IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i9p4912-d797319.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatiotemporal Variations in Grassland Vulnerability on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Based on a Comprehensive Framework

Author

Listed:
  • Zhengyuan Zhao

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Yunlong Zhang

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China)

  • Siqi Sun

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Ting Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Yihe Lü

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Wei Jiang

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China)

  • Xing Wu

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
    College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract

Grasslands are globally important for providing essential ecosystem services and maintaining ecological security. Monitoring and assessing grassland vulnerability are critical for developing long-term grassland management policies and strategies. The grassland vulnerability on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is considered high, but its spatial and temporal variations in response to human activities and climate change are not well understood. In this study, a comprehensive grassland vulnerability index (GVI), which includes natural factors (VNF), environmental disturbances (VED), and socioeconomic impacts (VSI), was developed by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), principal component analysis (PCA), and environmental vulnerability distance index (EVDI). Our results showed that the spatial distribution of GVI had obvious heterogeneity, decreasing from northwest to southeast; the regions with serious and extreme vulnerability were mainly concentrated in the north-western alpine steppe and desert steppe. From 2000 to 2018, GVI decreased from 0.61 in 2000 to 0.60 in 2010 and then to 0.59 in 2018, demonstrating a healthy tendency. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land desertification, and population were the factors that had the most significant impact on VNF, VED, and VSI, respectively. The global Moran’s I index of grassland vulnerability was greater than 0, with a significant positive spatial correlation. The number of High-High and Low-Low units decreased, indicating that the High-High and Low-Low cluster regions tended to be discrete. Moreover, our results suggest that understanding the variations in grassland vulnerability on the QTP is important for regional sustainable development in the context of intensified climate change and human disturbances.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhengyuan Zhao & Yunlong Zhang & Siqi Sun & Ting Li & Yihe Lü & Wei Jiang & Xing Wu, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Variations in Grassland Vulnerability on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Based on a Comprehensive Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:4912-:d:797319
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/4912/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/4912/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xiufen Li & Lining Song & Zunbo Xie & Tian Gao & Tingting Wang & Xiao Zheng & Jiang Liu & Limin Liu, 2021. "Assessment of Ecological Vulnerability on Northern Sand Prevention Belt of China Based on the Ecological Pressure–Sensibility–Resilience Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-15, May.
    2. Rong Li & Rui Han & Qianru Yu & Shuang Qi & Luo Guo, 2020. "Spatial Heterogeneous of Ecological Vulnerability in Arid and Semi-Arid Area: A Case of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-15, May.
    3. Yunxiao Jiang & Yu Shi & Rong Li & Luo Guo, 2021. "A Long-Term Ecological Vulnerability Analysis of the Tibetan Region of Natural Conditions and Ecological Protection Programs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, September.
    4. Jane Qiu, 2008. "China: The third pole," Nature, Nature, vol. 454(7203), pages 393-396, July.
    5. Vanshika Dhamija & Roopam Shukla & Christoph Gornott & PK Joshi, 2020. "Consistency in Vulnerability Assessments of Wheat to Climate Change—A District-Level Analysis in India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-16, October.
    6. Qian Ding & Xun Shi & Dafang Zhuang & Yong Wang, 2018. "Temporal and Spatial Distributions of Ecological Vulnerability under the Influence of Natural and Anthropogenic Factors in an Eco-Province under Construction in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-23, August.
    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. Dong Li & Chongyang Huan & Jun Yang & Hanlong Gu, 2022. "Temporal and Spatial Distribution Changes, Driving Force Analysis and Simulation Prediction of Ecological Vulnerability in Liaoning Province, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-25, July.
