Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecosystem Health under Rapid Urbanization in Huaihe River Basin, China

作者：Yuanyuan Li, Hao Liu, Yan Qin, Haiguang Hao, Yue Qi, Le Qin, Meng Zhang · 发表于：Ecosystem Health and Sustainability · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.34133/ehs.0418 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Land Use and Ecosystem Services、Environmental Quality and Pollution、Remote Sensing and Land Use

Urbanization’s explosive growth has drastically altered ecosystem composition and dynamics, resulting in a host of environmental problems. At the same time, these problems can diminish urbanization quality and pose risks to sustainable urban development. This study aims to evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem health (EH) and its response to urbanization in the Huaihe River Basin (HRB), China, over the period 2000 to 2022. Using county-level data for 232 administrative units, we applied the vigor–organization–resilience model to quantify EH, constructed a comprehensive urbanization level (CUL) index, and employed spatial autocorrelation techniques to reveal spatial patterns. Results show that EH remained relatively stable—mean: 0.41 in 2000, 0.41 in 2011, and 0.40 in 2022—but displayed marked spatial disparities, with higher EH in the south and declines concentrated in the north and northwest. Urbanization intensified substantially, with CUL values from 0.20 in 2000 to 0.33 in 2011, and further to 0.41 in 2022, with ecological lag type prevalent in the northwest and urban lag type in the southwest. Overall, urbanization heavily impacts EH, creating an imbalance between economic growth and ecological development, making it crucial to promptly develop and implement targeted ecological policies to ensure their sustainable co-development. In the future, strict pollution control and ecological restoration should be implemented in ecological lag zones, balanced economic...