Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought

Ecological Restoration Projects (ERP) are hypersensitive to drought stress. Nevertheless, a scarcity of cognition remains regarding how drought impacts ERP effectiveness and how socio-ecological factors drive this relationship. This study utilized a constraint line to explore the nonlinear response...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xin Liu, Qi Wang, Xiaoyu Zhu, Yujun Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24015127
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832576534808887296
author Xin Liu
Qi Wang
Xiaoyu Zhu
Yujun Zhang
author_facet Xin Liu
Qi Wang
Xiaoyu Zhu
Yujun Zhang
author_sort Xin Liu
collection DOAJ
description Ecological Restoration Projects (ERP) are hypersensitive to drought stress. Nevertheless, a scarcity of cognition remains regarding how drought impacts ERP effectiveness and how socio-ecological factors drive this relationship. This study utilized a constraint line to explore the nonlinear response relationship between ERP effectiveness and drought in the Agro-pastoral Transitional Zone of Northern China (APTZNC) located in the arid and semi-arid regions. By identifying thresholds and employing PLS-SEM models, the study reveals the mechanisms by which socio-ecological factors influence the relationship between the two. The results showed that: (1) drought has a significant inverted ‘U’ shaped nonlinear effect on ERP effectiveness, with a threshold of 0.3673, dividing the arid region and moderately arid region. (2) The influence of socio-ecological factors on the relationship between ERP effectiveness and drought varies significantly across different arid environments. The number and intensity of impact pathways are much more pronounced in moderately arid regions than in arid regions, leading to greater direct impacts (−0.891, −0.203) and indirect impact benefits (−0.079, −0.01). (3) Further identification of priority areas for restoration and management based on hot and cold spots, and provided governance insights in three aspects: zoning, governance pathways, and priority management areas. Our study highlights the importance of considering zoning differences caused by threshold effects when implementing and managing ERP. The research offers a theoretical foundation for ecological restoration and sustainable development of the APTZNC and scientific guidance for implementing ecological restoration practices in other regions experiencing drought stress globally.
format Article
id doaj-art-31dbdaf69b20404caa94c9f8076b8430
institution Kabale University
issn 1470-160X
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Ecological Indicators
spelling doaj-art-31dbdaf69b20404caa94c9f8076b84302025-01-31T05:10:42ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-01-01170113055Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to droughtXin Liu0Qi Wang1Xiaoyu Zhu2Yujun Zhang3School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaSchool of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaSchool of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Corresponding author at: School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, No.35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China.Ecological Restoration Projects (ERP) are hypersensitive to drought stress. Nevertheless, a scarcity of cognition remains regarding how drought impacts ERP effectiveness and how socio-ecological factors drive this relationship. This study utilized a constraint line to explore the nonlinear response relationship between ERP effectiveness and drought in the Agro-pastoral Transitional Zone of Northern China (APTZNC) located in the arid and semi-arid regions. By identifying thresholds and employing PLS-SEM models, the study reveals the mechanisms by which socio-ecological factors influence the relationship between the two. The results showed that: (1) drought has a significant inverted ‘U’ shaped nonlinear effect on ERP effectiveness, with a threshold of 0.3673, dividing the arid region and moderately arid region. (2) The influence of socio-ecological factors on the relationship between ERP effectiveness and drought varies significantly across different arid environments. The number and intensity of impact pathways are much more pronounced in moderately arid regions than in arid regions, leading to greater direct impacts (−0.891, −0.203) and indirect impact benefits (−0.079, −0.01). (3) Further identification of priority areas for restoration and management based on hot and cold spots, and provided governance insights in three aspects: zoning, governance pathways, and priority management areas. Our study highlights the importance of considering zoning differences caused by threshold effects when implementing and managing ERP. The research offers a theoretical foundation for ecological restoration and sustainable development of the APTZNC and scientific guidance for implementing ecological restoration practices in other regions experiencing drought stress globally.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24015127DroughtEcological Restoration Projects effectivenessNonlinear responseDriving mechanismRegional managementAgro-pastoral transitional zone of northern China (APTZNC)
spellingShingle Xin Liu
Qi Wang
Xiaoyu Zhu
Yujun Zhang
Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought
Ecological Indicators
Drought
Ecological Restoration Projects effectiveness
Nonlinear response
Driving mechanism
Regional management
Agro-pastoral transitional zone of northern China (APTZNC)
title Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought
title_full Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought
title_fullStr Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought
title_full_unstemmed Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought
title_short Nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought
title_sort nonlinear response and driving mechanisms of ecological restoration project effectiveness to drought
topic Drought
Ecological Restoration Projects effectiveness
Nonlinear response
Driving mechanism
Regional management
Agro-pastoral transitional zone of northern China (APTZNC)
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24015127
work_keys_str_mv AT xinliu nonlinearresponseanddrivingmechanismsofecologicalrestorationprojecteffectivenesstodrought
AT qiwang nonlinearresponseanddrivingmechanismsofecologicalrestorationprojecteffectivenesstodrought
AT xiaoyuzhu nonlinearresponseanddrivingmechanismsofecologicalrestorationprojecteffectivenesstodrought
AT yujunzhang nonlinearresponseanddrivingmechanismsofecologicalrestorationprojecteffectivenesstodrought