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Sustainable development in ecologically fragile areas (EFAs) has faced significant challenges in recent years, but the traditional analytical approaches fail to provide an ideal assessment for ecological performance due to spatiotemporal variability in EFAs. This paper evaluates the ecological performance of EFAs based on a modified ecological foot...
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... Ecologically fragile places are transitional zones between distinct landscapes or ecosystems [1]. These regions often face ecological issues caused by low ecosystem resiliency, stability, notable edge effects, and limited self-recovery capability [2][3][4]. Additionally, ecologically vulnerable areas are often ecological barriers that maintain the stability and diversity of surrounding ecosystems [5]. Therefore, protecting the ecological environment is crucial in these areas because they are focal points for ecological restoration efforts [6]. ...
... In addition to the Hubei sub-region, the ecological resilience indices of the three sub-regions of Guizhou, Chongqing, and Hunan also showed an overall upward trend. (2) The ecological resilience of the Wuling Mountains area is dominated by medium and medium-high levels. The spatial distribution of the ecological resilience index in the Wuling Mountains area and the three sub-areas of Guizhou, Hunan, and Hubei varies considerably, while changes in the Chongqing sub-area are relatively small. ...
The ecological environment of the Wuling Mountains region has been impacted by climate change and economic development, necessitating immediate reinforcement of ecological protection and restoration measures. The study utilized the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) as a proxy for ecological resilience. NDVI data from 2000 to 2020 were employed to compute the ecological resilience index of the Wuling Mountains area and to examine its spatial and temporal evolution as well as the factors influencing it. The findings indicate that: (1) The ecological resilience index increased in the Wuling Mountains area and Guizhou, Chongqing, and Hunan sub-areas but decreased in the Hubei sub-area. (2) The ecological resilience varies significantly in the Wuling Mountains area and the Guizhou, Hubei, and Hunan sub-regions, whereas it varies less in the Chongqing sub-region. (3) The primary elements influencing the ecological resilience capability of the Wuling Mountains area and its four sub-areas are climate conditions and socio-economic factors, respectively. The study can offer a scientific foundation for ecological conservation and restoration efforts in the Wuling Mountains area, as well as serve as a benchmark for measuring ecological resilience in other environmentally vulnerable regions.
... Ecologically fragile areas are typically found in transitional areas between different landscapes ). These areas have low stability, exhibit significant edge effects, and possess limited selfrestoration capabilities (Tian et al. 2023). Nonetheless, they play a vital role as ecological barriers. ...
Grassland ecosystems in ecologically fragile areas have experienced severe degradation due to global climate change and intensified human activities. However, responses of grassland ecosystems to degradation in different ecologically fragile areas remain unclear.
We applied a meta-analysis approach to examine data about vegetation biomass, soil physicochemical properties, and soil microorganisms across different degradation stages in two ecologically fragile areas: Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and Northern Agro-pastoral Ecotone (NAPE).
Grassland degradation leads to reduction in vegetation biomass, and loss of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). However, the response of soil potassium (K) to degradation isn’t significant in NAPE. Physicochemical properties of soil on QTP exhibit a higher sensitivity to grassland degradation than those in NAPE. Model analysis results suggest mean annual precipitation (MAP), ecosystem type, and soil depth are primary factors contributing to differences in soil physicochemical properties between QTP and NAPE. Within different ecologically fragile areas, changes in enzyme activities are more pronounced, with general decline in soil sucrase (SR) activity, greater sensitivity of urease (URE) to degradation on QTP, and higher sensitivity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in NAPE. Further analysis reveals that the main influencing factors of enzyme activity are different in the QTP and the NAPE.
In summary, grassland degradation is a result of the coordinated degradation of vegetation, soil, and microorganisms, displaying variations across different ecologically vulnerable regions and degradation stages. An in-depth investigation of these differences and their driving factors can facilitate the accurate assessment of grassland degradation and formulation of restoration strategies tailored to different regions.
The pollution caused by microplastics (MPs), an emerging pollutant, has been receiving continuous concern. However, the distribution characteristics of MPs in ecologically fragile areas (EFAs), which are sensitive to environmental change and pollution, are still unclear. Here, the abundance and pollution characteristics of MPs in agricultural soils in four typical EFAs in China, namely semiarid farming-pastoral area (SFPA), desert-oasis interlaced area (DOIA), plateau composite erosion area (PCEA) and southwest karst area (SWKA) were investigated. MPs were detected in all agricultural soil samples with a mean abundance of 2685 ± 938 n/kg. DOIA (3193 ± 630 n/kg) had the largest abundance of MPs in agricultural soils, followed by SWKA (2948 ± 819 n/kg), SFPA (2920 ± 935 n/kg), and PCEA (1680 ± 320 n/kg). MPs in four EFAs were mostly small size (0-0.49 mm), accounted for 81.71 %. Fragmented and pelleted MPs were the main shapes, occupying for 51.26 % and 28.53 %, respectively. In addition, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was applied to determine the polymer types of MPs and to assess the pollution risk of MPs, which ranged from 157 to 938, indicating a moderate to high risk. The results revealed that EFAs located in remote inland areas were considerably polluted by MPs, close to the developed coastal areas. This study provided systematic data on MPs pollution of EFAs, which is crucial in preventing further environmental degradation and promoting ecological restoration.
