Assessment of Ecological Quality Dynamics and Driving Factors in the Ningdong Mining Area, China, Using the Coupled Remote Sensing Ecological Index and Ecological Grade Index

Chengting Han, Peixian Li (), He’ao Xie, Yupeng Pi, Yongliang Zhang, Xiaoqing Han, Jingjing Jin and Yuling Zhao
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Chengting Han: School of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Peixian Li: School of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
He’ao Xie: School of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Yupeng Pi: School of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Yongliang Zhang: School of Geosciences and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Xiaoqing Han: Jizhong Energy Group, Xingtai 054000, China
Jingjing Jin: Inner Mongolia Research Institute, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Ordos 017001, China
Yuling Zhao: College of Mining and Geomatics Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056006, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-28

Abstract: In response to the sustainability challenges of mining, restrictive policies aimed at improving ecological quality have been enacted in various countries and regions. The purpose of this study is to examine the environmental changes in the Ningdong mining area, located on the Loess Plateau, over the past 25 years, due to many factors, such as coal mining, using the area as a case study. In this study, Landsat satellite images from 2000 to 2024 were used to derive the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), while the RSEI results were comprehensively analyzed using the Sen+Mann-Kendall method with Geodetector, respectively. Simultaneously, this study utilized land use datasets to calculate the ecological grade (EG) index. The EG index was then analyzed in conjunction with the RSEI. The results show that in the time dimension, the ecological quality of the Ningdong mining area shows a non-monotonic trend of decreasing and then increasing during the 25-year period; The RSEI average reached its lowest value of 0.279 in 2011 and its highest value of 0.511 in 2022. In 2024, the RSEI was 0.428; The coupling matrix between the EG and RSEI indicates that the ecological environment within the mining area has improved. Through ecological factor-driven analysis, we found that the ecological environment quality in the study area is stably controlled by natural topography (slope) and climate (precipitation) factors, while also being disturbed by human activities. This experimental section demonstrates that ecological and environmental evolution is a complex process driven by the nonlinear synergistic interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors. The results of the study are of practical significance and provide scientific guidance for the development of coal mining and ecological environmental protection policies in other mining regions around the world.

Keywords: Loess Plateau; remote sensing; driving factors; ecological quality assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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