Disturbances Brought about by Human Activities in Relation to the Eco-Environment of the Main Stream of the Tarim River, 2000–2020

Yabo Zhao, Weiwei Zhang, Cansong Li, Shifa Ma, Xiwen Zhang and Haiyan Jiang
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Yabo Zhao: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510090, China
Weiwei Zhang: School of Geography and Geomatics Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215011, China
Cansong Li: Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China
Shifa Ma: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510090, China
Xiwen Zhang: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510090, China
Haiyan Jiang: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510090, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: The main stream of the Tarim River in China is typical of ecologically sensitive areas that have been heavily disturbed by human activities; as such, the monitoring of the quality of its eco-environment constitutes an important task for researchers. By using GlobeLand30 data and applying the disturbance degree model and revised ecosystem service value (ESV) model, the study presented in this paper undertook a quantitative estimation of the effects of the disturbance impacts of human activities on the eco-environment of this area in the period of 2000 to 2020. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) disturbance index values, which reflect disturbance to the local ecosystem by human activities, increased over the study period. Further, cultivated land experienced the largest increase, which, in turn, brought about the most significant disturbance to the eco-environment. High disturbance index values presented a patchy distribution in the west of the main stream of the Tarim River and formed bands and dots in the east; the area of land characterized by high and moderate disturbance index values increased, with growth areas taking on a scattered distribution of patches, bands, and dots without significant spatial continuity. (2) The total ESV increased, indicating the quality of the eco-environment improved. The increase of cultivated land offset the increase in ESV, which counteracted the effects of ecological governance measures. Areas with high ESV values were mainly located in the western and central parts of the study area, while low values were found in the middle east and east. Areas with higher increases in ESV were mainly located in the western and the western part of the middle reaches and took on a zonal distribution, while areas of decrease followed a scattered distribution, presenting as dots or patches. Using the quantitative analysis methods and high-resolution remote sensing data to evaluate the changes in the eco-environment was considered as the innovation of this study, and the findings are useful in exploring the influence of human activities on ecosystems and evaluating the eco-environment in the minor watershed of an arid area. This piece of quantitative research contributes to the task of monitoring eco-environmental changes using remote sensing techniques in ecologically sensitive areas.

Keywords: human activities; disturbance; ecosystem service value; GlobeLand30; the main stream of the Tarim River (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:3:p:424-:d:771567

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