Search Results (12)

Against the backdrop of global climate change and rapid urbanization, understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving mechanisms of vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) is critical for ensuring regional ecological security and achieving carbon neutrality goals. This study focuses on the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA) and integrates multi-source remote sensing data with socioeconomic statistics. By combining interpretable machine learning (XGBoost-SHAP) with multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR), and incorporating Theil–Sen trend analysis and Mann–Kendall significance testing, we systematically analyze the spatiotemporal variations in NPP and its multiscale driving mechanisms from 2001 to 2020. The results reveal the following: (1) Total NPP in the YRDUA shows an increasing trend, with approximately 24.83% of the region experiencing a significant rise and only 2.75% showing a significant decline, indicating continuous improvement in regional ecological conditions. (2) Land use change resulted in a net NPP loss of 2.67 TgC, yet ecological restoration and advances in agricultural technology effectively mitigated negative impacts and became the main contributors to NPP growth. (3) The results from XGBoost and MGWR are complementary, highlighting the scale-dependent effects of driving factors—at the regional scale, natural factors such as elevation (DEM), precipitation (PRE), and vegetation cover (VFC) have positive impacts on NPP, while the human footprint (HF) generally exerts a negative effect. However, in certain areas, a dose–response effect is observed, in which moderate human intervention can enhance ecological functions. (4) The spatial heterogeneity of NPP is mainly driven by nonlinear interactions between natural and anthropogenic factors. Notably, the interaction between DEM and climatic variables exhibits threshold responses and a “spatial gradient–factor interaction” mechanism, where the same driver may have opposite effects under different geomorphic conditions. Therefore, a well-balanced combination of land use transformation and ecological conservation policies is crucial for enhancing regional ecological functions and NPP. These findings provide scientific support for ecological management and the formulation of sustainable development strategies in urban agglomerations. Full article

As human activities increasingly encroach on ecologically sensitive lake zones, China’s lake-ring urban agglomerations struggle to balance the intensifying human footprint (HF) and declining habitat quality (EQ). Addressing the spatiotemporal interactions between HF and EQ is essential for achieving human–environment coordination. This study examined five major freshwater lake-ring urban agglomerations in China during the period from 2000 to 2020 and developed an HF–EQ assessment framework. First, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model quantified the spatiotemporal coupling between HF and EQ. Second, GeoDetector identified how HF and EQ interact to influence CCD. Finally, the four-quadrant static model and CCD change rate index formed a dual-dimensional management framework. The results indicate that the spatiotemporal evolution patterns of HF and EQ are highly complementary, exhibiting a significant coupling interaction. High-CCD zones expanded from lakeside urban areas and transport corridors, while low-CCD zones remained in remote, forested areas. HF factors such as GDP, land use intensity, and nighttime lights dominated CCD dynamics, while EQ-related factors showed increasing interaction effects. Five human–environment coordination zones were identified based on the static and dynamic characteristics of HF and EQ. Synergy efficiency zones had the highest coordination with diverse land use. Ecological conservation potential zones were found in low-disturbance hilly regions. Synergy restoration zones were concentrated in croplands and urban–rural fringe areas. Imbalance regulation zones were in forest areas under development pressure. Conflict alert zones were concentrated in urban cores, transport corridors, and lakeshore belts. These findings offer insights for global human–environment coordination in lake regions. Full article

Protected areas (PAs) are geographical spaces intended to conserve populations, communities, and ecosystems, in which species richness must be maximized, the conserved area must be minimized, and anthropogenic pressure must be reduced. The present study analyzed the representativeness, complementarity, and degree of risk of 25 garter snake species of the genus Thamnophis in the PAs of Mexico. This study proposes that at least 17% of the potential geographic distribution (PGD) of species will be found inside PAs and in areas (Aichi Target 11) with a low human footprint (HF). The PGD of species was associated with the PAs and HF layers to identify where and which species could be at local extirpation risk by human activities. The results indicate that the federal PAs contain 85.2% of the species, while the state PAs contain 77.7% of the species. An average of 13.4% of the PGD of these species is found inside PAs, and two species are found outside. In 13 federal PAs and 10 state PAs, the Thamnophis species present high local extirpation risk from human activities. In total, 37% of species are found in PAs with a medium to very high human footprint; therefore, their persistence could be at local extirpation risk. Compared to other taxa, species of the genus Thamnophis are well represented. However, the PDG of more than half of the species achieves Aichi Target 11. Full article

