Study on Spatial and Temporal Changes in Landscape Ecological Risks and Indicator Weights: A Case Study of the Bailong River Basin

Abstract

The land use and ecological environment of the Bailong River Basin (BRB) have undergone significant changes in the context of developing urban–rural integration and ecological conservation in western China. As a key ecologically fragile area in the west region, a landscape ecological risk (LER) assessment can reflect the extent to which human activities and environmental changes threaten the ecosystems in the BRB. This study aims to explore the empowerment of indicator weights in an LER assessment. Landscape index weights and LER were analyzed based on land use data for three periods using objective and combined empowerment methods. It was found that the weighting results had apparent scale dependence, and the entropy weight method had the best results in indicator empowerment. From 2000–2020, the LER presented reduced risk, increased heterogeneity, and reduced aggregation. The shift from a medium-risk area to a lower-risk area was the primary transfer type of LER in the study area, and the LER showed a decreasing development trend. So far, research on weight empowerment in LER evaluations has been urgent. This study improved the landscape ecological risk assessment system by selecting an empowerment method that optimally takes into account scale dependence while providing valuable insights into the sustainability of the landscape in this watershed.