Short-term restoration effects of ecological projects detected using the turning point method in the Three River Headwater Region, China

Abstract

The Three River Headwater Region (TRHR) is an important river source area providing important ecological functions. Decades ago, climate change and human activities severely degraded the ecosystem in the TRHR. To restore vegetation, a series of ecological projects have been implemented since 1989. Using net primary productivity (NPP) data from 1988 to 2012, a sequential Mann–Kendall trend test (SQ-MK) method was applied to identify the turning point of vegetation NPP. This approach was able to represent the critical response time of the vegetation to important disturbances. A 3-year time window was set after the implementation of one ecological project to detect and analyze its short-term effects. The ecological projects included the Yangtze River Basin Shelterbelt System Construction Project (YRCP), the TRHR Nature Reserve Construction Project (TNR), the Returning Grazing Land to Grassland Project (RGLGP), and the first phase of the Ecological Conservation and Restoration Project of the TRHR (ECRP). Our results showed that the vegetation in the TRHR responded positively to restoration: 89% of pixels showed an increasing trend and 54% of pixels underwent an abrupt change. The accelerated growth type accounted for the highest proportion among all types of detected turning points. In the ECRP’s window, the positive turns rose rapidly, from 41% in 2005 to 86% in 2008, and it showed the most balanced restoration effects across grasslands. The alpine meadow and montane meadow restoration was largely influenced by the ECRP and the RGLGP (both >40%). The alpine steppe restoration was mainly attributed to the ECRP (68%). On the county scale, the positive turns in Yushu at the source of the Yangtze River mainly benefited from the RGLGP (56%), while the positive turns in Maduo at the source of the Yellow River benefited from the ECRP (77%). Nangqian, Tanggula and Zaduo County were still in need of intervention for restoration (< 3%). The results of the study can enhance our understanding of the spatio–temporal distribution of the short-term ecological benefits of different ecological projects, thus provide a scientific and timely reference for future planning and adjustment of the conservation and restoration projects.