    2. Han Li & Wei Song, 2021. "Spatiotemporal Distribution and Influencing Factors of Ecosystem Vulnerability on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-21, June.
    3. Mariela González-Narváez & María José Fernández-Gómez & Susana Mendes & José-Luis Molina & Omar Ruiz-Barzola & Purificación Galindo-Villardón, 2021. "Study of Temporal Variations in Species–Environment Association through an Innovative Multivariate Method: MixSTATICO," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-25, May.
    4. Yue Chen & Kangning Xiong & Xiaodong Ren & Cai Cheng, 2021. "Vulnerability Comparison between Karst and Non-Karst Nature Reserves—With a Special Reference to Guizhou Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-12, February.
    5. Hengrui Zhang & Jianing Zhang & Zhuozhuo Lv & Linjie Yao & Ning Zhang & Qing Zhang, 2023. "Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Landscape Ecological Risk and Associated Drivers: A Case Study of the Yellow River Basin in Inner Mongolia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Yali Zhong & Shuqing Chen & Haihua Mo & Weiwen Wang & Pengfei Yu & Xuemei Wang & Nima Chuduo & Bian Ba, 2022. "Contribution of urban expansion to surface warming in high-altitude cities of the Tibetan Plateau," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 175(1), pages 1-22, November.
    7. Muhammad Arfan & Jewell Lund & Daniyal Hassan & Maaz Saleem & Aftab Ahmad, 2019. "Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Flow Variability of the Indus River," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-17, May.
    8. Xiufen Li & Lining Song & Zunbo Xie & Tian Gao & Tingting Wang & Xiao Zheng & Jiang Liu & Limin Liu, 2021. "Assessment of Ecological Vulnerability on Northern Sand Prevention Belt of China Based on the Ecological Pressure–Sensibility–Resilience Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-15, May.
    9. Qianhan Wu & Kai Liu & Chunqiao Song & Jida Wang & Linghong Ke & Ronghua Ma & Wensong Zhang & Hang Pan & Xinyuan Deng, 2018. "Remote Sensing Detection of Vegetation and Landform Damages by Coal Mining on the Tibetan Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-17, October.
    10. Xinjun He & Anyi Huang & Jianzhong Yan & Hong Zhou & Ya Wu & Liang Emlyn Yang & Basanta Paudel, 2023. "Smallholders’ climate change adaptation strategies on the eastern Tibetan Plateau," 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. 118(1), pages 641-667, August.
    11. Wang, Weijun & Zhao, Xueyan & Cao, Jianjun & Li, Hua & Zhang, Qin, 2020. "Barriers and requirements to climate change adaptation of mountainous rural communities in developing countries: The case of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    12. Dongchuan Wang & Kangjian Wang & Zhiheng Wang & Hongkui Fan & Hua Chai & Hongyi Wang & Hui Long & Jianshe Gao & Jiacheng Xu, 2022. "Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Influencing Mechanism of Traffic Dominance in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-19, September.
    13. Qin Liu & Tiange Shi, 2019. "Spatiotemporal Differentiation and the Factors of Ecological Vulnerability in the Toutun River Basin Based on Remote Sensing Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-19, August.
    14. Munkhnasan Lamchin & Woo-Kyun Lee & Sonam Wangyel Wang, 2022. "Multi-Temporal Analysis of Past and Future Land-Cover Changes of the Third Pole," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-19, December.
    15. Haidong Li & Yingkui Li & Yuanyun Gao & Changxin Zou & Shouguang Yan & Jixi Gao, 2016. "Human Impact on Vegetation Dynamics around Lhasa, Southern Tibetan Plateau, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-16, November.
    16. Evangelia E. Golia & Sotiria G. Papadimou & Christos Cavalaris & Nikolaos G. Tsiropoulos, 2021. "Level of Contamination Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Urban Soils of Volos City (Central Greece)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-12, February.
    17. Zhenjie Dong & Lin Hou & Qi Ruan, 2023. "Effect of Elevation Gradient on Carbon Pools in a Juniperus przewalskii Kom. Forest in Qinghai, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, April.
    18. Bo Zhang & Wei Zhou, 2021. "Spatial–Temporal Characteristics of Precipitation and Its Relationship with Land Use/Cover Change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-21, March.
    19. Junko Mochizuki & ZhongXiang Zhang, 2011. "Environmental Security and its Implications for China’s Foreign Relations," Working Papers 2011.30, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    20. Xingchuan Gao & Tao Li & Xiaoshu Cao, 2019. "Spatial Fairness and Changes in Transport Infrastructure in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Area from 1976 to 2016," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, January.

    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:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:4912-:d:797319. 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.