Spatiotemporal Variation in Ecological Environmental Quality and Its Response to Different Factors in the Xia-Zhang-Quan Urban Agglomeration over the Past 30 Years

Zongmei Li, Wang Man (), Jiahui Peng, Yang Wang, Qin Nie, Fengqin Sun and Yutong Huang
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Zongmei Li: School of Computer and Information Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, 600 Ligong Road, Jimiei District, Xiamen 361024, China
Wang Man: School of Computer and Information Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, 600 Ligong Road, Jimiei District, Xiamen 361024, China
Jiahui Peng: School of Computer and Information Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, 600 Ligong Road, Jimiei District, Xiamen 361024, China
Yang Wang: College of Geography and Planning, Nanning Normal University, 508 Xining Road, Wuming District, Nanning 530100, China
Qin Nie: School of Computer and Information Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, 600 Ligong Road, Jimiei District, Xiamen 361024, China
Fengqin Sun: School of Computer and Information Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, 600 Ligong Road, Jimiei District, Xiamen 361024, China
Yutong Huang: School of Computer and Information Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, 600 Ligong Road, Jimiei District, Xiamen 361024, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-23

Abstract: The interactions between economic development, environmental sustainability, population growth, and urbanization are vital in assessing the ecological dynamics of urban agglomerations. This study explores the relationship between economic development, environmental sustainability, population growth, and urbanization within the Xia-Zhang-Quan urban agglomeration in Fujian Province from 1989 to 2022. Utilizing Landsat remote sensing images, we calculated the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) to evaluate changes in ecological quality. The results show that the average RSEI values for 1989, 2000, 2010, and 2022 were 0.5829, 0.5607, 0.5827, and 0.6195, respectively, indicating an initial decline followed by a significant increase, culminating in an overall upward trend. The spatial distribution of RSEI classification shows that the study area has the largest proportion of mainly “good” ecological quality. The proportion of areas with “excellent” ecological environmental quality has increased (13.41% in 1989 and 25.12% in 2022), while those with “general” quality has decreased (28.03% in 1989 and 21.21% in 2022). Over the past three decades, Xiamen experienced substantial ecological degradation (RSEI change of −0.0897), Zhangzhou showed marked improvement (RSEI change of 0.0519), and Quanzhou exhibited slight deterioration (RSEI change of −0.0396). Central urban areas typically had poorer ecological conditions but showed signs of improvement, whereas non-central urban regions demonstrated significant environmental enhancement. The factor detector analysis identified land use as the dominant factor influencing ecological environmental quality, with precipitation having a relatively minor impact. Interaction analysis revealed that all other factors demonstrated bi-variable enhancement or nonlinear enhancement, suggesting that the interactive effects of these factors are greater than the effects of individual factors alone. Land use consistently showed solid explanatory power. Temperature also exhibited significant influence in 2022 when interacting with other factors. Due to urban planning that can plan for land use, these findings suggest that effective urban planning can harmonize economic development with ecological protection within the Xia-Zhang-Quan urban agglomeration.

Keywords: remote sensing; central urban area; ecological and environmental protection; geodetector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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