Institute of County Economic Development & Institute of Rural Revitalization Strategy, School of Economics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Feb 20;912:169220. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169220. Epub 2023 Dec 12.
The sand fixation ecosystem services and human activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) play a crucial role in local sustainable development and ecosystem health, with significant implications for surrounding regions and the global ecological environment. We employed an improved integrated wind erosion modeling system (IWEMS) model for the QTP to simulate sand fixation quantities under the unique low temperature and low pressure conditions prevalent on the plateau. Using the human footprint index (HFI), the intensity of human activities on the plateau was quantified. Additionally, an econometric model was constructed to analyze the impacts of the natural factors, the HFI, and policy factors on the sand fixation capacity. The results revealed that the average sand fixation quantity was 1368.0 t/km/a, with a standard deviation of 1725.4 t/km/a, and the highest value during the study period occurred in 2003. The average value of the HFI for 2020 was 6.69 with a standard deviation of 6.61, and the HFI exhibited a continuous growth trend from 2000 to 2020. Despite this growth, the average human activity intensity remained at a low level, with over 50 % of the area having an index value of <4.84. Overall, a strong negative correlation was observed between the sand fixation ecological capacity and the HFI on the QTP. However, extensive regions exhibited high values or low values for both indicators. The sand fixation capacity on the QTP is influenced by both natural and human factors. In light of these findings, suggestions are made for optimizing protected area design, rational control of human activity scales, and targeted human activity aggregation within certain regions as part of ecological conservation strategies. This study has implications for assessing sand fixation ecological functions in high-altitude regions and enhancing sand fixation capacity within the region, providing valuable practical guidance.
青藏高原（QTP）的风沙固定生态系统服务和人类活动对当地可持续发展和生态系统健康至关重要，对周边地区和全球生态环境也具有重要意义。我们采用改进的青藏高原综合风蚀模型系统（IWEMS）模型，模拟高原独特的低温低压条件下的风沙固定量。利用人类足迹指数（HFI），量化了高原上人类活动的强度。此外，构建了一个计量经济学模型来分析自然因素、HFI 和政策因素对风沙固定能力的影响。结果表明，平均风沙固定量为 1368.0 t/km/a，标准差为 1725.4 t/km/a，研究期间最高值出现在 2003 年。2020 年 HFI 的平均值为 6.69，标准差为 6.61，HFI 呈持续增长趋势，从 2000 年到 2020 年。尽管有这种增长，但平均人类活动强度仍处于较低水平，超过 50%的地区的指数值<4.84。总体而言，青藏高原的风沙固定生态容量与 HFI 之间呈强烈的负相关关系。然而，广泛的地区表现出高值或低值的两个指标。青藏高原的风沙固定能力受到自然和人为因素的影响。基于这些发现，建议优化保护区设计，合理控制人类活动规模，并在某些地区有针对性地聚集人类活动，作为生态保护策略的一部分。本研究对评估高海拔地区风沙固定生态功能和提高该地区风沙固定能力具有重要意义，为实际工作提供了有价值的指导。
