Eco-Environment Quality Response to Climate Change and Human Activities on the Loess Plateau, China

Xun Zhang, Zhaoliang Gao (), Yonghong Li, Guanfan Sun, Yunfeng Cen, Yongcai Lou, Yihang Yao and Wenbo Liu
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Xun Zhang: Collage of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Zhaoliang Gao: Collage of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Yonghong Li: Collage of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Guanfan Sun: Collage of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Yunfeng Cen: Collage of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Yongcai Lou: Collage of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Yihang Yao: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, China
Wenbo Liu: Collage of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: Climate change and human activities have caused a range of impacts on the ecological environment. The Loess Plateau (LP) is critical to the stability and health of ecosystems in central and western China, but there is still a lack of research on spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the effects of climate and human activities on the EEQ of the LP. We quantified the ecological environment quality of the study area from 2001 to 2019 based on the improved remote sensing ecological index (RSEI-2) and studied the spatial and temporal evolution of EEQ and its drivers during this period by trend analysis and multiscale geographic weighted regression (MGWR) model. The EEQ of the LP showed an increasingly slowing trend during 2001–2019, with apparent spatial heterogeneity, the south-central part was the hot spot area of change, and the center of gravity of change shifted 124.56 km to the southwest. The driving effects and ranges of each factor changed over time during the study period, and the positive effects of precipitation (PRE) and temperature (TEM) on the EEQ of the southern LP became more apparent, but the negative effects of TEM on the northwestern part have expanded. The negative effect of the intensity of land utilization (LUI) has increased from north to south and has the most profound impact, while population growth has less impact on the central region. The results of this research indicate that the execution of the Grain to Green Program (GGP) in the LP over the last two decades has been effective, but more attention should be paid to the maintenance of the restoration effect in the central region and the reasonable development of the land in the southern area. This research can enhance the comprehension of alterations in ecological factors that impact the environment of the LP. Additionally, it serves as a foundation for investigating strategies for ecological preservation and sustainable land development.

Keywords: climate change; ecological environment quality; land use; Loess Plateau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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