青海省生态退化评估及生态系统保护修复优先区划定

Ecological degradation assessment and delineation of priority areas for ecological protection and restoration in Qinghai Province

关键词:  生态保护与修复  生态退化  水土流失  草地退化  青藏高原

Key words:  ecological protection and restoration  ecological degradation  soil erosion  grassland degradation  Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

摘要:

青海省地处生态脆弱地带，其生态保护与修复工作显得尤为关键。采用生态退化综合指数法建立涵盖土壤水蚀、土壤风蚀、土壤冻融侵蚀以及草地退化的生态退化综合评估体系，确定青海省各县域生态保护与修复优先级别。研究结果显示：青海省生态退化情况较为突出，中度、重度退化区域分别占全省面积的11.50%和43.35%，生态退化类型以草地退化为主、水土流失次之，重度生态退化区重点集中在三江源地区。因此划定青海省生态退化保护与修复的优先关注区为12个，占全省面积的37.47%，分布在果洛、玉树和黄南三个州，以草地退化为主；较优先关注区和一般关注区分别为11个和23个。因此，应优先修复草地退化区，强化生态保护，提升系统稳定性，保障生态安全。

Abstract:

Background, aim, and scope Located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, Qinghai Province is characterized by a fragile ecological environment and high environmental sensitivity. Under the guidance of the global desertification prevention and control framework proposed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and based on the province’s specific ecological conditions, efforts have been made to promote ecosystem restoration and to explore locally adapted pathways for sustainable ecological governance. These efforts aim to provide strong support for the construction of an ecological security barrier on the plateau. Materials and methods Based on the basic idea of land desertification assessment and the actual situation of Qinghai, this study established an ecological degradation comprehensive evaluation system of Qinghai Province which included important ecological processes such as water erosion, wind erosion and freeze-thaw erosion of soil as well as grassland degradation. The priority level of ecological protection and restoration of each county in Qinghai Province was determined. Results The research results showed that ecological degradation was relatively prominent in Qinghai Province, the moderate and severe ecological degradation accounted for 11.50% and 43.35% of the provincial area, respectively. The dominant ecological degradation was grassland degradation, followed by soil erosion. The heavily degraded areas were mainly concentrated in Sanjiangyuan region. Discussion Based on the above results, 12 priority attention areas were designated for the protection and restoration of ecological degradation in Qinghai Province. These areas account for 37.47% of the total provincial land area and are mainly distributed in Guoluo, Yushu, and Huangnan prefectures. The predominant degradation type in these areas is grassland degradation, which poses a significant threat to ecosystem stability and service functions such as water retention, biodiversity maintenance, and carbon sequestration. In addition, 11 secondary attention areas and 23 general attention areas were also identified across the province, indicating a tiered spatial pattern of degradation severity. The evaluation results at the pixel scale show a pattern that is generally consistent with the county-level assessment, confirming the reliability of the multi-scale analysis. However, considerable heterogeneity was observed within individual counties, underscoring the importance of fine-scale ecological zoning. Notably, most of the priority areas are concentrated in the Sanjiangyuan region, which serves as a crucial ecological barrier and the source of major rivers, making it a key area for targeted ecological restoration. Conclusions On the whole, the ecological degradation situation of Qinghai Province was relatively serious, characterized by extensive grassland degradation, declining ecosystem service functions, and increasing environmental vulnerability. The province’s unique alpine ecosystem, which is highly sensitive and fragile, faces multiple pressures from climate change and human activities. These challenges highlight the urgent need for region-specific ecological protection strategies and large-scale restoration measures, particularly in severely degraded areas such as Sanjiangyuan. Strengthening ecosystem resilience and ensuring the sustainable development of the plateau region have become critical ecological and policy priorities for the province. Recommendations and perspectives It is necessary to carry out ecological restoration in priority attention areas with serious grassland degradation to enhance ecosystem stability and service functions. In these regions, targeted engineering measures for water retention and soil conservation should be implemented, including increasing ground vegetation coverage to effectively reduce soil water erosion. Furthermore, efforts should focus on the protection and restoration of slope vegetation to strengthen root system stability, improve soil fixation capacity, slow down snowmelt rates, and regulate surface runoff. These measures will help mitigate freeze-thaw erosion and promote the recovery of degraded alpine grassland ecosystems in a sustainable manner.