Interactive Effects on Habitat Quality Using InVEST and GeoDetector Models in Wenzhou, China

Abstract

Global urbanisation has accelerated in recent years, especially in rapidly growing coastal cities, and the destruction of habitat and natural resources has intensified. Although much attention has been paid to the study of habitat quality, there are still gaps in our understanding of the factors that influence it and their interactions. In this study, the InVEST habitat quality evaluation model and the GeoDetector model were used to construct a framework for analysing the dynamic changes in habitat quality and their influencing factors from 1992 to 2015. Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, was selected as the study area. The new framework extends studies on habitat quality change to annual analysis and reduces the lag between the actual change and the mapping time. The interactions between natural and anthropogenic factors are explored, and the effects of different types of land use conversion on habitat quality are further discussed. The results show that: (1) During the study period, cultivated and construction land areas in Wenzhou City increased the most, and forest land area decreased the most. (2) Habitat quality in Wenzhou City was generally good during the study period, but it showed a declining trend from year to year, and the distribution of habitat quality decreased from west to east. (3) The interactions between land use change and annual precipitation change and those between land use change and population density change have the most significant impact on habitat quality. The conversion of forest land to cultivated land, conversion of water area to cultivated land, and conversion of forest land to building land have the greatest impact on habitat quality. The results of the study can provide recommendations for ecological restoration, optimal integration of protected areas, and provide a reference for the healthy and sustainable development of coastal regions.

Spatial–temporal evolution characteristics of land use and habitat quality in Shandong Province, China

“…For example, urban expansion significantly disrupted the natural habitat, leading to habitat fragmentation and degradation 24 – 26 . Besides, natural environment (topography, climate) and land use type also significantly influence the change of habitat quality 27 – 29 . The influences of such natural factors are relatively fixed, while land use categories are affected by a wide range of human activities.…”

Spatio-temporal evolution and driving forces of habitat quality in Guizhou Province

“…For example, the expansion of urban construction has severely damaged natural habitat, leading to biodiversity loss 26,27 . In addition, natural factors (altitude, slope, climate) and land use type also significantly influence changes in HQ 28,29 . Therefore, determining the factors that influence HQ can provide a basic information for biodiversity maintenance, improvement of the ecological environment, and enhancement of ecosystem service functions 30 .…”

Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Coupling Relationship between Habitat Quality and Urbanization in the Lower Yellow River

“…To measure the HQ of Chinese provinces, Fu [ 6 ] chose 12 indicators, such as soil erosion, land salinization, and solid waste contamination. However, the laborious processes of field sampling and field surveys make it challenging to apply the indicator assessment method to large-scale HQ assessments [ 7 ]. Model evaluation has increasingly grown in importance as a research method for HQ due to the maturity of technical instruments such as remote sensing systems and the quick development of HQ assessment models [ 8 , 9 ].…”