Search Results (41)

The fragmented nature of Chinese households’ forestland hinders the realization of economies of scale in forestry production. Understanding the role of forestry service outsourcing organizations in mitigating this fragmentation provides a critical foundation for the exploration of pathways to scaled forestry management. Based on tracking data from 500 households across 10 counties in Fujian Province between 2013 and 2018, this study examines an unbalanced panel containing six periods and 2780 valid observations. It constructs a panel Logit model to examine the influence of forestry service outsourcing organizations on the likelihood of forestland transfer by households, and it employs a panel Tobit model to analyze the relationship between these organizations and the scale of forestland transferred. To capture potential heterogeneity, the analysis incorporates households’ part-time status and the forestland terrain conditions. The results indicate that the duration of establishment of county-level forestry project teams and forestry companies in households’ regions significantly reduces the tendency of households to lease out their forestland, especially for those in plain and hilly regions and part-time forestry producers. Furthermore, the longer the establishment history of township-level forestry project teams, the more inclined households are to retain their family forestland management rights. Our study demonstrates that, when specialized forestry service outsourcing organizations emerge in the market, households are less likely to lease out their forestland, thereby retaining management rights, avoiding the risk of forestland loss, and reducing forestland abandonment. As forestry service outsourcing organizations continue to develop and expand—with improvements in service levels and production efficiency—forestry production is gradually transitioning toward a new stage of service-oriented scale operations. Full article

Understanding the impacts of land use and land cover changes on ecosystem service values (ESVs) is crucial for effective ecosystem management; however, the intricate relationship between these factors in coal mining regions remains underexplored. In particular, the influence of coal mining activities on these dynamics is insufficiently understood, leaving a gap in the literature that hinders the development of robust management strategies. To address this gap, we investigated the interplay between land use change and the ESV at the interface of Yang Coal Mine No. 2 and the Shanxi Yalinji Guanshan Provincial Nature Reserve in Yangquan City, Shanxi Province. Using Landsat 8 remote sensing data from 2013 to 2021, our approach incorporated analyses using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. We employed a random forest algorithm to classify land use patterns and calculated key indices—including the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and bare soil index (BSI)—which were combined with topographic features. Land use change dynamics were quantified via a transfer matrix, while changes in the ESV were evaluated using the ecosystem sensitivity index and ecological contribution rate. Our results revealed notable fluctuations: forestland increased from 2013 to 2018 before declining sharply from 2019 to 2021; grassland displayed similar variability; and constructed land experienced a continual expansion. Correspondingly, the overall ESV increased by 28.6% from 2013 to 2019, followed by a 19.5% decline in 2020 and 2021, with forest and grassland’s ESVs exhibiting similar trends. These findings demonstrate that land use changes, particularly those that are driven by human activities such as coal mining, have a significant impact on ecosystem service values in mining regions. By unraveling the nuanced relationship between land use dynamics and ESVs, our study not only fills the gap in the literature but also provides valuable insights for developing more effective ecosystem management strategies, ultimately advancing our understanding of ecosystem dynamics in human-impacted landscapes. Full article

In October 2021, China established its first group of national parks, representing a milestone in enhancing the country’s nature reserve system and aligning with global trends in ecological conservation. This study aims to assess habitat quality changes and identify the driving factors in five national parks using multi-temporal land use data from 2000 to 2020. By integrating the land use transfer matrix with the InVEST model, we quantified habitat quality changes, while the geographical detector method was employed to analyze the key natural and socioeconomic drivers. Results showed that grassland and cultivated land were predominantly converted into forestland, leading to improvements in habitat quality in some parks. Specifically, Wuyishan National Park exhibited the highest and most stable habitat quality index, while Three-River-Source National Park experienced significant improvement (+34.10%). However, the Giant Panda, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard, and Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Parks experienced habitat degradation, with decreases of 15.15%, 14.50%, and 13.90%, respectively. Key drivers, such as NDVI, temperature, precipitation, elevation, and population density, were found to significantly influence habitat quality across the parks. This study highlights the ecological benefits of forestland restoration and the risks posed by the conversion of forest to cultivated or construction land, providing valuable insights for optimizing conservation strategies in China’s national parks. Full article

