis, kernel density estimation and statistical analysis. The findings concluded that 1) The LER, which was significantly affected by the landscape pattern and topography was unevenly distributed throughout the YRD region, exhibiting obvious characteristics of high LER values in the north and low LER values in the south. From 2005 to 2020, the medium and sublow LER zones showed increasing trends, with increases of 7101 and 3186 km2, respectively. The decreased areas reached 5310, 2583, and 2394 km2 for the low, subhigh, and high LER zones, respectively. 2) There were obvious spatial differences in the impact of road networks on the LER’s geographical distribution in the YRD region. Significantly negative correlation areas were mainly distributed along and around the minimum spanning tree (MST) generated by the city centers of provinces, which had dense road networks. Significantly positive correlation areas were far away from the MST. 3) From 2005 to 2020, road network expansion in the YRD region impacted the interannual changes in both the LER index and each component index. As the road network expands, the fragmentation, splitting and disturbance indices of shrubs, grasslands and impervious land patches decrease, while those of croplands, forestlands, and water bodies increase. This study can serve as a scientific foundation and point of reference for planning the road network expansion and assessing the regional ecological risk in the YRD region.

An integrative methodology framework for assessing regional ecological risk by land degradation using the case of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Land degradation poses significant threats to the sustainability of ecosystem structures, functions, and services, leading to increasing ecological risks. However, integrative assessment of the ecological risk driven by land degradation remains a challenge. In this study, we established a methodological framework for assessing regional ecological risk by integrating degenerative land use transitions with multiple ecological indicators. Specifically, 11 degradation modes of land use transitions and 7 indicators on ecosystem structures, functions, and services are quantitatively integrated using remote sensing data from 2000 to 2020 in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. Results revealed that the comprehensive ecological risk of the plateau is higher in the southern and northern regions. Furthermore, we found that land development from forests towards cropland and degradation towards grasslands lead to higher ecological risks than grassland development and degradation. The ecological risk tends to show a significant distance decay pattern around the patches with land degradation. Our research framework provides an efficient, explicit, and transferable means of exploring spatiotemporal changes in ecological risk caused by degenerative land use transitions at the regional scale. It presents a constructive tool for facilitating regional-scale land use and ecosystem management planning and assessment.

Assessing potential soil pollution from plant waste disposal: A modeling analysis of pesticide contamination

Pesticide residues can be taken up by plants after pesticide application, potentially resulting in soil pollution following the disposal of plant wastes at harvest. Currently, there is a lack of simple and efficient methods that can conduct high-throughput simulations to explore this problem across various chemicals and plant species. We present a modeling approach to simulating pesticide residue concentrations in soil as a result of plant waste disposal to assess the impact of plant wastes on agricultural soil pollution with respect to pesticide residues. This modeling approach employs well-established plant uptake models, providing versatility in evaluating different chemicals and plant species. The simulation process was tabulated in the spreadsheet interface, providing users with the flexibility to adjust input values for specific chemicals, plant species, and regions. The simulation results revealed that pesticides with relatively low lipophilicity (i.e., log KOW < 2) had low simulated residue concentrations in the soil as a result of plant waste disposal at harvest, whereas soil concentrations for lipophilic pesticides dramatically rose. This indicated that disposal of plant waste in agricultural soils will not pose significant ecological concerns to pesticides with low lipophilicity. The variability analysis showed that for certain pesticides, environmental factors (such as temperature and humidity) had a significant impact on the simulated residue concentrations in the soil as a result of plant waste disposal, which aided in the assessment of regional ecological risk as well as plant disposal management. Although some modeling aspects such as plant decomposition process, advanced plant uptake models, heterological distribution of residue concentrations in the soil, and plant waste stacking patterns require further research, the proposed approach can be used to assist in managing soil pesticides from plant waste disposal in preliminary stages.

