Driving Mechanisms of Ecological Suitability Index in the Yellow River Basin from 1990 to 2020

Bingbing Zhang, Yanjun Liu, Shuyao Du, Dengshuai Chen, Xin Li, Teng Liu, Jianrong Cao () and Zengxin Zhang
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Bingbing Zhang: School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Yanjun Liu: School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Shuyao Du: School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Dengshuai Chen: School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Xin Li: School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Teng Liu: School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Jianrong Cao: School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Zengxin Zhang: School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210009, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Ecological security is of central significance for maintaining the integrity and stability of regional ecosystems. Nevertheless, current academic research systematically studying the complex driving mechanisms behind ecological security is deficient. Therefore, this study utilised ecological sources ( ES s) and ecological resistance surfaces ( ERS s) to calculate and obtain the Ecological Suitability Index ( ESI ), thereby reflecting the ecological security status. The drivers of ESI in different areas of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from 1990 to 2020 were explored using the random forest (RF) model and GeoDetector. The results of the study show that: (1) according to the results of the RF model, LANDUSE, NDVI, and PRE are the most important driving factors of the ESI in the upper (UYR), middle (MYR), and lower (LYR) reaches of the YRB; (2) according to the results of GeoDetector factor detection, in the UYR and MYR, the ESI is primarily influenced by natural factors such as NDVI and PRE, showing particularly significant impacts in 2010 and 2020; (3) in the LYR, the ESI is mainly influenced by NDVI, but the degree of influence from socioeconomic factors has significantly strengthened. This study provides a decision-making direction for ecological protection and coordinated development in the YRB.

Keywords: Ecological Suitability Index ( ESI ); driving mechanisms; YRB (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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