Rapid transformations in land use and land cover (LULC) serve as critical drivers influencing the eco-environmental quality in swiftly urbanizing areas. This study aims to assess and analyze the land-use transfer in Nanjing, China from 2003 to 2023 and its effects on ecological environment quality, utilizing the land expansion intensity (E_n), the land use composite index (LUCI), the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), and other models. The results show that (1) farmland and forestland decreased significantly, with forestland showing the largest decrease (−20.65%), while construction land showed the largest increase (98.70%), mainly from farmland; (2) the overall RSEI level in Nanjing was relatively high, with a slight decline in fluctuation in the past 20 years. The RSEI values of forest land (0.8786) and farmland (0.8318) were higher, while the construction land (0.3790) and unused land (0.3701) were lower; (3) there was significant correlation (p < 0.05) and spatial autocorrelation between land-use changes and RSEI changes. The RSEI of rural areas was better than that of urban centers. There was a significant negative linear correlation between RSEI and LUCI (R² = 0.711), a significant positive correlation with the area proportion of farmland, forest land and water, and a significant negative correlation with the area proportion of construction land. (4) Predictions indicate continued declines in farmland and forestland, accompanied by further expansion of construction areas, and the RSEI will continue to decline. It is suggested that forestland and farmland should be protected in the future, the expansion of construction land should be restrained, urban construction and ecological protection should be balanced, and the sustainable and high-quality development of rapid urbanization areas should be maintained by accurate land-use planning. Full article

As the largest Payment for Environmental Services (PESs) program in China, the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) has exerted a profound impact on both the ecosystems and rural households’ livelihoods. However, the direct impact and indirect impact mechanism of the SLCP on income remain poorly understood. To bridge this research gap, a unique dataset was used in this study, comprising more than 1200 sampled rural households from 1995 to 2016. An estimation was conducted regarding the direct impact of the SLCP and its subsidy changes in different implementation stages on rural household income, as well as the indirect impact mechanism of the SLCP on income. Our results provided twofold findings. First, participation in the first round of the SLCP increased rural household’s income by 4.63% compared with non-participation. However, in the transition period, the SLCP had no significant effect on the total income of rural households. In the subsidy extension and subsidy expiration stages, participation in the SLCP increased rural household total income by 12.53% and 11.77%, respectively. Second, the variables, including farmland area, forestland area, land-based production expenditure, land-based labor input, and off-farm labor input, had significant mediation effects on the impact of the SLCP on rural household income. To improve the implementation of the SLCP, policymakers could pay attention to more integrative approaches, such as forestland transfer, reduction in forestland fragmentation, and promotion of off-farm job opportunities. Full article