Regional ecological risk assessment of the Yellow River Delta High-efficiency Eco-economic Zone, China, with respect to human production–living disturbance

Regional ecological risk assessment of the Yellow River Delta High-efficiency Eco-economic Zone, China, with respect to human production–living disturbance

Regional ecological risk assessment based on multi-scenario simulation of land use changes and ecosystem service values in Inner Mongolia, China

Regional ecological risk assessment (ERA) is an important means towards sustainable regional development. Yet, existing ERA approaches often fall short of characterizing ecological processes as dynamic processes involving uncertainty. Using Inner Mongolia, a high ecological risk area in China, this study employed a framework for regional ERA that considers ecosystem service value (ESV) and four scenarios of future land use patterns to understand its regional ecological risk. The spatially explicit risk assessment method was implemented by a model combining multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), cellular automata (CA), and Markov chain to predict future land use/cover of 2030, an adjustment-based equivalence factor method to assess the ESV in each scenario, and Sharpe Index to assess regional ecological risk. The results show the following. First, the overall ESV increases from 2020 to 2030 under all but the socio-economic development (SED) scenarios considered in this study. Second, the overall regional ecological risk of Inner Mongolia is high in the central region and low in the east, north, and west regions. The low ecological risk areas account for the largest areal proportion in the ecosystem services protection (ESP) and natural development (ND) scenarios, while the medium ecological risk areas are the largest under SED. However, some low ecological risk areas are converted into medium ecological risk in ecological and socioeconomic balance scenario (ESB) scenario. Third, NDVI is the driving factor with the strongest explanatory power for the regional ecological risk in Inner Mongolia, followed by mean annual precipitation and temperature. The present study applied a framework for regional ERA that explicitly considers spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty, which can be useful for guiding decision-making for ecological risk control and the planning of the land use of ecosystems.

Spatial and temporal variations of landscape ecological risk in the dry and hot valley of the Jinsha River during 2000-2020

Scientific assessment of landscape ecological risk in ecologically fragile areas of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is of great significance to regional ecological regulation and construction of the Yangtze River ecological security barrier. With the dry-hot valley area of Jinsha River in Yunnan Province as the research area, we constructed a landscape ecological risk evaluation model, and analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of regional landscape ecological risk. The results showed that the average values of landscape ecological risk index (LER) in the study area were 0.414, 0.398, and 0.462 in 2000, 2010 and 2020, respectively. The LER value of the whole region had reached a higher risk level by 2020. In 2000 and 2010, the landscape ecological risk zones of each level were staggered, and the high-risk zones showed a centralized distribution in 2020. During the two decades, the average LER of each section in the study area was around 0.42, which was close to the high risk level, indicating high landscape ecological risk level. The area of middle and low risk zones had decreased, while the area of high risk zone had significantly increased. The area of high risk zone in the western and middle sections was much higher than that in the eastern section. The area with significant changes of landscape ecological risk accounted for about 55% of the total study area, with obvious spatial agglomeration characteristics of significant increase and decrease of risk. The competition between government-led ecological management policies and measures and market-led land use activities was the main cause of landscape ecological risk variations in this region. In the future, the driving mechanism of climate change coupled with human activities on global and local landscape ecological risk changes in the study area should be uncovered to effectively cope with regional ecological risks.

How to prevent landscape ecological risk with a land use optimal allocation system: An empirical study of the Yellow River Delta in China

