Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (6): 988-1001.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.06.14

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evaluation of an oasis-urban-desert landscape and the related eco-environmental effects in an arid area

ZOU Yi(),MENG Jijun()   

  1. Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, School of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
  • Received:2022-11-10 Revised:2023-05-11 Online:2023-06-15 Published:2023-06-21

Abstract:

Oasis, urban, and desert areas are important landscape types in the inland river basins of arid zones. The Heihe River is the second largest inland river in the northwest arid zone of China. With the socio-economic development of the basin, ecological and environmental problems have become increasingly prominent. In this study, kernel density estimation and landscape structure metrics were applied to analyse the spatio-temporal pattern and transition characteristics of the oasis-urban-desert areas in the Heihe River Basin from 2000-2020. A multivariate regression tree model was used to examine the trade-off and synergy relationships in the oasis-urban-desert landscapes. The remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and ecological contribution rates of landscape transition, were also used to assess the eco-environmental effects of the oasis-urban-desert landscapes. Deserts were found to be widespread in the Heihe River Basin, oases were concentrated along the middle and lower reaches of the river, and urban areas accounted for the smallest proportion, and their spatial distributions and scale of their structures were found to be closely related to oases. The transition of oasis-urban-desert landscapes in the Heihe River Basin can be summarized into three periods: the domination of agricultural activities (2000-2005), rapid industrial development (2005-2015), and coordinated development transformation (2015-2020). Temperature, GDP, altitude, and precipitation were the main factors affecting the trade-offs and synergies between oasis-urban-desert landscape transitions. From 2000-2020, the eco-environment effects of the landscape transitions were dominated by positive eco-environment effects, with farmland expansion being the dominant factor for positive effects, and the degradation of farmland, water area, and grassland the main factors for negative effects. The findings of this study will provide theoretical guidance for the implementation of future ecological protection and high-quality development strategies for inland river basins in arid zones.

Key words: oasis-urban-desert, landscape pattern, spatial-temporal evolution, eco-environment effect, Heihe River Basin