Spatiotemporal Evaluation and Driving Mechanism of Land Ecological Security in Yan’an, a Typical Hill-Gully Region of China’s Loess Plateau, from 2000 to 2018

Forest landscape restoration and ecosystem of Loess Plateau have enhanced prominently, since the policy implementation (1999) of the Grain for Green Project in China. Land ecological security (LES) performs an extremely critical function for protecting vulnerable land resources and sustaining forest ecosystem stability. Predecessors’ studies substantially concentrate on biophysical and meteorologic variables using numerous grounded methodologies, little research has been launched on systematic natural-socio-economic-ecological relationships and how these contributions and regulations for LES evaluation. Here, pressure-state-response (PSR) model was used to establish the evaluation system of LES in regional-scale, and LES was classified into five levels measured by ecological security index (S), including high (S ≥ 0.75), medium−high (0.65 ≤ S < 0.75), medium (0.55 ≤ S < 0.65), medium−low (0.45 ≤ S < 0.55), and low (S < 0.45) level, for systematically analyzing its spatiotemporal distribution characteristic and response mechanism to explanatory variables in Yan’an, northwest China, from 2000 to 2018. The results demonstrated that: (1) LES status was mainly characterized by medium−high level and medium level, and maintained profound stability. (2) zone with medium−high LES level was mainly concentrated in western and southern regions, continuously expanding to northeast regions, and possessed the largest territorial area, accounting for 37.22%–46.27% of the total area in Yan’an. (3) LES was primarily susceptible to normalized differential vegetation index, vegetation coverage, and land surface temperature with their optimal impacting thresholds of 0.20–0.64, 0.20–0.55, and 11.20–13.00 °C, respectively. (4) Normalized differential vegetation index and vegetation coverage had a significant synergistic effect upon LES based on their interactive explanation rate of 31% and had significant variation consistency (positive and negative) with LES, which were powerfully suggested to signal the intensification of the regional eco-security level in the persistent eco-greening process.

Land Use Evolution and Land Ecological Security Evaluation Based on AHP-FCE Model: Evidence from China

China experienced rapid urbanization and socioeconomic development at an unusual rate during the past four decades. Against such background, land use evolution and land ecological security have both been affected in a volatile way. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the land use and the land ecological security in China. However, the traditional assessment approaches have paid more attention to the environmental and economic factors than the sustainable development of ecology, which cannot comprehensively assess the land ecological security. From the perspective of ecological sustainable development, this study identifies 3 main factors and 17 sub-factors. We also construct a model to integrate the FCE approach with the AHP. The results show that from 2004 to 2017, China’s land use structure was unbalanced. The construction land, mining land, and cultivated land increased rapidly, leading to the shrinkage of ecological land. Moreover, the weight of the sustainable development of resources and the environment, economic sustainable development, social sustainable development are 0.3341, 0.3780, and 0.2879, respectively, demonstrating that economic sustainable development is the most important factor affecting land ecological security. Finally, although the value of comprehensive land ecological security in China has been on the rise from 2004 to 2017, it remains at an unsecured level. Moreover, the value of the sustainable development of resources and the environment has been declining since 2011 and is lower than the values of economic sustainable development and social sustainable development. This study demonstrates that more attention should be paid to enhancing land ecological security, especially promoting the sustainable development of resources and the environment.

Spatiotemporal Changes of Land Ecological Security and Its Obstacle Indicators Diagnosis in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region

Land ecological security (LES) is a cornerstone of sustainable development, and the study of the LES evaluation has become a hot field in the LES problems. The coordinated development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region is one of China’s national development strategies. With the development of urbanization and industrialization, the conflicts between people and land in this area are increasingly prominent, and there are large regional differences in land ecological quality. To evaluate the land ecological security (LES) of this region, an evaluation index system is constructed based on the pressure–state–response (PSR) framework model, and the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method is applied to calculate the LES index. Then, the spatio-temporal changes of LES in the BTH region from 2007 to 2018 are analyzed. In addition, we adopt an obstacle degree model to analyze the obstacle indicators. The results show that the LES of the BTH region increased from 0.1934 to 0.3284 during 2007–2018, and the LES level increased from the dangerous level (I) to the critical level (III). Despite the improved LES in all areas in the BTH region, there were different trends (high in the central area, relatively low in the northern and southern areas). We identified seven obstacle indicators and discussed different development strategies. Our findings will provide guidelines for land use management and offer references for the coordinated development of the BTH region.

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Influencing Factors of Urban Land Ecological Security in Yunnan Province

(1) Background: Urban land ecological security is the basis and premise to ensure the sustainable utilization of urban land resources and regional sustainable development. However, urban land ecological security and its influencing factors have not been studied thoroughly. (2) Methods: An index system of urban land ecological security in Yunnan Province from 2010 to 2019 was constructed, and a comprehensive index of urban land ecological security was calculated by using analytic hierarchy process, entropy weight method, and comprehensive index method, and the LSDVC (Biased-corrected Least Square Dummy Variables) dynamic panel model was constructed from the economic, social and geographical dimensions to systematically analyze the influencing factors of urban land ecological security in Yunnan Province. (3) Results: The comprehensive index of urban land ecological security was significantly affected by the previous period, showing obvious inertia; with the improvement of urbanization level, the comprehensive index of urban land ecological security showed an inverted “U” shape, which first increased and then decreased; the decrease in comprehensive energy consumption per unit of industry and the improvement of fixed-asset investment level, science and technology level, and GDP will significantly promote the ecological security of urban land.

Assessment of Land Ecological Security and Analysis of Influencing Factors in Chaohu Lake Basin, China from 1998–2018

The land ecosystem provides essential natural resources for the survival and development of human beings. Therefore, land ecological security (LES) acts as a vital part of the sustainable development of human society and economy. This study included a dynamic analysis of land use change in Chaohu Lake Basin (CLB) in China from 1998 to 2018, evaluating the spatiotemporal patterns of LES at both the administrative district scale and grid scale (200 m × 200 m). Then, geographic detector was applied to analyze the influence of the assessment index on LES. The results show that in the 2008–2018 period, land use changed more significantly compared to the 1998–2008 period. The continuous extension of urban land led to a decrease in the areas of other land use types. In the CLB (administrative district scale), the LES levels varied throughout the study period. In Changfeng, Feixi, and the other three regions, the LES has been significantly improved. However, the LES in six other regions showed different degrees of decline, particularly in Hexian and Urban Hefei. Simultaneously, the LES showed a gradual improvement at a 200 m × 200 m grid scale level. The influence of anthropogenic factors on the LES was stronger than natural factors. Findings from this study provide reliable guidance for improving the ecosystem environment in ecologically fragile areas.