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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (8): 1700-1710.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.502

• Earth Surface Process • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Comprehensive evaluation of desertification in the Mongolian Plateau based on a multi-factor linear model

ZHAO Jianrong1,2(), SHI Hongyan1, NI Honghe1, YANG Wenhua1, LIU Dongwei1,2()   

  1. 1 Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Desert Ecological System, Inner Mongolia Academy of Forestry Sciences, Hohhot 010010, Inner Mongolia, China
    2 School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, Inner Mongolia, China
  • Received:2025-08-22 Revised:2025-09-04 Online:2026-08-25 Published:2026-08-21
  • Contact: LIU Dongwei E-mail:32315087@mail.imu.edu.cn;liudw@imu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Desertification is a widespread ecological and environmental issue in arid and semiarid regions. As an inland plateau located within a typical arid and semiarid climatic zone, the Mongolian Plateau faces severe desertification challenges that profoundly impact regional ecological security and sustainable socio-economic development. Based on four dimensions—vegetation, climate, soil, and human activities—this study selected seven indicators: The normalized difference vegetation index, net primary productivity, precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, soil organic matter, and population density. The triangular fuzzy number theory and the analytical hierarchy process were employed to determine indicator weights and establish a multifactor linear evaluation model. Combined with GIS technology, this model was used to conduct a comprehensive assessment of desertification across the Mongolian Plateau. The results indicate that: (1) The vegetation dimension holds the highest weight in the comprehensive evaluation (50.74%), making it the most direct indicator of desertification status. The climate dimension ranks second (25.18%), primarily reflecting the influence of precipitation and temperature on ecosystem processes. The soil and human activity dimensions account for 20.38% and 3.72%, respectively. (2) Areas classified as experiencing light, moderate, or severe desertification are mainly concentrated in the southwestern Mongolian Plateau and collectively account for ~83.4% of the total area. Specifically, severe, moderate, and light desertification cover 41.9%, 24.7%, and 16.8% of the total area, respectively. Nondesertified areas are primarily distributed in the northern and northeastern regions, accounting for 16.6% of the total area. (3) Desertification on the Mongolian Plateau showed an overall worsening trend from 2001 to 2005, followed by a period of improvement from 2005 to 2020 and a slight deterioration from 2020 to 2023. (4) Precipitation is the most crucial driving factor influencing the evolution of desertification in the Mongolian Plateau. Rising temperatures indirectly promote desertification by intensifying evaporation and drought conditions, while human activities exert significant localized impacts. (5) Regional comparisons reveal that desertification in Inner Mongolia has generally improved since 2001, whereas Mongolia has experienced a worsening trend. These contrasting patterns are associated with differences in ecological restoration policies and engineering measures implemented in the two regions.

Key words: Mongolian Plateau, desertification, climate change, multi-factor linear model, spatiotemporal process