From Conservation to Development: A Study of Land Use and Ecological Changes to Vegetation Around the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

Huimei Xia, Wei Wang () and Zijian Zhang
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Huimei Xia: School of Design, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu 241000, China
Wei Wang: College of Art and Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Zijian Zhang: School of Design, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu 241000, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-24

Abstract: Global ecosystems, particularly in biodiversity-rich tropical rainforests, are increasingly under pressure from human activities. As socio-economic development continues and populations steadily grow, the effective planning of areas surrounding national parks has become a global challenge. This study, based on remote sensing data and utilizing landscape ecology tools, such as ArcGIS 10.8, GeoDa 1.20, and Fragstats 4.2, combines spatial statistical methods, trend analysis, and the Hurst index to conduct a long-term analysis and forecast future trends in vegetation ecological quality indicators (VEQI) and landscape pattern changes within and around the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. VEQI changes across various buffer zones were also assessed. Our results show that both arable and built-up land increased, especially from 2002 to 2022. Arable land decreased from 5566.8 km 2 to 4796.8 km 2 , then increased to 5904.6 km 2 ; built-up land expanded from 163.97 km 2 to 314.59 km 2 , reflecting urbanization. Spatiotemporal analysis revealed that 42.54% of the study area experienced significant VEQI changes, with a 24.05% increase (mainly in the northwest) and an 18.49% decrease (mainly in the southeast). The VEQI improvements were consistent across all buffer zones, with the most significant growth in the 7.5 km zone. Landscape indices indicated high fragmentation in coastal areas, while inland areas remained stable, reflecting the tension between conservation and urbanization. These findings provide a theoretical basis for future ecological development and buffer zone policies in the park.

Keywords: land use; land cover changes; national park; vegetation ecological quality; buffer zone; landscape pattern; vegetation ecological change (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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