Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Force Analysis of Habitat Quality in the Beibu Gulf Urban Agglomeration

Jing Jing, Hong Jiang, Feili Wei (), Jiarui Xie, Ling Xie, Yu Jiang, Yanhong Jia and Zhantu Chen ()
Additional contact information
Jing Jing: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China
Hong Jiang: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China
Feili Wei: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China
Jiarui Xie: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China
Ling Xie: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China
Yu Jiang: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China
Yanhong Jia: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China
Zhantu Chen: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Remediation in Ecologically Fragile Regions, College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541000, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: The ecological environment is crucial for human survival and development. As ecological issues become more pressing, studying the spatiotemporal evolution of ecological quality (EQ) and its driving mechanisms is vital for sustainable development. This study, based on MODIS data from 2000 to 2022 and the Google Earth Engine platform, constructs a remote sensing ecological index for the Beibu Gulf Urban Agglomeration and analyzes its spatiotemporal evolution using Theil–Sen trend analysis, Hurst index (HI), and geographic detector. The results show the following: (1) From 2000 to 2010, EQ improved, particularly from 2005 to 2010, with a significant increase in areas of excellent and good quality due to national policies and climate improvements. From 2010 to 2015, EQ degraded, with a sharp reduction in areas of excellent quality, likely due to urban expansion and industrial pressures. After 2015, EQ rebounded with successful governance measures. (2) The HI analysis indicates that future changes will continue the past trend, especially in areas like southeastern Chongzuo and northwestern Fangchenggang, where governance efforts were effective. (3) EQ shows a positive spatial correlation, with high-quality areas in central Nanning and Fangchenggang, and low-quality areas in Nanning and Beihai. After 2015, both high–high and low–low clusters showed changes, likely due to ecological governance measures. (4) NDBSI (dryness) is the main driver of EQ changes ( q = 0.806), with significant impacts from NDVI (vegetation coverage), LST (heat), and WET (humidity). Urban expansion’s increase in impervious surfaces (NDBSI rise) and vegetation loss (NDVI decline) have a synergistic effect ( q = 0.856), significantly affecting EQ. Based on these findings, it is recommended to control construction land expansion, optimize land use structure, protect ecologically sensitive areas, and enhance climate adaptation strategies to ensure continuous improvement in EQ.

Keywords: ecological quality; spatiotemporal evolution; remote sensing ecological index; driving mechanisms; governance measures (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/8/1556/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/8/1556/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:8:p:1556-:d:1712344

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().