Arid Zone Research ›› 2024, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (2): 301-313.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2024.02.13

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Ecological health assessment of the alpine wetland landscape in the Heihe River source area based on vigor, organization, and resilience

SUN Weijie1,2(), QIAO Bin1,2,3(), YU Hongyan4,5, ZHAO Tong1,2, CHEN Qi1,2   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of Qinghai Province, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China
    2. Institute of Meteorological Science of Qinghai Province, Xining 810001, Qinghai, China
    3. College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Center for Glacier and Desert Research, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China
    4. Qinghai Qilian Mountain Nature Reserve Administration, Xining 810008, Qinghai, China
    5. Service Guarantee Center of Qilian Mountain National Park in Qinghai, Xining 810008, Qinghai, China
  • Received:2023-03-08 Revised:2023-11-01 Online:2024-02-15 Published:2024-03-11

Abstract:

The Heihe River source area National Wetland Park, representing a typical alpine wetland, is key for measuring the current and future development of such ecosystems. This study uses land use data to introduce the landscape ecology vulnerability index and establish a comprehensive assessment system of the alpine wetland ecological health based on four aspects: ecosystem vitality, organization, resilience, and ecosystem service value. It quantitatively assesses the spatiotemporal change characteristics of ecological health in the Heihe River source area from 2014 to 2021. The findings reveal that (1) grassland in the Heihe River source area is the main land use type, with high, medium, and low coverage grasslands distributed in a mosaic pattern. The second type is unused land, mainly distributed on both banks of the river and in the northwest; (2) the Heihe River source area consists of both low- and low-vulnerability areas, resulting in an overall low landscape ecology vulnerability; and (3) the Heihe River source area is predominantly rated as healthy and moderately healthy, indicating a relatively high overall ecological environment health level. Throughout 2014 to 2021, the ecosystem of the Heihe River source area was relatively healthy. In the future, the Heihe River source area should prioritize ecological functions, balancing animal husbandry production and ensure the ecosystem’s healthy progression toward achieving “ecological harmony.”

Key words: alpine wetland, landscape index, ecological health, land use, VOR model, the Heihe River source area