The prevention of ecological risks is a critical determinant influencing sustainable development. Driven by rapid socio-economic development, the ecosystems of mountainous cities within agro-pastoral transition zones are increasingly vulnerable to complex disturbances, constituting a significant threat to sustainable development and human well-being. To help achieve sustainable development, it is essential to conduct research on addressing and mitigating ecological risks from the perspective of collaborative management networks in mountainous cities. Taking Zhangjiakou as the study area, this paper employed the land use transfer matrix and standard deviation ellipse methods to analyze the dynamic land use changes. Additionally, using Fragstats 4,2 to calculate the landscape indices with land use data, this paper evaluated the landscape ecological risk (LER) from 2000 to 2020. Furthermore, the social network analysis (SNA) method was utilized to explore the spatial correlation characteristics of the LER. The findings indicate that: (1) Cultivated land and grassland were the predominant land use types in Zhangjiakou. During 2000–2020, Zhangjiakou experienced significant changes in land use, dominated by the transfer among cultivated land, forestland, and grassland. It indicated that the issue of unstable ecological land use continued to exist. Affected by human activities, construction land showed a consistent upward trend, primarily concentrated in the urban built-up areas and areas along the Jing-Zhang Railway. (2) The LER of Zhangjiakou was predominantly characterized by low risk, medium risk, and high risk levels. In the transitional areas and foothills, the LER was relatively higher. During 2000–2020, Zhangjiakou showed a declining trend of LER. This suggested that the ecological protection policies in Zhangjiakou were effective, leading to an improvement in the local ecological environment. (3) The LER in Zhangjiakou demonstrated a spatial clustering pattern that exhibited an upward trend, which was supported by both spatial autocorrelation and the SNA analysis. In the LER collaborative management network, Xuanhua, Qiaodong, Qiaoxi, Wanquan and Zhangbei consistently upheld pivotal roles. Based on the number of inward and outward connections, 16 counties in Zhangjiakou were classified into four categories and three zones accompanied by corresponding recommendations. The findings of this study can serve as a valuable reference for subsequent landscape pattern optimization and ecological restoration in Zhangjiakou. Full article

The economic belt on the north slope of the Tianshan Mountains is a highly productive area in Xinjiang, but with the rapid development of the economy and industry and the acceleration of urbanization in recent years, the fragile ecological environment in the region has further deteriorated. Exploring shifts in land utilization across different eras and regions, along with the transformation of terrain configurations, provides key perspectives that can propel sustainable societal and environmental growth within this particular area. The research analyzed four periods (1990, 2000, 2010, 2020) of remote sensing image data combined with field monitoring data using methods such as land use variability, landscape pattern index, and grey relational model. Focusing on investigating the dynamics of the ecological environment in high-intensity human activity areas, examining alterations in land use patterns over time and space, transitions in land use types, and trends in landscape pattern indices. (1) The dominant land environments situated in the economic zone adjacent to the northern base of the Tianshan mountain range encompass extensive expanses of grassy plains and unexploited landscapes, making up 45% and 38% of the area, correspondingly. The single dynamic change degree of construction land was the largest due to the implementation of long-term land development and urbanization policies. Land use transfer change mainly occurred among cultivated land, grassland, forestland, and unused land. With strong human activities, the construction land area has expanded by 145.16% (2089.7 km²), and this number is still increasing. (2) The spatial landscape structure on the north slope of Tianshan Mountain is becoming more complicated and diversified; the cities with the highest degree of fragmentation were concentrated in the middle and western sections. Grassland is the most dominant patch type in the landscape. The shape of patches tends to be irregular and complex in general, and the fragmentation degree and dispersion degree of landscape patches are enhanced as the proportion of different landscape types increases. (3) Grey correlation analysis indicates that grasslands, cultivated land, and unused land are key elements in the landscape pattern changes on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains. Central urban agglomeration is an area with strong landscape pattern changes, and ecological protection should be emphasized while promoting economic development. Full article

