RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE YANGTZE BASIN >> 2026, Vol. 35 >> Issue (1): 142-.doi: 10.11870/cjlyzyyhj202601012

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Impacts of Human Activities on Ecosystem Services in the Yangtze River Economic Belt:From Spatial-Economic-Energy Perspectives

HUANG Jin,GUO Xiao-yi,TIAN Ye   

  1. (College of Economics and Management, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002 ,China)
  • Online:2026-01-20 Published:2026-01-20

Abstract: The Yangtze River Economic Belt is densely populated, with diverse human activities such as urbanization, economic investment, and energy consumption, causing complex changes in ecosystem service functions and their spatial carrying capacity. Clarifying the impacts of human activities on ecosystem services from spatial, economic, and energy perspectives is crucial for the high-quality development of the region. This study focuses on the Yangtze River Economic Belt, selecting meteorological data and ecological remote sensing data from 2002 to 2022, and using the InVEST model, Human Footprint Index model, bivariate spatial autocorrelation, and geographically weighted regression model to quantify and analyze the intensity of human activities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and their impacts on ecosystem services in spatial, economic, and energy dimensions. The results show that: (1)The intensity of human activities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt has significantly increased over time, with the Human Footprint Index increasing by 0.022 from 2002 to 2022; spatially, it exhibits a pattern of “weaker in the west and stronger in the east, higher in the north and lower in the south”, and the downstream region has the highest intensity of human activities from all perspectives. (2)The ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Economic Belt show a spatial distribution pattern of “higher in the west and lower in the east, higher in the south and lower in the north”; the capacity of ecosystem services slowly decreased from 2002 to 2012, and generally increased from 2012 to 2022; areas with lower ecosystem service capacity accounted for the largest proportion during the study period, with an average of 33.39%, while areas with high ecosystem services capacity accounted for the smallest proportion, with an average of 7.78%. (3)The intensity of spatial human activities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt has a significant negative impact on ecosystem services. From an economic perspective, there is a synergistic effect between the intensity of human activities and ecosystem services in economically developed areas; while a mismatched relationship is observed in economically underdeveloped areas. The negative impact of energy-related human activities intensity on ecosystem services is relatively small and shows a weakening trend.

No related articles found!
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited

  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!