Exploring Development Trends of Terrestrial Ecosystem Health—A Case Study from China

Yingchao Li, Zhiyuan Fan, Zhenhao Li, Xuefang Zhang, Ruyu Du and Minghui Li
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Yingchao Li: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Zhiyuan Fan: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Zhenhao Li: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Xuefang Zhang: College of Forest, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Ruyu Du: College of Resources and Environment, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Minghui Li: Henan Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, Zhengzhou 450016, China

Land, 2021, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Terrestrial ecosystem health (TEH) is the basis of regional sustainability development. The state of TEH is an important research direction in the land science field. The purpose of this paper was to explore the development trends and influencing factors of the. By using the radial basis function (RBF), neural network model, geographic information system (GIS), and the comprehensive index method, this paper predicted the land ecological changes of Henan Province from 2007 to 2025 based on a comprehensive evaluation of the system. The results show that the TEH of Henan Province exhibited a general trend of improvement from 2007 to 2025. The predictions exhibited a tendency to fluctuate and increase, from “severe warning” to “moderate warning” and even to “no warning” state. The early warning index of the subsystem showed a fluctuating upward trend except for the press subsystem, which fluctuated between “extraordinary warning” and “heavy warning” states. The overall TEH level is improving but is largely dependent on effective corresponding measures. The health status of the land ecosystem in Henan Province is guaranteed to be stable due to improvements in rural residential incomes, mechanization levels of cultivated land, domestic sewage treatment rates, and the numbers of scientific and technological personnel per unit of land. The TEH is mainly restricted by the population densities, urbanization levels, inputs of fertilizers and pesticides, and average wastewater load factors of the land. To improve the health level of the land ecosystem, it is necessary to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides and to control the urbanization rate. At the same time, improving the level of forest coverage and the effective irrigation rate play a positive role in improving ecosystem health. The results provide a reference for land-use planning and management decisions.

Keywords: ecosystem health; early warning; radial basis function neural network; policy suggestion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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