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Recent Oasis Dynamics and Ecological Security in the Tarim River Basin, Central Asia

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  • Qifei Zhang

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China
    State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China)

  • Congjian Sun

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China
    State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China)

  • Yaning Chen

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China)

  • Wei Chen

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China)

  • Yanyun Xiang

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    School of Public Administration, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan 030006, China)

  • Jiao Li

    (School of Geographical Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China)

  • Yuting Liu

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    School of Life and Geography, Kashi University, Kashi 844000, China)

Abstract

As an important agricultural and gathering area in arid inland areas of China, the ecological environments of oasis areas are more sensitive to regional climate change and human activities. This paper investigates the dynamic evolution of the oases in the Tarim River basin (TRB) and quantitatively evaluates the regional ecological security of oases via a remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and net primary productivity (NPP) through the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford approach (CASA) from 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that the total plain oasis area in the TRB during the study period experienced an increasing trend, with the area expanding by 8.21%. Specifically, the artificial oases (cultivated and industrial land) showed a notable increase, whereas the natural oases (forests and grassland) exhibited an apparent decrease. Among the indictors of oasis change, the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) increased from 0.13 to 0.16, the fraction of vegetation cover (FVC) expanded by 36.79%, and NPP increased by 31.55%. RSEI changes indicated that the eco-environment of the TRB region went from poor grade to general grade; 69% of the region’s eco-environment improved, especially in western mountainous areas, and less than 5% of the regions’ eco-ecological areas were degraded, mainly occurring in the desert-oasis ecotone. Changes in land- use types of oases indicated that human activities had a more significant influence on oases expansion than natural factors. Our results have substantial implications for environment protection and sustainable economic development along the Silk Road Economic Belt.

Suggested Citation

  • Qifei Zhang & Congjian Sun & Yaning Chen & Wei Chen & Yanyun Xiang & Jiao Li & Yuting Liu, 2022. "Recent Oasis Dynamics and Ecological Security in the Tarim River Basin, Central Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:6:p:3372-:d:770339
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Yongbin Zhang & Tanglei Song & Jihao Fan & Weidong Man & Mingyue Liu & Yongqiang Zhao & Hao Zheng & Yahui Liu & Chunyu Li & Jingru Song & Xiaowu Yang & Junmin Du, 2022. "Land Use and Climate Change Altered the Ecological Quality in the Luanhe River Basin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-22, June.
    3. Weijia Liang & Quan Quan & Bohua Wu & Shuhong Mo, 2023. "Response of Vegetation Dynamics in the Three-North Region of China to Climate and Human Activities from 1982 to 2018," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-17, February.
    4. Wen Chen & Jinjie Wang & Jianli Ding & Xiangyu Ge & Lijing Han & Shaofeng Qin, 2023. "Detecting Long-Term Series Eco-Environmental Quality Changes and Driving Factors Using the Remote Sensing Ecological Index with Salinity Adaptability (RSEI SI ): A Case Study in the Tarim River Basin,," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-23, June.
    5. Chan Lu & Lei Shi & Lihua Fu & Simian Liu & Jianqiao Li & Zhenchun Mo, 2023. "Urban Ecological Environment Quality Evaluation and Territorial Spatial Planning Response: Application to Changsha, Central China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Ji Zhang & Pei Zhang & Xinchen Gu & Mingjiang Deng & Xiaoying Lai & Aihua Long & Xiaoya Deng, 2023. "Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Pattern Changes and Driving Forces of Xinjiang Plain Oases Based on Geodetector," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-15, July.
    7. Gaowei Yan & Luguang Jiang & Ye Liu, 2025. "Remote Sensing Identification of Major Crops and Trade-Off of Water and Land Utilization of Oasis in Altay Prefecture," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-28, July.

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