School of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou, 341000, China.
Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Urban Solid Waste Low Carbon Circulation Technology, Ganzhou, 341000, China.
Sci Rep. 2024 Sep 27;14(1):22227. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73121-4.
The intensification of human activities in the Yellow River Basin has significantly altered its ecosystems, challenging the sustainability of the region's ecosystem assets. This study constructs an ecosystem asset index for the period from 2001 to 2020, integrating it with human footprint maps to analyze the temporal and spatial dynamics of ecosystem assets and human activities within the basin, as well as their interrelationships. Our findings reveal significant improvement of ecosystem assets, mainly attributed to the conversion of farmland back into natural habitats, resulting in a 15,994 km increase in ecological land use. Notably, 45.88% of the basin has experienced concurrent growth in both human activities and ecosystem assets, with ecosystem assets expanding at a faster rate (22.61%) than human activities (17.25%). Areas with high-quality ecosystem assets are expanding, in contrast to areas with intense human activities, which are facing increased fragmentation. Despite a global escalation in threats from human activities to ecosystem assets, the local threat level within the Yellow River Basin has slightly diminished, indicating a trend towards stabilization. Results highlight the critical importance of integrating spatial and quality considerations into restoration efforts to enhance the overall condition of ecosystem assets, especially under increasing human pressures. Our work assesses the impact of human activities on the dynamics of ecosystem assets in the Yellow River Basin from 2001 to 2020, offering valuable insights for quality development in the region, may provide a scientific basis for general watershed ecological protection and sustainable management in a region heavily influenced by human activity but on a path to recovery.
黄河流域人类活动的加剧，显著改变了其生态系统，对区域生态资产的可持续性构成挑战。本研究构建了 2001 年至 2020 年期间的生态资产指数，结合人类足迹图分析了流域内生态资产和人类活动的时空动态及其相互关系。研究结果表明，生态资产显著改善，主要归因于将农田转化为自然栖息地，导致生态用地增加了 15994 平方公里。值得注意的是，流域内有 45.88%的地区同时经历了人类活动和生态资产的增长，生态资产的扩张速度（22.61%）快于人类活动（17.25%）。高质量生态资产的面积在扩大，而人类活动密集的地区则面临着更大的破碎化。尽管全球范围内人类活动对生态资产的威胁加剧，但黄河流域的本地威胁水平略有下降，呈现出稳定的趋势。研究结果强调了在恢复努力中纳入空间和质量考虑的重要性，以提高生态资产的整体状况，特别是在人类压力不断增加的情况下。本研究评估了人类活动对 2001 年至 2020 年黄河流域生态资产动态的影响，为该地区的高质量发展提供了有价值的见解，可为受人类活动强烈影响但正在恢复的地区提供一般流域生态保护和可持续管理的科学依据。
