Identification of Key Areas for Ecological Restoration and Division of Restoration Zones in Qinghai Province

Abstract

[Objective] Identifying priority spaces for ecological restoration and curbing ecological degradation based on the governance idea of “holistic protection, systematic restoration and comprehensive management” is an important measure for the coordinated development of regional socio-economics, the construction of a firm ecological security barrier, and the promotion of ecological civilization. [Methods] This paper took Qinghai Province as the study area, reflects the urbanization process through land use intensity and the land use center of gravity shift, quantitatively evaluates seven ecosystem services, ecological sensitivity, and habitat degradation from 2005 to 2020, and proposes to identify the priority space for ecological restoration based on the cluster of ecosystem services, ecological sensitivity, and habitat degradation. We proposed to identify ecological restoration priority spaces based on “ecosystem service cluster, ecological sensitivity and habitat degradation degree”, and combined internal defects and external coercion to delineate five types of ecological restoration priority zones and propose corresponding restoration strategies. [Results] The depth of water production in Qinghai province from 2005 to 2020 were 125.1 mm, 106.9 mm, 80.0 mm and 135.4 mm respectively, and the depth of water retention was stabilized at about 15 mm. Grain output increased from 1.42 t/hm2 to 2.02 t/hm2, wind and sand control capacity increased from 2.42 t/hm2 to 4.59 t/hm2, and soil conservation capacity decreased from 85.90 t/hm2 to 65.30 t/hm2; The ecosystem service clusters in Qinghai province were classified into five categories: harmony of habitat, harmony of soil and water, conservation of ecological sources, restoration of natural ecology, and functional cluster of wind and sand conservation. Based on the results of bivariate autocorrelation to identify the ecological restoration priority points, it can be seen that the key ecological restoration points and natural ecological restoration points are the main ones in Qinghai province, accounting for 5.26% and 2.55% of the area, respectively, in which the key ecological restoration points and ecological livability clusters increase the area of the spatial distribution of the basic coincides with each other. [Conclusion] The priority areas for ecological restoration in Qinghai province are concentrated in the ecologically fragile northwestern desert areas, high-altitude mountainous areas, water sources and river coasts and the river valley where human activities are more frequent, and in the area around Tianjun county and Xinghai-Mado-Qumalai county.

Keywords

• qinghai province
• invest
• ecosystem service function
• ecosystem service cluster
• ecological restoration priority areas