Work

Spatiotemporal Variations and Driving Factors of Ecosystem Health in the Pinglu Canal Economic Zone

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Quantitative assessment of ecosystem health (EH) effectively provides a scientific reference for regional landscape ecological development and socio-ecological system coordination. This study combined the VORSH framework and the XGBoost-SHAP model to assess EH and its spatiotemporal driving factors in the Pinglu Canal Economic Zone. The results show that the comprehensive ecosystem health index (EHI) generally remained at a moderate level during this period, exhibiting a pattern of initial decline followed by recovery, resulting in an overall improving trend. The period from 2005 to 2010 was identified as a critical transitional phase, during which EH began to recover and gradually improve. The Pinglu Canal Economic Zone exhibits distinct spatial heterogeneity in EH. Areas with poor and unhealthy grades are primarily distributed around urban peripheries, plain regions, and near certain water bodies. In contrast, healthy and relatively healthy areas are predominantly located in the densely vegetated mountainous regions of the southwest, north, and east. Between 2000 and 2020, the EH status demonstrated a significant overall upward trend, with most areas experiencing slight improvement and only a few regions exhibiting significant degradation. Topography and temperature were the primary factors driving the spatiotemporal variations in EH, while the influence of human activities continued to intensify with ongoing socioeconomic development.

Source: Land

DOI: 10.3390/land15010085

Authors: Qiuyi Huang, Baoqing Hu, Yuchu Xie, Rujia Ruan, Jiayang Lai

Institution: Nanning Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Land Use and Ecosystem Services

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137