Natural processes are substantially impacted by human activity, and assessing human activity has significant ramifications for regional ecological conservation. The study developed an extended human footprint (HF) assessment model based on the theory of ecological effects and human pressures to evaluate human disturbances in the urban agglomerations of the Yellow River Basin using data from 2005 to 2020, revealing the spatiotemporal pattern in the region. The conclusions show that the HF value of urban agglomeration in the Yellow River Basin has steadily increased from 2005 to 2020, primarily driven by mining intensity and road construction. High HF areas are primarily concentrated in urban areas in the south-central of the region, with a tendency to spread outward. Medium HF areas are mainly distributed in the eastern part of the study area, and the spatial distribution increases year by year, extending outward from the center area. The moderately low and HF areas are mostly found in the mountainous areas of the northwest. Among the urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin, the Central Plains UA and Shandong Peninsula UA are the areas most heavily affected by human disturbance. The conclusions are instructive for the high-quality development of urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin. Full article

Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg. (Magnoliales: Magnoliaceae), valued for its medicinal properties and timber and as an ornamental plant, is now classified as an endangered species. Investigating how future climate-change scenarios might affect the potential geographic distribution of L. chinense will provide a crucial scientific basis for its protection and management strategies. The MaxEnt model was calibrated using the ENMeval optimization package, and then it was coupled with ArcGIS 10.8 to forecast the possible distribution areas of L. chinense in China, utilizing elevation data, bioclimatic factors, and human footprint as environmental variables. The results indicate: (1) The optimal model parameters were set as follows: FC = LQ, RM = 0.5, the MaxEnt model demonstrated high predictive accuracy and minimal overfitting; (2) The total suitable habitat area for the potential geographical distribution of L. chinense during the current period is estimated at 151.55 × 10⁴ km², predominantly located in central, eastern, and southwestern regions of China; (3) The minimum temperature of the coldest month (bio6), precipitation of the driest month (bio14), precipitation of the driest quarter (bio17), precipitation of the warmest quarter (bio18), elevation (alt), and human footprint (hf) are the main environmental variables determining the suitable habitat distribution of L. chinense; (4) During the period from 2041 to 2060, under the carbon emission scenarios of SSP126, SSP245, and SSP370, the suitable habitat for L. chinense shows varying degrees of increase compared to the current period. However, under the highest concentration scenario of SSP585, the suitable habitat area decreases to some extent; (5) The distribution of L. chinense is likely to move towards higher latitudes and elevations in the future due to changes in the climate. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on L. chinense, offering valuable information for its protection and management under future climatic conditions. Full article

The intensity of human pressure (HP) has an important impact on the biodiversity and ecosystem services of nature reserves (NRs), and the conflict and the coordination between NRs and human activities are now key issues to solve in the construction of NR systems. This study improved and applied a human footprint (HF) model that considers population density, land use, night light, grazing intensity, and road construction as indicators of human activity to evaluate the effectiveness of NRs in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in mitigating HP from 2000 to 2020. The results indicated that during this period, the average HP in the national NRs of the plateau increased from 1.47646 to 1.76687, where values were generally high in the east and low in the west. The average value in wetland NRs was the largest and had the smallest growth rate, while that in desert NRs was the smallest and had the largest growth rate. From 2000 to 2020, the average HP in the core areas, buffer areas, and experimental areas of the NRs increased by 0.12969, 0.29909, and 0.44244, respectively. It is a challenge for the Chinese government to strengthen the ability of NRs to mitigate HP on the wetland reserves and experimental zones in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau region. Full article

Humans have altered the earth in unprecedented ways, and these changes have profound implications for global climate change. However, the impacts of human pressures on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions over long time scales have not yet been clarified. Here, we used the human footprint index (HF), which estimates the ecological footprint of humans in a given location, to explore the impacts of human pressures on CO₂ emissions in China from 2000 to 2017. Human pressures (+13.6%) and CO₂ emissions (+198.3%) in China are still on the rise during 2000–2017 and are unevenly distributed spatially. There was a significant positive correlation between human pressures and CO₂ emissions in China, and northern China is the main driver of this correlation. The increase of CO₂ emissions in China slowed down after 2011. Although human pressures on the environment are increasing, high-quality development measures have already had noticeable effects on CO₂ emission reductions. Full article

In recent years, regional habitat quality (HQ) has significantly degenerated, mainly attributed to human activities. Evaluating the spatio-temporal effects of human activities on HQ is crucial for maintaining regional ecosystem and conservation of landscapes. In this paper, taking Guiyang city as a case study, the spatio-temporal patterns of HQ and human footprint (HF) in 2000, 2010 and 2020 were respectively calculated by the HQ model and human footprint index (HFI). Then, the bivariate local Moran’s I was applied to measure the spatial relationship between them. Urban development zoning was conducted on the basis of the spatio-temporal relationship. The results showed that (1) in the past 20 years, HQ in Guiyang city was mainly dominated by relatively high value areas (moderately high and high), accounting for more than 60% of the total area. The proportion of low HQ area increased from 12.5% in 2000 to 18.5% in 2020, indicating that urban development has caused the continuous degradation of HQ. (2) The human activities in Guiyang city undergone apparent changes. The area of low HF decreased from 51.5% in 2000 to 46.7% in 2020, while the area with high-value increased from 2% to 5.8%. (3) There was a significantly negative correlation between HQ and HF in Guiyang city. The increasing correlation coefficient indicated that the impact of human activities on HQ has been strengthening. (4) Based on the spatial zoning scheme, the territorial space of Guiyang city was divided into four types, that is, the core development zone, the moderate development zone, the habitat conservation zone and the prohibited development zone. A series of corresponding strategies were proposed for the characteristics of each zone. Our findings can serve as guidance to urban managers and policy-makers for adopting suitable urban development plans and appropriate management of natural environment. Full article

