IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i6p1221-d1673104.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessment of Landscape Risks and Ecological Security Patterns in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China

Author

Listed:
  • Peiyu He

    (Social Innovation Design Research Center, Anhui University, Hefei 203106, China)

  • Longhao Wang

    (Social Innovation Design Research Center, Anhui University, Hefei 203106, China)

  • Siqi Zhai

    (Social Innovation Design Research Center, Anhui University, Hefei 203106, China)

  • Yanlong Guo

    (National Cultural Creative Industry Research Center, Xinjiang Hetian College, Hetian 848000, China)

  • Jie Huang

    (Psychology Department, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK)

Abstract

Ecological risk refers to the potential threat that landscape changes pose to ecosystem structure, function, and service sustainability, while ecological security emphasizes the ability of regional ecosystems to maintain stability and support human well-being. Developing an Ecological Security Pattern (ESP) provides a strategic approach to balance ecological protection and sustainable development. This study investigates the spatial and temporal dynamics of landscape ecological risk in the Tarim Basin and surrounding urban areas in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, from 2000 to 2020. Using a combination of the InVEST model, landscape connectivity index, and circuit theory-based modeling, we identify ecological source areas and simulate ecological corridors. Ecological source areas are categorized by their ecological value and connectivity: primary sources represent high ecological value and strong connectivity, secondary sources have moderate ecological significance, and tertiary sources are of relatively lower priority but still vital for regional integrity. The results show a temporal trend of ecological risk declining between 2000 and 2010, followed by a moderate increase from 2010 to 2020. High-risk zones are concentrated in the central Tarim Basin, reflecting intensified land-use pressures and weak ecological resilience. The delineated ecological protection zones include 61,702.9 km 2 of primary, 146,802.5 km 2 of secondary, and 36,141.2 km 2 of tertiary ecological source areas. In total, 95 ecological corridors (23 primary, 37 secondaries, and 35 tertiary) were identified, along with 48 pinch points and 56 barrier points that require priority attention for ecological restoration. Valuable areas refer to those with high ecological connectivity and service provision potential, while vulnerable areas are characterized by high ecological risk and landscape fragmentation. This study provides a comprehensive framework for constructing ESPs in arid inland basins and offers practical insights for ecological planning in desert–oasis environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Peiyu He & Longhao Wang & Siqi Zhai & Yanlong Guo & Jie Huang, 2025. "Assessment of Landscape Risks and Ecological Security Patterns in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:6:p:1221-:d:1673104
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1221/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/6/1221/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jianping Huang & Haipeng Yu & Xiaodan Guan & Guoyin Wang & Ruixia Guo, 2016. "Accelerated dryland expansion under climate change," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 166-171, February.
    2. Ziyang Wang & Peiji Shi & Xuebin Zhang & Huali Tong & Weiping Zhang & Yue Liu, 2021. "Research on Landscape Pattern Construction and Ecological Restoration of Jiuquan City Based on Ecological Security Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Jian Peng & Minli Zong & Yi'na Hu & Yanxu Liu & Jiansheng Wu, 2015. "Assessing Landscape Ecological Risk in a Mining City: A Case Study in Liaoyuan City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-23, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shunqian Gao & Liu Yang & Hongzan Jiao, 2022. "Changes in and Patterns of the Tradeoffs and Synergies of Production-Living-Ecological Space: A Case Study of Longli County, Guizhou Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
