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Spatio-Temporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Ecological Risk in China’s North–South Transition Zone

Author

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  • Li Li

    (School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Xiaoping Zhou

    (School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Lan Yang

    (School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Jinglong Duan

    (School of Government, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Zhuo Zeng

    (School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai 200083, China)

Abstract

Ecological risks (ERs) are external threats to ecosystem structure and function, and the evaluation of ER is valuable for understanding the extent of the disturbance of ecosystems by human activities. An objective investigation of the spatio-temporal characteristics of ER and its affecting elements can contribute to the improvement of the ecological environment and the sustainable development of regional resources. The Funiu Mountains were chosen as the study area, the ecological risk index was built using landscape interference and landscape separation, and the spatial–temporal properties and scale effect of the ER were assessed. The findings of ER may be separated into four distinct zones to study the variations in ER levels from 2000 to 2015: modest, mild, moderate, and high. Furthermore, geographically weighted regression (GWR) was used to ascertain the degree to which environmental factors impact ER and regional disparities. The results show: (1) Ecological risk assessment was sensitive to scale transformation, and there are variations in the spatial pattern of ER on diverse scale units. With the scale following a 1 km grid to the watershed, Global Moran’s I values dropped from 0.53 to 0.04, and 1 km × 1 km was the most suitable unit. (2) The ecological and environmental quality of the Funiu Mountains improved from 2000 to 2015. The extent of the high ecological risk zone dropped by 398.07 km 2 , but other types of ecological risk regions rose, owing to the execution of policies aimed at restoring cropland to forests. The ER presented a transitional distribution from a high risk in the surrounding area to low risk in the central area. (3) From the perspective of correlations among the influencing factors, altitude and slope had a negative correlation with other influencing factors, while others were positively correlated. The correlation coefficient between land-use degree and human activities intensity and ER was the highest. Each environmental factor had significant effects on the ERs and spatial variation existed, where the land-use degree and human activities intensity were the main obstacle factors limiting ER improvement. Population density, altitude, slope, and maximum temperature all displayed effects on ER with different directions and intensities.

Suggested Citation

  • Li Li & Xiaoping Zhou & Lan Yang & Jinglong Duan & Zhuo Zeng, 2022. "Spatio-Temporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Ecological Risk in China’s North–South Transition Zone," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5464-:d:807290
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