Increased human pressures on the alpine ecosystem along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Luo, Lihui; Duan, Quntao; Wang, Lixin; Zhao, Wenzhi; Zhuang, Yanli

doi:10.1007/s10113-020-01616-7

Cited by 30 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(56 reference statements)

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“…In addition, the spatial extent of the human pressure on ecosystems has been widespread (Li, Zhang, Wang, & Li, 2018). For example, the construction and operation of the Qinghai‐Tibet Railway have had an impact on vegetation within a distance of 30 km (Luo et al, 2020); grazing is accompanied by widespread movement across the entire pasture, and grazing pressure was at a high level on the southeastern Changtang Plateau, the Three‐River Headwaters region (Huang et al, 2016), consistent with the distribution of browning in our study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Tibetan Plateau greening driven by warming‐wetting climate change and ecological restoration in the 21st century

et al. 2022

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High altitude areas play an essential role in the global climate system, and their fragile ecosystems sensitively respond to climate change and human activities. An improved understanding of the influences of multiple factors on the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation is needed. This study aimed to understand further the impacts of climate, geography, and human on vegetation and disentangle the contributions of climate and humans to vegetation changes using the MOD13Q1 enhanced vegetation index (EVI, 2000(EVI, -2019. Greening was detected for 70% of the Tibetan Plateau under increased warming and wetting in the 21st century. A rise in temperature of up to 0.66 ± 0.49 C decade À1 occurred over 2/3 of the Tibetan Plateau, while precipitation increased slightly. In particular, significant greening covered 1/4 of the Tibetan Plateau and occurred within the steppe and desert on the northern due to wetting and ecological protection. Browning depended on urbanization, overgrazing, and lake expansion in 1.9% of the total area. Orbicular browning around lakes accounted for 18.4% of significant browning, and significant browning trends were also detected in densely populated cities situated at low-altitude and flat areas. The EVI was more strongly positively correlated with the annual mean minimum temperature than the annual mean temperature and maximum temperature and was sensitive to extreme low precipitation events. Residual analysis showed that the relative contribution of climate change was 34%, and that of human activities was 66%. A comprehensive description of the vegetation changes on the Tibetan Plateau will help humans to cope with climate change and ecosystem evolution in high altitude.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Tibetan Plateau greening driven by warming‐wetting climate change and ecological restoration in the 21st century

et al. 2022

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“…This is also a significant factor affecting the health of forest ecosystems [ 42 ]. Simultaneously, artificial surfaces and farmland can reduce the stability of the surrounding ecosystems [ 43 ], change geological and hydrological conditions, increase the probability of natural disasters [ 44 , 45 ], which threaten the forest ecosystems that are close to artificial surfaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the Variability of Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability in the Largest Water Tower Region Globally

Sun

Lü

2021

IJERPH

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Forests are critical ecosystems for environmental regulation and ecological security maintenance, especially at high altitudes that exhibit sensitivity to climate change and human activities. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—the world’s largest water tower region—has been breeding many large rivers in Asia where forests play important roles in water regulation and water quality improvement. However, the vulnerability of these forest ecosystems at the regional scale is still largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this research is to quantitatively assess the temporal–spatial variability of forest vulnerability on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to illustrate the capacity of forests to withstand disturbances. Geographic information system (GIS) and the spatial principal component analysis (SPCA) were used to develop a forest vulnerable index (FVI) to assess the vulnerability of forest ecosystems. This research incorporates 15 factors covering the natural context, environmental disturbances, and socioeconomic impact. Results indicate that the measure of vulnerability was unevenly distributed spatially across the study area, and the whole trend has intensified since 2000. The three factors that contribute the most to the vulnerability of natural contexts, environmental disturbances, and human impacts are slope aspect, landslides, and the distance to the farmland, respectively. The vulnerability is higher in forest areas with lower altitudes, steeper slopes, and southerly directions. These evaluation results can be helpful for forest management in high altitude water tower regions in the forms of forest conservation or restoration planning and implementation towards sustainable development goals.

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“…Projects for the recovery and promotion of railway heritage from a tourism point of view could help develop the community, with mutual benefits for both the individual and the community [51,81,[92][93][94][95]. The "Adopt a Station" project in Scotland was an example of how community engagement in joining this program is representative of a sustainable social approach over time, as citizens do not feel the weight of volunteering as an obligation but as a chance to feel useful for the community [50,75].…”

Section: Rs3 What Are the Main Relationships Between Sustainability A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Railway and Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

Peira

Giudice

Miraglia³

2022

Tourism and Hospitality

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From the second half of the 20th century, numerous railways, especially in industrial and mining areas, were abandoned for economic reasons. The activism of the “railfans”, who are fond of trains, has made it possible to set up voluntary associations that have been the lifeblood of the beginning of projects for the recovery of the historic railway heritage and the promotion of it in a touristic sense. This topic is worthy of attention, and during recent years it has been the focus of several research papers. A systematic literature review was performed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes) methodology. This tool is a minimal set of evidence-based elements aimed at helping authors to carry out a systematic literature review. This systematic literature review sought to consolidate knowledge on the subject. The research team formulated three research questions related to the dynamics of railway heritage recovery, the dynamics of railway tourism and the relationship between sustainability and railway tourism. The findings highlighted that the railway tourism process always originates from a project for the restoration of railway heritage, possibly maintaining authenticity. The voluntary associations, along with their “railfans”, are the main stakeholder, not only preserving the rail heritage but also developing railway tourism activities. The touristic railway could regenerate the local community, with positive benefits on the local economy. Many tourists could be attracted by railway tourism destinations in that they wish to live memorable experiences related to the nostalgia of the past.

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Increased human pressures on the alpine ecosystem along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Cited by 30 publications

References 47 publications

Tibetan Plateau greening driven by warming‐wetting climate change and ecological restoration in the 21st century

Tibetan Plateau greening driven by warming‐wetting climate change and ecological restoration in the 21st century

Quantifying the Variability of Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability in the Largest Water Tower Region Globally

Railway and Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

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