Irrational land use is a key factor in triggering regional landscape ecological risk (LER). Existing studies have focused on the relationship between land use change and LER, but it is still unclear how to prevent the risk through the land use optimal allocation (LUOA). To fill these gaps, this study innovatively designs a research framework that follows the logic of “risk assessment – suitability assessment – potential identification – optimal allocation – risk avoidance”. Using methods such as LER index, land use suitability (LUS) evaluation model and spatial overlay analysis, this study investigates the path and feasibility of LER prevention from the perspective of LUOA. The Yellow River Delta (YRD) with frequent interactions between society and ecosystem is taken as a case study. The results are as follows: (1) There was an inverse relationship between LER and comprehensive LUS in the YRD. In inland areas of the YRD, LER was relatively stable, while the comprehensive LUS was characterized by multi-suitability. In the coastal areas of the YRD, the level of LER was generally high, while the comprehensive LUS was characterized by single suitability and unsuitability; (2) The land use comprehensive development potential (LUCDP) was significant in the YRD, with a spatial distribution trend that increased from the coastal to the inland areas. This pattern reflects different orientations of the positive interaction between nature and society and land use support areas; and (3) After conducting LUOA, cultivated land, forest land, and grassland increased by 395 km2, 196 km2, and 174 km2, respectively. The wetlands, construction land, and unused land increased by 32 km2, 248 km2, and 319 km2, respectively. After recalculation, the above scheme can prevent the regional LER. In summary, the present study offered a new approach for achieving a mutually beneficial outcome between landscape ecological risk management and land use optimization, which is significant for the ecological management of river estuary areas in China and in the world.

Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment for the Tarim River Basin on the Basis of Land-Use Change

Land-use variation indicates the spatial differentiation of regional ecological risk. Landscape ecological risk assessment (LERA) has been used for the measurement and prediction of environmental quality. In the present study, the land-use dynamics of the Tarim River Basin from 2000 to 2020 were quantitatively analyzed using ENVI 5.6 software based on Landsat TM and ETM+ images (2000, 2010, and 2020). Moreover, the ecological risk level and its spatiotemporal differentiation features were explored using geostatistical methods based on landscape pattern indices. The results show that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the arable land area increased the most (12,130.272 km2), and the woodland, wetland, water bodies, and building-land areas increased by 2416.541 km2, 4103.789 km2, 3331.230 km2, and 2330.860 km2, respectively. However, the bare-land area decreased the most (18,933.943 km2). (2) From 2000 to 2020, a decrease was detected in the landscape ecological risk index (LERI) of the basin, and the very low-, low-, and moderate-risk areas had the largest decrease. In addition, the area of the low- and moderate-risk areas gradually increased, while that of the high-risk areas was reduced. (3) The conversion rate of low-risk areas to very low-risk areas was the largest (5144.0907 km2/a), followed by that of high-risk areas to moderate-risk areas (4994.4765 km2/a). Therefore, the overall landscape ecological risk (LER) of the basin was reduced from 2000 to 2020, but the ecological risk of some areas, especially that of the glaciers and permanent snow-covered areas, still needs close attention.

Assessing ecological risk on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau based on future land use scenarios and ecosystem service values

As one of the world’s critical ecological regions – often called the “Third Pole” – the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) has outstanding ecosystem service values (ESV). However, its variable climate and fragile environmental conditions make it vulnerable to disturbance by human activities. Based on land use data from 2000, 2010, and 2020, we developed three simulated scenarios of land use distribution on the QTP: business as usual (BAU), farmland protection (FP), and ecological protection (EP). Finally, we employed the Sharpe Index to evaluate ecological risk across the QTP. The results showed that from 2000 to 2020, land use change was mainly in the form of conversion of grassland to unused land, totaling an area of 63,717 km2. The ecosystem service value showed an increasing trend, from US$752.6 billion to US$783.0 from 2010 to 2020. The simulation results from the three scenarios revealed significant differences. Farmland area shows a declining trend in both the EP and BAU scenarios, while exhibiting an increasing trend in the FP scenario. Forest area on the plateau experiences a decreasing trend in the EP and BAU scenarios, but shows an increase in the FP scenario, predominantly in the southeastern region, including Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. The ecological risk assessment results indicate that the eastern region has higher ecological risk compared to the western region, highlighting the western region as a priority area for risk control. The expansion of built-up land and unused land has had significant impacts on regional ecological risk. Integrating risk assessment outcomes with land use planning to identify focal areas can provide guidance for the sustainable development of this globally important ecoregion.

