Impacts of Land Use Intensity on Ecological Quality Dynamics in the Central Yunnan Plateau Lake Basins, China

Land use intensification profoundly impacts ecological quality, with this dynamic relationship being particularly pronounced in China’s Central Yunnan Plateau Lake Basin (CYP-LBs), an ecologically fragile area of significant socioeconomic value. Despite the critical importance of their interaction, existing research has largely overlooked their dynamic interplay—especially within plateau lake basins. To address this gap, this study employs the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) to assess the ecological quality dynamics of CYP-LBs from 2005 to 2025 and its association with land use intensity (LUI), revealing spatiotemporal patterns of ecological quality evolution and its linkage to land use. Results indicate that CYP-LBs maintained overall moderate ecological quality (average RSEI ~0.50), exhibiting an initial increase followed by decline, peaking at 0.5519 in 2015. The center of gravity for ecological quality shifted eastward in most watersheds, with Moran’s I index consistently above 0.50 indicating significant spatial autocorrelation. The LUI showed an overall upward trend, with high-intensity areas primarily concentrated in lakeshore zones (e.g., eastern Dianchi Lake, Xingyun Lake) and exhibiting regional expansion over time. RSEI and LUI generally showed a negative correlation, but positive correlations emerged in localized areas of eastern and northern Dianchi Lake due to concurrent urbanization and ecological restoration efforts. Among land types, grasslands and forests were identified as the primary drivers influencing ecological quality changes in CYP-LBs. These findings provide crucial scientific basis for integrated conservation, land use optimization, and sustainable development in ecologically fragile plateau lake basins.