Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve

The Changshagongma wetlands is the Chinese National Nature Reserve were listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2018. Here, we examined four periods (1992, 2002, 2013, and 2020) of remote sensing image data to analyze the changes in wetland landscape patterns and the ecological ris...

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Main Authors: Cai Yang, Wei Deng, Quanzhi Yuan, Shaoyao Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.843714/full
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author Cai Yang
Wei Deng
Wei Deng
Quanzhi Yuan
Quanzhi Yuan
Shaoyao Zhang
Shaoyao Zhang
author_facet Cai Yang
Wei Deng
Wei Deng
Quanzhi Yuan
Quanzhi Yuan
Shaoyao Zhang
Shaoyao Zhang
author_sort Cai Yang
collection DOAJ
description The Changshagongma wetlands is the Chinese National Nature Reserve were listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2018. Here, we examined four periods (1992, 2002, 2013, and 2020) of remote sensing image data to analyze the changes in wetland landscape patterns and the ecological risk in Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve over the past 30 years. The results showed that wetlands account for approximately 30% of the study area, and swamp meadows were the main type of wetland, accounting for approximately 95% of the total wetland area. In terms of landscape patterns, wetland fragmentation declined, wetland patch shapes became less complicated, and spatial connectivity increased. The landscape fragmentation of non-wetland alpine meadows was reduced. The patches of sandy grasslands tended to be regular, and their spatial connectivity was reduced. The wetland regions of high ecological risk are concentrated in the central and southern parts of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve. Low-risk regions are mainly concentrated in the contiguous swamp meadows in the northwest and wetlands in the southwest. From 1992 to 2020, the level of ecological risk of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve showed a “∧”-shaped trend, with the highest risk in 2002 and the lowest risk in 2020. Among the selected indicators, climate conditions constituted the main factor affecting the ecological risk of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve, followed by topographical conditions, and human activities were the least influential. Over the past 30 years, the temperature and precipitation in the study area increased significantly. The climate in the study area can be roughly divided into two periods bounding 2002, and the climate has been changing from cold and dry to warm and wet. The ecological environment of the study area is affected by natural and human activities. Cold and dry climatic conditions and uncontrolled grazing accelerate the destruction of the wetland ecological environment, and warm and wet climatic conditions and ecological conservation policies are conducive to the ecological restoration of wetlands. In general, the wetland landscape structure in the study area has become less complex, landscape heterogeneity has decreased, and ecological quality has improved.
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spelling doaj.art-2608d673f35644909cfbcf911b328eeb2022-12-21T19:15:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-04-011010.3389/fevo.2022.843714843714Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature ReserveCai Yang0Wei Deng1Wei Deng2Quanzhi Yuan3Quanzhi Yuan4Shaoyao Zhang5Shaoyao Zhang6School of Geography and Resource Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Geography and Resource Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, ChinaResearch Center for Resource, Environment and Sustainable Development in West Sichuan, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Geography and Resource Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, ChinaResearch Center for Resource, Environment and Sustainable Development in West Sichuan, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Geography and Resource Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, ChinaResearch Center for Resource, Environment and Sustainable Development in West Sichuan, Chengdu, ChinaThe Changshagongma wetlands is the Chinese National Nature Reserve were listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2018. Here, we examined four periods (1992, 2002, 2013, and 2020) of remote sensing image data to analyze the changes in wetland landscape patterns and the ecological risk in Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve over the past 30 years. The results showed that wetlands account for approximately 30% of the study area, and swamp meadows were the main type of wetland, accounting for approximately 95% of the total wetland area. In terms of landscape patterns, wetland fragmentation declined, wetland patch shapes became less complicated, and spatial connectivity increased. The landscape fragmentation of non-wetland alpine meadows was reduced. The patches of sandy grasslands tended to be regular, and their spatial connectivity was reduced. The wetland regions of high ecological risk are concentrated in the central and southern parts of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve. Low-risk regions are mainly concentrated in the contiguous swamp meadows in the northwest and wetlands in the southwest. From 1992 to 2020, the level of ecological risk of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve showed a “∧”-shaped trend, with the highest risk in 2002 and the lowest risk in 2020. Among the selected indicators, climate conditions constituted the main factor affecting the ecological risk of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve, followed by topographical conditions, and human activities were the least influential. Over the past 30 years, the temperature and precipitation in the study area increased significantly. The climate in the study area can be roughly divided into two periods bounding 2002, and the climate has been changing from cold and dry to warm and wet. The ecological environment of the study area is affected by natural and human activities. Cold and dry climatic conditions and uncontrolled grazing accelerate the destruction of the wetland ecological environment, and warm and wet climatic conditions and ecological conservation policies are conducive to the ecological restoration of wetlands. In general, the wetland landscape structure in the study area has become less complex, landscape heterogeneity has decreased, and ecological quality has improved.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.843714/fullChangshagongma wetlandswetland landscapepattern changegeodetectorlandscape ecological risk
spellingShingle Cai Yang
Wei Deng
Wei Deng
Quanzhi Yuan
Quanzhi Yuan
Shaoyao Zhang
Shaoyao Zhang
Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Changshagongma wetlands
wetland landscape
pattern change
geodetector
landscape ecological risk
title Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve
title_full Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve
title_fullStr Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve
title_full_unstemmed Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve
title_short Changes in Landscape Pattern and an Ecological Risk Assessment of the Changshagongma Wetland Nature Reserve
title_sort changes in landscape pattern and an ecological risk assessment of the changshagongma wetland nature reserve
topic Changshagongma wetlands
wetland landscape
pattern change
geodetector
landscape ecological risk
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.843714/full
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