Analysis of the driving mechanisms of wetland change can help identify spatial differences in the mechanisms affecting various elements, enabling a more scientific approach to the conservation and utilization of wetlands. This study investigated the impacts of natural and anthropogenic factors on the spatiotemporal evolution of the Altay and Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains areas using Landsat satellite image data from 1980 to 2018 and fieldwork data from 2019 to 2020. A transfer matrix, correlation analysis, and dynamic characteristics were applied to calculate and analyze the transformation types and areas of wetland resources across all consecutive periods. Finally, the dominant factors influencing the spatiotemporal evolution of the wetland were explored and revealed using the drought index (Standardized Precipitation Index, SPEI) and statistical almanacs. The results showed: (1) From 1980 to 2018, the wetlands area in the Altay Mountains exhibited a decreasing trend, whereas the wetlands area in the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains showed an increasing trend. The primary type of wetland transfer in the Altay Mountains was grassland, whereas in the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains regions, the primary types of wetland transfer were grassland and forestland. The wetlands area transferred out of the Altay Mountain region was larger than the area of wetland types transferred into during 2010–2018, whereas the wetland areas of the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountain areas showed the opposite trend. (2) From 1980 to 2018, the wetland ecosystem types in the Altay Mountains exhibited the highest dynamic and conversion degrees of the channels. Similarly, the mountain areas of the Greater Khingan Mountains showed the highest dynamic and conversion degrees of marshes and channels among the wetland types. In addition, the mountainous areas of the Lesser Khingan Mountains showed the highest dynamic and conversion degrees for reservoirs and rivers. (3) Natural driving factor analysis revealed that the SPEI values in the Altay Mountains and the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains areas exhibited an increasing trend, indicating that the climate has been warm and humid over the past 30 years and that the expansion of cropland and human-made wetland areas has been significantly influenced by human activities. Therefore, the wetland areas of the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains in the northeast are strongly influenced by human activities, whereas the wetland in the Altay Mountains in the northwest is strongly influenced by the climate. Full article

We explored the characteristics of landscape pattern (LP) changes in the Nandu River Basin (NRB) and its dynamic response mechanism to anthropogenic disturbance (AD). This is important for ecological protection and for land use decision-making in the basin in the context of the construction of a free trade port. Land use and land cover change (LULCC) data of 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 were analyzed with the help of the LP index, moving window method, hemeroby index, geo-information atlas, and geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis to reveal the dynamic changes in LP characteristics in the NRB. Furthermore, this paper discusses into the correlation between LP and AD. The results indicate that over the past three decades, the NRB showed a staggered LP, dominated by forestland and cropland, whose total area has decreased by 25.27 km² and 62.75 km², respectively. On the other hand, the built-up land increased by 91.37%. The overall landscape fragmentation, landscape patch homogeneity, and landscape diversity have increased in the NRB. AD is the main reason for the dramatic changes in the LP of urban agglomerations centered in Haikou city. The area of minor disturbance (over 34%) occupies the largest proportion of the land, followed by higher (about 13~25%) and moderate disturbances (about 17~22%). The area of minor and strong disturbances has increased significantly, whereas those of moderate and higher disturbances have significantly decreased. The spatial distribution pattern of AD is gradually increasing from the southwest (natural landscape) to the northeast (human landscape). A transition in areas of low disturbance levels to higher levels is obvious. The area of the atlas that has transitioned from “minor → lighter disturbance (12)” and “higher → minor disturbance (41)” changed changed most significantly during 2000 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2020, occupying 26.79% and 11.99% of the transfer atlas, respectively. All regions encountering disturbances were significantly correlated with the largest patch index (LPI) from 1990 to 2020. The overall AD in the NRB has increased, especially in Haikou. Urbanization is the main factor for an increase in AD. The ecological and environmental management and monitoring in the basin need to be strengthened. Full article

Most studies on the ecosystem service value (ESV) only focus on spatial/temporal heterogeneity or single driving effects, but little is known about the combined effects of nature-human activity-policy on ESV in the fragile karst areas. This study aimed to investigate the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of ESV between 1990 and 2020 in a representative karst trough valley in SW China. The dynamic degree of land use, the land-use transfer matrix, sensitive analyses, Geo-Detector, and Hot- and cold-spots analyses were used to determine the interactions between ESV and the natural, human activity, and policy-driving factors. The results showed that from 1990 to 2020, forestland accounted for more than 62.32% of the total area, and construction land increased continuously as a result of urbanization. The conversion from forestland to cropland dominated the land-use transfer. The ESV decreased sharply between 1990 and 2000 and slowly increased from 2000 to 2020, causing a total reduction of 562.91 million yuan in ESV, due largely to the occupation of forestland and grassland by cropland. Soil type (8.00%) had the largest explanation rate for the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of ESV, followed by population density (7.71%) and altitude (6.34%). Policy factors not only markedly influenced the ecosystem structure and function and tradeoff and synergy but also regulated their interactions with other driving factors. Our results have great significance for understanding the interaction effect of natural sources and human activities on changes in ESV in karst areas. Full article

