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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (9): 1840-1854.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.743

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Impact characteristics and driving factors of wind farms on the ecological environment in Xinjiang

JIAO Shitang1(), YAN Yang1, ZHENG Jianghua1,2(), HE Ying1, Babierjiang DILIXIATI1,3, WEI Jianxin3, LIU Junhao1, SHE Yongrui1   

  1. 1 College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, Xinjiang, China
    2 Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Urumqi 830017, Xinjiang, China
    3 Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Natural Resources Data Archives (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Natural Resources Data Center), Urumqi 830000, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2025-11-17 Revised:2026-02-02 Online:2026-09-25 Published:2026-09-07
  • Contact: ZHENG Jianghua E-mail:107552401162@stu.xju.edu.cn;zheng.jianghua@xju.edu.cn

Abstract:

Against the backdrop of the “dual carbon” strategy, wind power, a leading clean renewable energy, is rapidly expanding into arid regions with abundant resources but fragile ecosystems. Xinjiang, one of China’s most wind-resource-rich regions, urgently requires a quantitative assessment of the potential ecological effects of large-scale wind power development. Taking wind farms in Xinjiang as the study object, this work integrates moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer data from 2000 to 2023 with meteorological, topographic, and land use data. Using the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and the geodetector model, we systematically investigate the spatial distribution of wind farms, temporal trends in ecological environmental changes, and their driving factors. The results indicate that (1) Wind farms in Xinjiang exhibit a clustered spatial distribution, mainly concentrated in low-to-medium altitude regions such as Hami City, Turpan City, and Altay Prefecture. Site selection is primarily constrained by terrain flatness, land use types, and wind energy resources. (2) From 2000 to 2023, approximately 81.8% of wind farm areas show a declining trend in RSEI. This suggests that although overall ecological quality remains relatively stable, localized degradation is evident. (3) Geodetector analysis reveals that mean annual precipitation (q=0.4522) and elevation (q=0.3949) are the dominant factors influencing ecological changes in wind farm areas. Interactions among factors such as mean annual temperature, slope, and wind farm operational duration are significant, with 89.3% of factor combinations exhibiting nonlinear enhancement effects, highlighting the multi-factor coupling characteristics of ecological effects. This study helps fill research gaps regarding the ecological effects of wind farms in Xinjiang. It provides a scientific basis for the coordinated management of wind power development and ecological protection, as well as for ecological assessments of renewable energy in arid regions.

Key words: wind farms, spatiotemporal evolution, remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), geographical detector, Xinjiang