The management effectiveness of protected areas plays a key role in biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation. We evaluated the effectiveness of Qilian Mountain Nature Reserve (QMNR) in reducing human footprint (HF). Four dominant human activity factors, including population density, land use, road distribution, and night light, were incorporated for HF mapping. Comparisons of the HF value between inside and outside QMNR and its four functional zones were conducted. The results show that both the HF inside and outside of QMNR were increasing, but the difference between them was increasing, indicating partial management effectiveness. The north part of the central reserve has a good effect in reducing human impacts, while the effectiveness was poor at both ends of the reserve. The HF value of the most strictly managed core and buffer zones increased by 10.50 and 6.68%, respectively, for 2010–2020. The QMNR was effective in controlling population density and land use, but ineffective in reducing road construction, mining, and construction of hydropower facilities. Full article

Protected areas play significant roles in protecting biodiversity by mitigating human activities. As an indicator for human activities, the human footprint (HF) can be used to assess the effectiveness of protected areas. We developed a HF dataset for the Sanjiangyuan region in China after localizing the global HF model. Then we used it to assess the effectiveness of Sanjiangyuan nature reserve (SNR) in mitigating human pressures. Our results suggest that the HF value for the Sanjiangyuan region was generally low from 1995 to 2015, with a fluctuating increasing trend. The SNR is partially effective in mitigating human pressures. For 2005–2010, the HF values decreased both within and outside the reserve with more decreases for the outside. For the three functional zones of the SNR, our results show that the HF values decreased during 2005–2010 for all of them, with the largest decrease in the experimental area, and increased during 2010–2015, with the lowest increase in the core areas. The results we obtained are consistent with ecological indicator-based assessments. It is a challenge for the government to balance conservation and development in establishing Sanjiangyuan National Park. Full article

Human activities have dramatically changed ecosystems. As an irreplaceable ecological barrier in western China, the Qilian Mountains (QLM) provide various ecosystem services for humans. To evaluate the changes in the intensity of human activities in the QLM and their impact on the ecosystem, the human footprint (HF) method was used to conduct a spatial dataset of human activity intensity. In our study, the NDVI was used to characterize the growth of vegetation, and six categories of human pressures were employed to create the HF map in the QLM for 2000–2015 at a 1-km scale. The results showed that the mean NDVI during the growing season showed a significant increasing trend over the entire QLM in the period 2000–2015, while the NDVI showed a significant declining trend of more than 70% concentrated in Qinghai. Human pressure throughout the QLM occurred at a low level during 2000–2015, being greater in the eastern region than the western region, while the Qinghai area had greater human pressure than the Gansu area. Due to the improvement in traffic facilities, tourism, overgrazing, and other illegal activities, grasslands, shrublands, forests, wetlands, and bare land were the vegetation types most affected by human activities (in decreasing order). As the core area of the QLM, the Qilian Mountains National Nature Reserve (NR) has effectively reduced the impact of human activities. However, due to the existence of many ecological historical debts caused by unreasonable management in the past, the national park established in 2017 is facing great challenges to achieve its goals. These data and results will provide reference and guidance for future protection and restoration of the QLM ecosystem. Full article

Designing and managing protected areas (PAs) has always been value-based. While all PAs provide unique values in a region, it has not been documented if their functional contributions are proportional to their land area. A challenge also arises from the governance of PAs due to differences in supporting resources, legislations, conservation goals, and guidance. Using the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region as our testbed, we designed a study to test the hypothesis that the functional contributions of 84 PAs, measured by various ecosystem service values, vulnerability and human footprint (Hf), are not proportional to land areas relative to the regional total. Disproportionate performances are partially due to the governance (i.e., national, provincial and local) and the dominant ecosystem type of each PA. We confirm our hypothesis that the functional contributions of PAs in the BTH region far exceed their total land area, with forested PAs performing better. The functional measures of PAs are highly correlated but not equally provided among PA types and under different governances. Both governance and PA type play significant roles in determining functional values and human influences, but no significant interactive influences were detected. Results from this study are updated shreds of evidence for promoting PAs as well as for establishing new PAs through the ongoing Ecological Red Lines program. Full article