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Arid Land Geography ›› 2021, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (4): 1175-1185.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.04.29

• Regional Development • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatiotemporal evolution pattern and driving factors of ecological vulnerability in agro-pastoral region in northern China: A case of Yanchi County in Ningxia

HUANG Yue1(),CHENG Jing2(),WANG Peng2   

  1. 1. Department of Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    2. School of Resources and Environment, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
  • Received:2020-06-12 Revised:2020-12-31 Online:2021-07-25 Published:2021-08-02
  • Contact: Jing CHENG E-mail:284921758@qq.com;958830559@qq.com

Abstract:

Ecological vulnerability is a current focus of research on global environmental changes and regional sustainable development, as well as of research on ecological civilization construction and green development. In this study, Yanchi County in Ningxia, which is an agro-pastoral area in northern China, was taken as an example. Three remote sensing datasets were collected from 2000 to 2017, and the landscape pattern index method, grid technology, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and geographic detector models were used to assess the ecological vulnerability of the study area. The temporal and spatial patterns and their driving factors were evaluated comprehensively. The results showed that, during the study period, the landscape of Yanchi County was dominated by grassland and cultivated land. Together, the two land types accounted for more than 70% of the total study area. The grassland increased in area each year at an average annual rate of 0.82%. The farm land and unused land decreased in area by 44673.7 and 73033.1 hm2, respectively. The woodland, water, and construction land types increased rapidly in area at average annual rates of 2.86%, 2.15%, and 4.80%, respectively. The number of patches of landscape in the study area decreased over time; the degree of fragmentation decreased, and the different land types had good connectivity. Generally, the land types showed regular and continuous evolution, and the ecological vulnerability of the study area decreased each year. Ecologically fragile areas were mainly distributed in Gaoshawo Town and Huamachi Town in the north and Hui’anbu Town in the west. Less ecologically fragile areas were mainly distributed in Mahuangshan Town, Dashuikeng Town, and Qingshan Township in the southeast. The less ecologically fragile area was continuously distributed from southeast to northwest, and the spatial autocorrelation Moran’s I was greater than 0.52, which indicates a positive correlation and represents significant agglomeration and heterogeneity. The results indicated that the number of landscape patches, landscape fragmentation, landscape dominance, and Shannon diversity index are the main influencing factors that affect the spatial heterogeneity of ecological vulnerability in the study area.

Key words: ecological vulnerability, spatiotemporal evolution, spatial autocorrelation, geographic detector, farming pastoral ecotone in north China