Evaluation of Temporal and Spatial Changes in Ecological Environmental Quality on Jianghan Plain From 1990 to 2021

Abstract

Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Jianghan Plain is an important part of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Plain, and together with Dongting Lake Plain, it is known as the Two-Lake Plain. It is a well-developed agricultural area and is an important source of grain in China, as well as one of the major cotton-producing areas, and aquaculture is also an important local industry. With the rapid development of urbanization in China, the impact of human activities on the ecological environment of Jianghan Plain has become increasingly obvious in recent years, and how to timely and objectively assess spatial and temporal changes in ecological environmental quality is of great practical significance for the sustainable development of the region and the construction of an ecological civilization. The Google Earth Engine platform was used to optimize the reconstruction of Landsat TM/OLI images of Jianghan Plain from 1990 to 2021, coupled with four indicators of the natural ecological environment such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, WET, Normalized Difference Soil Index, and Land Surface Temperature to construct the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and evaluate the spatial and temporal changes in ecological environmental quality on Jianghan Plain. The results showed that the mean RSEI values in 1990, 1998, 2006, 2014, and 2021 were 0.667, 0.636, 0.599, 0.621, and 0.648, respectively, indicating that the overall ecological environmental quality of Jianghan Plain showed a decreasing trend from 1990 to 2006 and an increasing trend from 2006 to 2021. Degradation was most serious from 1990 to 1998, accounting for 44.86% of the total area, and improvement was most obvious from 2006 to 2014, accounting for 26.64% of the total area. Moran’s I values from 1990 to 2021 were 0.531, 0.529, 0.525, 0.540, and 0.545, respectively, indicating that the spatial distribution of ecological environmental quality was positively correlated. The local spatial clustering of the RSEI local indicators of spatial association showed that H-H clustering areas on Jianghan Plain were mainly distributed in the northern and western regions, and L-L clustering areas were mainly distributed in the densely populated eastern regions with frequent human activities. The results can provide a theoretical basis for ecological environmental protection and improvement on Jianghan Plain.

The spatiotemporal changes and trade-off synergistic effects of ecosystem services in the Jianghan Plain of China under different scenarios

“…The results showed that due to the impact of human activities and the implementation of a series of policies, the spatial structure of the ecosystem in the Jianghan Plain of China has undergone significant changes in the past 20 years, which is consistent with the results of Ren et al (2022). Under the natural development scenario, the land use changes from 2020 to 2035 will continue, the continued expansion of cities will lead to a significant reduction in comprehensive ecosystem services, and the synergistic relationship between ecosystem services will be significantly weakened.…”

“…As an important grain production base in Hubei and the country, it has important practical significance for maintaining China's food security (Jin et al 2021. As a rapidly urbanizing area, the Jianghan Plain of China is characterized by rapid economic and social development and dramatic evolution of land use patterns (Ren et al 2022). Moreover, with the further advancement of the integrated development strategy of the Jianghan Plain in China, urban construction land continues to encroach on ecological land.…”

Environmental Quality Monitoring Using Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) in Can Tho City, Vietnam.

“…When the greenness score is high, it indicates a high rate of vegetation coverage and a higher quality ecological environment [33]. On the other hand, low greenness values were associated with lower levels of vegetation cover and lower ecological environment quality standards ( [34], [35]). The higher the wetness value and the higher the surface water content, the better the quality of the ecological environment and vice versa [36].…”

Quantifying the Relationship between Land Use Intensity and Ecosystem Services’ Value in the Hanjiang River Basin: A Case Study of the Hubei Section

“…Over the past two decades, rapid urbanization and over-reclamation of cultivated land have resulted in an imbalance of land use structure in the HRB of Hubei Province. This imbalance is primarily manifested by the continuous expansion of built-up land at the expense of high-quality cultivated land, forest land, and water area, resulting in resource depletion and environmental pollution [ 39 ]. Due to increased human activities, the ability of ecosystems in HRB to self-regulate has degraded.…”