Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment ›› 2020, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (5): 654-662.doi: 10.19741/j.issn.1673-4831.2019.0237

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Habitat Quality of Farming-pastoral Ecotone in Bairin Right Banner, Inner Mongolia Based on Land Use Change and InVEST Model From 2005 to 2015

WANG Yan1, GAO Ji-xi1, JIN Yu2, CAO Bing-shuai1, WANG Yue3, ZHANG Xiao-hua2, ZHOU Jia-wen2   

  1. 1. Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, China;
    2. School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science&Technology, Nanjing 210044, China;
    3. School of Environment, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
  • Received:2019-04-09 Online:2020-05-25 Published:2020-05-23

Abstract: The ecological effects of land-use changes have emerged as a hot topic within research on global environmental changes. The findings of studies on changes in habitat quality resulting from land-use changes provide important basis for policy-making regarding ecological protection and land management. In this study, GIS technology was used in conjunction with the InVEST model to analyze remote sensing data compiled for the period 2005-2015 to assess changes in the quality of habitat in Bairin Right Banner in Inner Mongolia. The results of the analysis indicated that grassland, woodland, and farmland were the dominant types of land use in this region, accounting for more than 85% of the total land area. During the period 2005-2015, areas of wetland, construction land, and woodland increased by 335.01, 298.29, and 258.67 km2, evidencing corresponding growth rates of 91.80%, 301.85%, and 12.07%, respectively. Conversely, the areas of farmland, grassland, and unused land decreased by 533.98, 279.28, and 78.71 km2, with associated reduction rates of 28.34%, 5.63%, and 15.40%, respectively. In the decade, large areas of grassland, woodland, dryland, and sandy land had undergone conversion. Of these areas, 948.70 and 303.53 km2 of dryland and sandy land, respectively, had been converted into land-use types of ecological importance (forestland, grassland, and wetland). The habitat quality index applied in the study show distinct spatial differentiation characteristics. Whereas areas of land of lower habitat quality were predominant in 2005, areas of land of higher habitat quality were predominant in 2010 and 2015. During this 10-year period, land areas with habitat quality of high, higher, and low grades in the index increased, with marked increases in areas with high-grade habitat quality (a change rate of 39.65%) and decreases in areas of lower-grade habitat quality (a change rate of 37.55%). The average habitat quality index increased from 0.457 to 0.528, indicating an improvement in the overall habitat quality in this region. Thus, the implementation of the project of returning farmland to forest and grassland has evidently been effective, contributing to ecological recovery in this region.

Key words: land use change, habitat quality, farming-pastoral ecotone, ecological restoration, InVEST model

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