Effectiveness of the Qilian Mountain Nature Reserve of China in Reducing Human Impacts

Li, Shicheng; Shan, Shiguang; Liu, Yanxia; Zhou, Xiwen; Luo, Quanxin; Paudel, Basanta

doi:10.3390/land11071071

Cited by 16 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Modern climatology analyses pointed out that the QMNP is affected by the interplay of the Asian summer monsoon and mid-latitude westerlies [40]. The hydrological network radiates outward from the Qilian Mountains, principally comprising the Shiyang River, Heihe River, and Shule River systems, which are fed by precipitation and glacier meltwater inputs [41]. Prominent vegetation types, including alpine meadows, cold temperate coniferous forests, and temperate desert steppes, exhibit discernible zonal distributions, fostering habitats for numerous rare and endangered species such as snow leopards, white-billed sparrows, and black-necked cranes.…”

Section: Study Area and Fieldworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Desertification in Qilian Mountain National Park Based on Google Earth Engine

Chen,

Wang,

Peng

et al. 2024

IJGI

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Notwithstanding the overall improvement in the ecological condition of the Qilian Mountains, there are localized occurrences of grassland degradation, desertification, and salinization. Moreover, timely and accurate acquisition of desertification information is a fundamental prerequisite for effective monitoring and prevention of desertification. Leveraging the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform in conjunction with machine learning techniques, this study aims to identify and extract the spatiotemporal dynamics of desertification in the Qilian Mountain National Park (QMNP) and its surroundings (QMNPs) spanning from 1988 to 2023. Results show that based on the random forest algorithm, the multi-index inversion methodology achieves a commendable overall accuracy of 91.9% in desertification extraction. From 1988 to 2023, the gravity center of light desertification shifts southeastward, while centers characterized by moderate, severe, and extremely severe desertification display a westward retreat with fluctuations. The area of sandy land shows an expansion trend in the medium term, but after 2018, desertification in QMNPs reversed. As of 2023, the sandy land area measured 16,897.35 km2, accounting for 18.29% of the total area of QMNPs. The insights garnered from this study provide a valuable reference for regional desertification prevention and control in the future.

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Section: Study Area and Fieldworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Desertification in Qilian Mountain National Park Based on Google Earth Engine

Chen,

Wang,

Peng

et al. 2024

IJGI

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“…The QMNNR (97 1). The total area of the reserve is about 2.65 × 10 4 km 2 , and the functional area is divided into a core area (5.05 × 10 3 km 2 ), a buffer zone (3.87 × 10 3 km 2 ), and an experimental area (1.09 × 10 4 km 2 ) [53]. Most of the reserve is situated 3000-3500 m above sea level, and precipitation is mainly distributed from May to September, with the most precipitation concentrated in the period from July to August.…”

Section: Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Analysis of Climate Variability and Human Activities on Vegetation Variations in the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve from 1986 to 2021

Wang,

Zhang,

et al. 2023

Forests

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Rapid climate variability and intense human activities generate obvious impacts on the Qilian Mountains ecosystem. The time series of fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) from 1986 to 2021 were used to quantify the impact of climate variability and human activities on vegetation variations in the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve (QMNNR), using 3147 land satellite images based on the Google Earth Engine cloud platform. The contributions of climate variability and human activities to FVC were quantified using multiple regression residual analysis. Partial correlation and correlation methods were used to quantify the impact of temperature, precipitation, and human activity footprints on FVC. The results showed that from 1986 to 2021, the increase rate of FVC was 1.7 × 10−3 y−1, and the high vegetation coverage of the FVC was mainly distributed in the southeastern part of the reserve. In contrast, the low vegetation coverage was mainly distributed in the northwest part of the reserve. The Mann–Kendall mutation test found that the year of 2009 was the year of the mutation. The growth rate of FVC from 2010 to 2021 was greater than that from 1986 to 2009. In addition, climate variability and human activities exhibited a remarkable spatial heterogeneity in FVC changes. Climate variability and human activities contributed 49% and 51% to the increase in FVC in the reserve, respectively, and the contribution of human activities was greater than that of climate variability. The warming and humidification phenomena in the reserve were obvious. However, precipitation was the dominant factor affecting the dynamic changes in FVC. This study improves our understanding of the response of vegetation dynamics to the climate and human activities in the QMNNR.

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“…1). With a total area of 50,200 km 2 and an altitude of 4000-5000 m, the QMNP is an important ecological security barrier, water conservation area, and biodiversity conservation area for China (Gao et al, 2021;Li et al, 2022). The QMNP is the core area of the Qilian Mountains.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterogeneity and non-linearity of ecosystem responses to climate change in the Qilian Mountains National Park, China

Gao

Wen

et al. 2023

J. Arid Land

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Ecosystem responses to climate change, particularly in arid environments, is an understudied topic. This study conducted a spatial analysis of ecosystem responses to short-term variability in temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation in the Qilian Mountains National Park, an arid mountainous region in Northwest China. We collected precipitation and temperature data from the National Science and Technology Infrastructure Platform, solar radiation data from the China Meteorological Forcing Dataset, and vegetation cover remote-sensing data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. We used the vegetation sensitivity index to identify areas sensitive to climate change and to determine which climatic factors were significant in this regard. The findings revealed a high degree of heterogeneity and non-linearity of ecosystem responses to climate change. Four types of heterogeneity were identified: longitude, altitude, ecosystem, and climate disturbance. Furthermore, the characteristics of nonlinear ecosystem responses to climate change included: (1) inconsistency in the controlling climatic factors for the same ecosystems in different geographical settings; (2) the interaction between different climatic factors results in varying weights that affect ecosystem stability and makes them difficult to determine; and (3) the hysteresis effect of vegetation increases the uncertainty of ecosystem responses to climate change. The findings are significant because they highlight the complexity of ecosystem responses to climate change. Furthermore, the identification of areas that are particularly sensitive to climate change and the influencing factors has important implications for predicting and managing the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, which can help protect the stability of ecosystems in the Qilian Mountains National Park.

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Effectiveness of the Qilian Mountain Nature Reserve of China in Reducing Human Impacts

Cited by 16 publications

References 45 publications

Analysis of Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Desertification in Qilian Mountain National Park Based on Google Earth Engine

Analysis of Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Desertification in Qilian Mountain National Park Based on Google Earth Engine

Quantitative Analysis of Climate Variability and Human Activities on Vegetation Variations in the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve from 1986 to 2021

Heterogeneity and non-linearity of ecosystem responses to climate change in the Qilian Mountains National Park, China

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