A preliminary discussion on a framework for health geological survey and evaluation

While the Healthy China strategy is being implemented, the China Geological Survey has proposed and deployed a health geological survey project, starting a new journey of health geological survey and evaluation to support and serve the construction of Healthy China. However, there are still many urgent problems to be solved in this project, such as the survey vision, the framework of the evaluation indicators, the risk identification method, and the service scopes of the potential achievements. Therefore, in this paper, a framework for health geological survey and evaluation was proposed, which includes regional health geological survey zoning and local ecological risk identification. At regional scale, the framework of indicators, grading standard, score calculation, zoning method of health geological survey, identification of beneficial and harmful health geological factors, and application of achievements were proposed. These contents were presented based on the core evaluation indicators (e.g., the chemical composition, physicochemical properties, topography, and climate of the crustal surface environment caused by geological evolution processes) and the optional evaluation indicators (e.g., sanitary condition, economic level and geo-environment). At local scale, the selection of evaluation area, workflow, risk identification and the application of achievements were proposed to avoid the ecological risks of harmful trace elements and develop beneficial health geological resources.

Identification of Ecological Management Zoning on Arid Region from the Perspective of Risk Assessment

Strengthening ecosystem monitoring and improving the efficiency of ecological risk assessment are of great significance for the sustainable development of ecosystems in an arid area. Using remote sensing monitoring data of land use, the ecological risk status of typical arid areas is assessed, its spatial heterogeneity is analyzed from the perspective of space-time, and the key areas of ecological risk management are finally identified. The results show that (1) the transformation mode of landscape ecological risk was dominated by medium–low risk to medium risk, and low risk to medium–low risk as a secondary level; in addition, the ecological risk level of the region increased. From 2000 to 2020, the transformation mode of landscape ecological risk was dominated by medium risk to medium–low risk, and medium–low risk to low risk as a secondary level; in addition, the regional ecological risk level shows a moderating trend. (2) The spatial difference in the ecological risk level in the Hexi region is obvious, showing a gradual decline from east to west, and the spatial difference in the ecological risk level in the west is significant. (3) A total of 1194 grid units are identified as key areas for ecological risk management in the Hexi region, accounting for 43% of the study area. This study provides important theoretical basis for ecosystem monitoring and risk assessment management in similar areas of arid regions.

Research on Land Use Pattern and Ecological Risk of Lanzhou–Xining Urban Agglomeration from the Perspective of Terrain Gradient

At the intersection of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and Loess Plateau, topographic factors often profoundly affect the evolution of the regional land use pattern and ecological risk. This paper takes the Lanzhou–Xining urban agglomeration as the research area, divides the topographic gradient based on the topographic index, analyzes the characteristics of the land use pattern using the land use transfer matrix model, dynamic attitude and state degree model, and analyzes the influence of topographic factors on the land use pattern using the distribution model. At the same time, an ecological risk evaluation index system is constructed, the spatial principal component method is used to evaluate the ecological risk, and the influence of topography on the regional ecological risk is discussed. The results show that from 1990 to 2020, the area of construction land in the study area increased by 1045.807 km2 and the area of ecological land increased by 587.41 km2, with the most significant changes occurring in the attitude and state of construction land and unused land. It is found that cultivated land, water area and construction land are dominant in low terrain, while woodland, grassland and unused land are mainly distributed in middle and high terrain. During the study period, the ecological risk in the midwest and southeast of the Lanzhou–Xining urban agglomeration decreased, while the ecological risk in the northeast increased first and then decreased, although generally there was an increasing trend. Moran’s I varied from 0.942 to 0.955 from 1990 to 2020, indicating that the ecological risk index in the study area was highly positively correlated in space, while the spatial aggregation effect of the ecological risk was obvious. Low and moderately low risk areas are mainly distributed in high terrain, while high and moderately high risk areas are dominant in low terrain. The research results of this paper can make a lot of sense for ecological protection, land resource utilization and sustainable development of the Lanzhou–Xining urban agglomeration.