Topography plays an important role in restricting the formation of and change in land use/land cover (LULC) patterns. To compare the LULC change and topographic gradient effects between mountains and flatlands, the geo-informatic atlas, terrain position index, distribution index and diversity index were used to analyze the LULC patterns in Yuxi from 2000 to 2020. The results were as follows: (1) the temporal–spatial variation in LULC was obviously different. From 2000 to 2020, land use change in the flatlands was more severe than that in the mountains. The transfer amount of forestland in the mountains was the largest, with the transfer-out and transfer-in accounting for 48.53% and 31.05%. However, in the flatlands, the biggest changes were found in the transfer-out of cultivated land and the transfer-in of build-up land, which were 46.91% and 38.20%, respectively. The LULC types in the mountains changed dramatically from 2000 to 2010, while those in the flatlands changed dramatically from 2010 to 2020. (2) There were obvious differences in the topographic gradient effects. The dominant distributions of land use types in the low-terrain area were the same, but the dominance of build-up land in the flatlands and that of wetland in the mountains were the largest. In the mountains, the dominant distribution of grassland was in the medium-terrain position, while that of forestland was in the high position, and the opposite was found in the flatlands. In addition, the variation trend of the diversity index in the mountains was relatively simple, but the variation range was large, ranging from 0 to 1.677, and high diversity was mainly found in the medium- and high-terrain positions. However, the variation trend in the flatlands was complex, but only ranged from 0.918 to 1.994, and high diversity was found in the low-terrain positions. The differences in the LULC change and terrain gradient effects between the mountains and flatlands were mainly caused by natural, socio-economic and policy factors, which can provide a certain reference for differentiated land use policies for regional coordinated and sustainable development. Full article

Soil physicochemical properties and macropore spatial structure affect saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). However, due to regional differences and long measurement time, Ks is tedious to quantify. Therefore, it is of great importance to find simplified but robust methods to predict Ks. One possibility is to use pedo-transfer functions (PTFs). Along this line, stratified sampling was carried out in six typical forestlands in the rocky mountain area of Northern China. Penetration experiments and industrial CT scanning were combined to explore the distribution characteristics of regional Ks and its influencing factors. Based on this, we compared three Ks PTF models by multiple linear regression for Ks prediction. The results indicated that: (1) Ks decreased with increasing soil depth, which followed the order coniferous forest < broad-leaved forest < mixed forest, and the change range of mixed forest was greater than that of homogeneous forest. (2) Soil bulk density, water content, sand, silt, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium were significantly correlated with Ks (p < 0.05). In addition, stand type and soil depth had a certain impact on soil physicochemical properties that affected Ks. (3) Soil macropore structure, such as number density, length density, surface area density, and volume density, all decreased with increasing soil depth. They were all significantly positively correlated with Ks (p < 0.001). (4) The best predictability and universality for PTFs was achieved for PTFs containing bulk density, organic matter content, and total phosphorus. Only PTFs containing parameters of macropore spatial structure did not yield high predictability of Ks. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of forest hydrological infiltration processes in rocky mountain forests in Northern China, and provide theoretical support for the prediction and management of water loss and soil erosion and the enhancement of water conservation functions. Full article

