Spatiotemporal pattern and obstacle factors of coupling relationship between habitat quality and urbanization level in the Yellow River Basin, China.

Land use change stands as the primary factor influencing habitat quality (HQ). Clarifying the spatiotemporal change and the obstacle factors of the coupling relationship between HQ and urbanization level (UL) can provide imperative references for achieving sustainability in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). This study is based on the InVEST model, spatial autocorrelation, and obstacle factor analysis to measure the spatiotemporal dynamics and impediments of the coupling relationship between HQ and UL from 2000 to 2020 in the YRB. The findings were as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the HQ showed a tendency of rise first and then fall, with the pattern of "High in the middle and west, low in the east"; (2) from 2000 to 2020, the UL had an upward trend, with the pattern of "Low in the west, high in the middle and east"; (3) the coupling and coordination level of HQ and UL in the YRB changed from extreme incoordination to verge of coordination, and it had a distribution pattern of "High in the east, low in the west", with the high-value area expanding to the east and the low-value area shrinking to the west. (4) Location condition, climate, proportion of construction land, vegetation index, and proportion of non-agricultural employment are the main obstacle factors that determined the coupling and coordination of the HQ and UL.

Spatiotemporal evolution and driving factors of ecosystem services' transformation in the Yellow River basin, China.

The Yellow River basin (YRB) holds immense ecological significance in China, but it is currently undergoing profound transformations in its ecosystem services (ESs). To formulate appropriate environmental policies, it is vital to gain a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics and influential factors driving the ESs' transformation in the YRB. The spatiotemporal dynamics in ESs was evaluated using the InVEST model, and the modes of the ESs' transformation were summarized. The elements impacting ESs' transformation and their interactions were assessed using the optimal parameter-based geographical detector (OPGD). Over the period from 1980 to 2020, the water yield within the YRB exhibited an upward trajectory, with a distinctive spatial pattern characterized by higher values in the southern and eastern regions, in contrast to lower values observed in the northern and western regions. Similarly, soil conservation demonstrated a tendency to rise over the duration of the research, with southern and western regions consistently exhibiting higher values compared to the northern and eastern regions. In contrast, habitat quality decreased over time and was accompanied by a progressive spatial decline from the southeast regions to the northwest regions. The ESs' transformation in the YRB from 1980 to 2020 indicated three modes: (1) simultaneous increases, this mode was characterized by concurrent increases in water yield and soil conservation; (2) increase and decrease, in this mode, there was an increase in soil conservation accompanied by a decrease in habitat quality; and (3) increase and deterioration, the third mode entailed an increase in water yield but a simultaneous deterioration in habitat quality. The 45-km grid was the best spatial scale for the analysis in this study. Over the span of 2000 through 2020, the ESs' transformation in the YRB was subject to the influence of natural environmental, geographic location-related, socioeconomic, and policy factors. The determinants of the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in ESs' transformation in the YRB demonstrated double-factor and nonlinear enhancement effects. The counterchange with the most significant effects on ESs' transformation were those between economic density and annual mean precipitation, annual mean temperature and ecological restoration, and the per capita income of urban residents and vegetation index.

The dynamic patterns and driving factors of land use conflict in the Yellow River basin of China.

Land use conflict, as the spatial manifestation of conflicting human-land relationship, has a profound impact on sustainable use of regional land resources. Taking the Yellow River Basin (YRB) as an example, a land use conflict assessment model was constructed based on landscape pattern indices. The dynamic patterns and driving factors of land use conflict in the YRB and the corresponding driving factors were then assessed from 2000 to 2020 based on spatial autocorrelation analysis and the geodetector method. Significant spatial and temporal differences in land use conflict were observed in the YRB from 2000 to 2020. During this period, the area of stable controllable decreased by 3465 km2, whereas the areas of strong and extreme conflict increased by 34,964 and 13,057 km2, respectively. The expansion of areas with extreme and strong conflict mostly occurred in regions with high urbanization and human activity, including northern Shaanxi, Hetao Plain, and the Yellow River Delta. The distribution of land use conflict in the YRB from 2000 to 2020 was characterized by significant spatial agglomeration; high-value cluster conflict mainly extended from the midstream area to the upstream area, whereas low-value clusters tended to be concentrated in the upstream area of the Qinghai and Qilian Mountains. The spatial and temporal differentiation in land use conflict from 2000 to 2020 was influenced by factors related to the natural environment, geographic location, social economy, and regional policy in the YRB. The effects of elevation, distance to the nearest major river, population, economic density, and per capita disposable income of residents increased continuously during the study period, whereas the influences of mean annual precipitation and ecological retreat weakened. Analysis of the interactions between driving factors showed significant dual-factor and non-liner enhancement effects on the spatial and temporal differentiation in land use conflict. The findings provide a scientific reference for the comprehensive management of national land and ecological construction in the YRB.