Impacts of human footprint on habitat quality and permafrost environment in Northeast China

Jianjun Tang; Xiaoying Jin; Haowei Mu; Sizhong Yang; Ruixia He; Xiaoying Li; Wenhui Wang; Shuai Huang; Jiaxing Zu; Hongwei Wang; Zuwang Li; Lin Yang; Shanzhen Li; Yanlin Shi; Suiqiao Yang; Raul-D. Serban; Mihaela Șerban; Alexander Fedorov; Leonid Gagarin; Ze Zhang; Mikhail N Zhelezniak; Huijun Jin

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113587

Ecological Indicators (Jun 2025)

Impacts of human footprint on habitat quality and permafrost environment in Northeast China

Jianjun Tang,
Xiaoying Jin,
Haowei Mu,
Sizhong Yang,
Ruixia He,
Xiaoying Li,
Wenhui Wang,
Shuai Huang,
Jiaxing Zu,
Hongwei Wang,
Zuwang Li,
Lin Yang,
Shanzhen Li,
Yanlin Shi,
Suiqiao Yang,
Raul-D. Serban,
Mihaela Șerban,
Alexander Fedorov,
Leonid Gagarin,
Ze Zhang,
Mikhail N Zhelezniak,
Huijun Jin

Affiliations

Jianjun Tang: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Xiaoying Jin: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Corresponding authors at: School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
Haowei Mu: School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Sizhong Yang: Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science and Frozen Soils Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Ruixia He: Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science and Frozen Soils Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Xiaoying Li: Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science and Frozen Soils Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Wenhui Wang: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Shuai Huang: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Jiaxing Zu: Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China
Hongwei Wang: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Hei’he Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Zuwang Li: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Lin Yang: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; College of Agriculture, Chifeng University, Chifeng 010019, China
Shanzhen Li: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Yanlin Shi: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Suiqiao Yang: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Raul-D. Serban: Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano 39100, Italy
Mihaela Șerban: Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Science and Frozen Soils Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Applied Geomorphology and Interdisciplinary Research Centre, Department of Geography, West University of Timișoara, Timișoara 300223, Romania
Alexander Fedorov: Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Sakha Republic 677010, Russia
Leonid Gagarin: Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Sakha Republic 677010, Russia
Ze Zhang: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Mikhail N Zhelezniak: Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Sakha Republic 677010, Russia
Huijun Jin: School of Ecology, School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, Permafrost Institute, and China-Russia Joint Laboratory for Cold Regions Engineering and Environment, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Corresponding authors at: School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113587
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 175
p. 113587

Abstract

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In Northeast China, intensified human footprints have greatly altered ecosystem service functions, leading to biodiversity decline, habitat fragmentation, and permafrost warming and thaw. For regional ecological security, it is crucial to conduct a detailed investigation of how human footprints affect the ecological environment and ground temperatures over the long-term. This study examines spatiotemporal characteristics of human footprints, habitat quality (HQ), and permafrost distribution in Northeast China using human footprint data, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, and GeoDetector model. The following results were obtained. (1) Between 2000 and 2020, human footprint of Northeast China experienced four growth stages with an overall growth rate of 54.2 %, with the most rapid growth between 2010 and 2015. Built environment and nighttime lights (NTL) significantly contributed to human footprint, while cropland had a relatively low contribution at only 1.3 %. (2) In Northeast China, total HQ decreased by 14.5 %, although high habitat degradation level increased by 2.5 %. The areal extent of high-level HQ patches declined by 12.2 % with rising human footprint index, and the proportion of low- and lower-quality habitats increased significantly. (3) Between 2000 and 2018, mean annual ground temperature in Northeast China increased by 0.15 °C, reflecting significant permafrost degradation and an average annual increase rate of 0.063 °C. During this period, permafrost area decreased by 0.9 × 105 km2, and the southern limit of latitudinal permafrost also shifted northward. (4) Waterways and roads are the main drivers of rising ground temperatures, with waterways having the highest q-value (0.56). The interactions between paired impacting factors also indicate that the highest q-value (0.71) for the intersections of waterways and roads. These research results may contribute to a better understanding of the relationships among human footprint, ecological environment, and ground temperatures in Northeast China, and help provide a basis for ecological conservation.

Published in Ecological Indicators

ISSN: 1470-160X (Print); 1872-7034 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

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