The timing of seed germination significantly affects the fitness and life cycle of plants. Torilis scabra is a perennial medicinal herb occurring in mixed forests but the increasing use and modification of forestlands in recent decades has led to the degeneration of its natural habitat. Nonetheless, the requirements for germination in T. scabra remain unclear. The present study focused on identifying conditions necessary to break T. scabra seed dormancy and describing its seed dormancy type. By periodically collecting seeds that were sown in the field, germination phenology was studied. The impact of light, temperature, and warm/cold stratification on breaking seed dormancy and promoting germination was also determined through incubating seeds in laboratory conditions. Additionally, the effect of GA₃ was explored to more accurately identify the type of dormancy present. The results demonstrated that the seeds of T. scabra possessed small, undeveloped embryos with physiological dormancy at the time of maturity. In the field, embryo growth initiated in early spring and the embryo–seed length ratio increased by ~300% before the radical emerged. In the laboratory, the embryo–seed length ratio increased from 0.24 to 0.82 when seeds were subjected to cold stratification at 4 °C and then transferred to 15/25 °C. Germination was observed across a broad temperature range after cold stratification. GA₃ also helped to break dormancy but after-ripening did not. Taken together, the results suggest that seeds of T. scabra have non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy. Full article

“Land Use and Land Cover Change (LULCC)” is increasingly being affected by ecosystem services value. LULCC patterns have been subjected to significant changes over time, primarily due to an ever-increasing population. It is rare to attempt to analyze the influence of such changes on a large variety of ecosystem benefits in Madagascar island. The economic value of ecosystem services in Madagascar island is evaluated throughout the period from 2000 to 2019. The expansion of the human population affects the changing value of ecosystem services directly. The PROBA-V SR time series 300 m spatial resolution cover of land datasets from the “Climate Change Initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA)” were used to measure the values of ecosystem activities and the changes in those values caused by land use. A value transfer method was used to evaluate the value of ecosystem services to land use changes on Madagascar island. The findings show that from 2000 to 2019, at the annual rate of 2.17 percent, Madagascar island’s ecosystem service value (ESV) grew to 6.99 billion US dollars. The components that greatly contributed to the total change of ESV were waste treatment, genetic resources, food production, and habitat/refugia. These components in 2000 contributed 21.27%, 20.20%, 17.38%, and 13.80% of the total ESV, and 22.55%, 19.76%, 17.29%, and 13.78% of the total ESV in 2019, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that there was a great change in LULCC. From 2000 to 2019, bare land, built-up land, cultivated land, savannah, and wetland increased while other LULCC types decreased. The sensitivity coefficient ranged from 0.649 to 1.000, <1, with forestland registering the highest values. Wetland is in the second position for the most important land cover category in Madagascar, considering the total value of the ecosystem. The value of ecosystem benefits per unit of the land area was higher on cultivated land, despite the relatively low fraction of cultivated land area across these eras. The sensitivity indices of seven land types from 2000 to 2019 were mapped to understand better the geographical distribution patterns of ESV’s “equivalent value coefficient” (VC) across various land uses. It is suggested that the ESV should be included in Madagascar’s government land-use plan to manage it effectively and efficiently with fewer negative effects on the ecosystem. Full article

This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal patterns, water yield and water conservation function of different land use types in Poyang Lake Region, China, during 1990–2020 by using national land use, meteorological, soil, DEM data, etc., based on the InVEST model. The results showed that: (1) Cultivated land, forestland and water area were the main land use types in Poyang Lake Region during 1990–2020. Construction land and forestland were increasing, while grassland, unused land, cultivated land and water area were decreasing. (2) The increasing construction land was mainly derived from cultivated land. Mutual transfer existed between cultivated land and forestland, as well as between cultivated land and water area. (3) With a downward–upward–downward fluctuating trend, the average annual water yield of Poyang Lake Region was 16.17 × 109 m³, and the water conservation was 53.11 × 108 m³. The average water conservation capacity was 270.98 mm. The vegetation cover area with high water conservation value was mainly concentrated in the northwest of Jiujiang City and the northeast of Poyang County. (4) The average water conservation of different land use types during 1990–2020 was ranked as follows: water area > cultivated land > forestland > construction land > grassland > unused land. The water conservation capacity was ranked as follows: water area > grassland > forestland > cultivated land > construction land > unused land. Full article