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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Land Use Dynamics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1505178

Study on the Effects of Land Use Transformation on Habitat Quality and Its Driving Mechanisms: A Case Study of the Qin-Mang River Basin

Provisionally accepted
Jiwei Zhao Jiwei Zhao Luyao Wang Luyao Wang *Dong Jia Dong Jia Yaowen Wang Yaowen Wang
  • North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Habitat quality (HQ) is a critical factor for regional ecosystem health and sustainable development, as well as an important basis for formulating ecological protection and land-use planning. The Qin-Mang River Basin, as an integral part of the biodiversity conservation area in the Yellow River Basin, plays a significant role in maintaining the balance and stability of the regional ecosystem. This study is based on land use/land cover changes (LUCC) data from 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022. It employs a land use transfer matrix to analyze the dynamic trends and patterns of LUCC. HQ changes are evaluated using the InVEST model, and the GeoDetector model is used to identify the key driving factors and their interactions. Additionally, spatial autocorrelation analysis is applied to explore the spatial clustering characteristics of HQ. The results indicate that between 1992 and 2022, the cumulative area of land transfer in the study area exceeded 600 km², primarily characterized by the conversion of cultivated land to built-up areas. The HQ index decreased from 0.3409 in 1992 to 0.2896 in 2022, with a significant increase in spatial heterogeneity. Altitude, vegetation coverage, temperature, precipitation, and slope are the main driving factors influencing HQ, with natural factors dominating, but human activities gradually playing an increasingly significant role. Furthermore, HQ exhibits significant spatial clustering characteristics, with hotspot and coldspot areas providing scientific evidence for ecological protection and restoration measures. To improve HQ, it is recommended to strictly enforce ecological protection red lines, control the expansion of built-up areas, improve ecological compensation mechanisms, and promote ecological restoration measures such as returning farmland to forest and grassland.

    Keywords: Land use transition, habitat quality, Driving Mechanisms, Spatial autocorrelation analysis, InVEST model

    Received: 03 Oct 2024; Accepted: 14 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Wang, Jia and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Luyao Wang, North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.