Ecological Risk Assessment of Transboundary Region Based on Land-Cover Change: A Case Study of Gandaki River Basin, Himalayas

Bohao Cui, Yili Zhang, Zhaofeng Wang, Changjun Gu, Linshan Liu, Bo Wei, Dianqing Gong and Mohan Kumar Rai
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Bohao Cui: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yili Zhang: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Zhaofeng Wang: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Changjun Gu: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Linshan Liu: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Bo Wei: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Dianqing Gong: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Mohan Kumar Rai: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Land-cover change is a major cause of global ecosystem degradation, a severe threat to sustainable development and human welfare. In mountainous regions that cross national political boundaries, sensitive and fragile ecosystems are under complex disturbance pressures. Land-cover change may further exacerbate ecological risks in these regions. However, few studies have assessed the ecological risks in transboundary areas. This study focused on the Gandaki Basin (GRB), a typical transboundary region in the Himalayas. Based on the dynamic change in land cover, the landscape ecological risk index (ERI) model was constructed to assess the ecological risk in the GRB, revealing the evolution characteristics and spatial correlation of such a risk during the period 1990–2020. The results showed that all land cover types in the GRB have changed over the last 30 years. The interconversion of cropland and forestland was a distinctive feature in all periods. Overall, the medium and medium to low ecological risk level areas account for approximately 65% of the study area. The areas of high ecological risk were mainly distributed in the high elevation mountains of the northern Himalayas, while the low risk areas were located in the other mountains and hills of Nepal. In addition, the ecological risk in the Gandaki basin has shown a fluctuating trend of increasing over the past 30 years. However, there were different phases, with the order of ecological risk being 2020 > 2000 > 2010 > 1990. Ecological risks displayed positive spatial correlation and aggregation characteristics across periods. The high–high risk clusters were primarily located in the high and medium high ecological risk areas, while the low–low risk clusters were similar to low risk levels region. The findings provided the reference for ecosystem conservation and landscape management in transboundary areas.

Keywords: transboundary basin; ecological risk assessment; land cover; Himalayas (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 (5)

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