    2. Zhen Huo & Hengbati Wutanbieke & Jian Chen & Dongdong Zhong & Yongyu Chen & Zhanli Song & Xinhua Lv & Hegan Dong, 2025. "Soil Phosphorus Content, Organic Matter, and Elevation Are Key Determinants of Maize Harvest Index in Arid Regions," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Ma, Shuai & Wang, Liang-Jie & Chu, Lei & Jiang, Jiang, 2023. "Determination of ecological restoration patterns based on water security and food security in arid regions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    4. Di Liu & Xiaoying Liang & Hai Chen & Hang Zhang & Nanzhao Mao, 2018. "A Quantitative Assessment of Comprehensive Ecological Risk for a Loess Erosion Gully: A Case Study of Dujiashi Gully, Northern Shaanxi Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, September.
    5. Zeng, Lijun & Guo, Jiaqi & Wang, Bingcheng & Lv, Jun & Wang, Qin, 2019. "Analyzing sustainability of Chinese coal cities using a decision tree modeling approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    6. Sourav Mukherjee & Ashok Kumar Mishra & Jakob Zscheischler & Dara Entekhabi, 2023. "Interaction between dry and hot extremes at a global scale using a cascade modeling framework," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Jinquan Li & Junmin Pei & Changming Fang & Bo Li & Ming Nie, 2024. "Drought may exacerbate dryland soil inorganic carbon loss under warming climate conditions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    8. Amanzhuli Yerkenhazi & Kerim Mamat & Abudukeyimu Abulizi & Yusuyunjiang Mamitimin & Xuemei Wei & Shanshan Tang & Junxia Wang & Shaojie Bai & Le Yuan, 2025. "Identification of Production–Living–Ecological Spatial Conflicts and Multi-Scenario Simulations in Extreme Arid Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-22, May.
    9. Jinfei Hu & Guangju Zhao & Pengfei Li & Xingmin Mu, 2022. "Variations of pan evaporation and its attribution from 1961 to 2015 on the Loess Plateau, China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 111(2), pages 1199-1217, March.
    10. Meirui Li & Baolei Zhang & Xiaobo Zhang & Shumin Zhang & Le Yin, 2023. "Exploring Spatio-Temporal Variations of Ecological Risk in the Yellow River Ecological Economic Belt Based on an Improved Landscape Index Method," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-17, January.
    11. Liquan Xu & Zhentian Zhang & Gangyi Tan & Junqing Zhou & Yang Wang, 2022. "Analysis on the Evolution and Resilience of Ecological Network Structure in Wuhan Metropolitan Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Jian Gong & Jianxin Yang & Wenwu Tang, 2015. "Spatially Explicit Landscape-Level Ecological Risks Induced by Land Use and Land Cover Change in a National Ecologically Representative Region in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-24, November.
    13. Tao Yu & Anming Bao & Wenqiang Xu & Hao Guo & Liangliang Jiang & Guoxiong Zheng & Ye Yuan & Vincent NZABARINDA, 2019. "Exploring Variability in Landscape Ecological Risk and Quantifying Its Driving Factors in the Amu Darya Delta," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-21, December.
    14. Tingke Wu & Shiwei Lu & Yichen Ding, 2025. "Ecological Security Evaluation System Integrated with Circuit Theory for Regional Ecological Security Pattern Construction: A Coordinated Study of Chang-Zhu-Tan Metropolitan Area in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-22, January.
    15. Zhaoxia Ye & Aihong Fu & Shuhua Zhang & Yuhai Yang, 2020. "Suitable Scale of an Oasis in Different Scenarios in an Arid Region of China: A Case Study of the Ejina Oasis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-14, March.
    16. Malpede, Maurizio & Percoco, Marco, 2024. "The long-term economic effects of aridification," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    17. Peng Tian & Jialin Li & Hongbo Gong & Ruiliang Pu & Luodan Cao & Shuyao Shao & Zuoqi Shi & Xiuli Feng & Lijia Wang & Riuqing Liu, 2019. "Research on Land Use Changes and Ecological Risk Assessment in Yongjiang River Basin in Zhejiang Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, May.
    18. He Gao & Wei Song, 2022. "Assessing the Landscape Ecological Risks of Land-Use Change," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-25, October.
    19. Qifei Zhang & Yaning Chen & Zhi Li & Congjian Sun & Yanyun Xiang & Zhihui Liu, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Development of Vegetation Carbon Sinks and Sources in the Arid Region of Northwest China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-23, February.
    20. Zhenfeng Wang & Yan Liu & Xiangqun Xie & Xinke Wang & Hong Lin & Huili Xie & Xingzhao Liu, 2022. "Identifying Key Areas of Green Space for Ecological Restoration Based on Ecological Security Patterns in Fujian Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:6:p:1221-:d:1673104. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.