Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment Based on Land Use Change in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi, China

Zhiyuan Zhu; Zhikun Mei; Xiyang Xu; Yongzhong Feng; Guangxin Ren

doi:10.3390/ijerph19159547

Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment Based on Land Use Change in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi, China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 3;19(15):9547. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159547.

Authors

Zhiyuan Zhu^{1

2}, Zhikun Mei^{1

2}, Xiyang Xu^{1

2}, Yongzhong Feng^{1

2}, Guangxin Ren^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Xianyang 712100, China.
² The Research Center of Recycle Agricultural Engineering and Technology of Shaanxi Province, Xianyang 712100, China.

Abstract

The Yellow River Basin in Shaanxi (YRBS) has a relatively fragile ecological environment, with severe soil erosion and a high incidence of natural and geological disasters. In this study, a river basin landscape ecological risk assessment model was constructed using landscape ecology principles to investigate the temporal and spatial evolution, as well as the spatial autocorrelation characteristics of landscape ecological risks in the YRBS over a 20-year period. The main findings from the YRBS were that the land use types changed significantly over the span of 20 years, there was spatial heterogeneity of the landscape pattern, and the ecological risk value was positively correlated. The threat of landscape ecological risks in YRBS is easing, but the pressure on the ecological environment is considerable. This study provides theoretical support administrative policies for future ecological risk assessment and protection, restoration measures, and control in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi Province.

Keywords: Shaanxi Province; Yellow River Basin; ecological risk assessment; land use.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecology*
Ecosystem
Risk Assessment
Rivers*
Spatial Analysis

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Science and Technology Innovation Program Special Project (grant number SXLK20200102) and the China Association for Science and Technology 2020 Postgraduate Science Popularization Ability Improvement Project (grant number kxyjs202034).