Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST models

Abstract Land use change is a key factor affecting habitat quality. To reveal the impacts of urban land use changes on habitat quality, this paper uses the city of Zhongwei, China, as a case study. Based on the land use data from 1980, 2000 and 2020, the PLUS-InVEST coupled model was used to predict...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xiao Wang, Bing Liu, Jingzhong Chen, Malekian Arash, Bo Zhang, Qing Chang, Jing Liu, Wanxue You
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90965-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849726747484880896
author Xiao Wang
Bing Liu
Jingzhong Chen
Malekian Arash
Bo Zhang
Qing Chang
Jing Liu
Wanxue You
author_facet Xiao Wang
Bing Liu
Jingzhong Chen
Malekian Arash
Bo Zhang
Qing Chang
Jing Liu
Wanxue You
author_sort Xiao Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Land use change is a key factor affecting habitat quality. To reveal the impacts of urban land use changes on habitat quality, this paper uses the city of Zhongwei, China, as a case study. Based on the land use data from 1980, 2000 and 2020, the PLUS-InVEST coupled model was used to predict and assess the land use and habitat quality of Zhongwei. The results revealed that from 1980 to 2020, the areas of construction land and woodland increased by 312.78 and 127.36 km2, respectively, whereas the areas of watershed, grassland, and unused land decreased by 89.86, 666.36, and 21.49 km2, respectively. The areas with high and low habitat quality values increased by 25.42% and 9.70%, respectively, whereas the areas with relatively high and medium habitat quality values decreased by 14.81% and 7.13%, respectively. The main factors influencing land expansion were precipitation, temperature, population and distance from government facilities. Other areas remained largely unchanged. The predicted habitat quality of the study area in 2040 was compared under different development scenarios. A comparison of the results revealed the highest habitat quality value and the lowest degree of habitat degradation were possible under the ecological protection scenario. Although the afforestation and desertification control projects in Zhongwei have proven successful in increasing the area of woodland and improving habitat quality, their ecological restoration measures have not yet completely counteracted the adverse effects of ongoing urbanization and industrialization on habitat quality, resulting in a persistent decline in overall habitat quality.
format Article
id doaj-art-35259ce8260341e693c867a09bf14eba
institution DOAJ
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-35259ce8260341e693c867a09bf14eba2025-08-20T03:10:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-90965-6Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST modelsXiao Wang0Bing Liu1Jingzhong Chen2Malekian Arash3Bo Zhang4Qing Chang5Jing Liu6Wanxue You7Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, China and Iran Joint Laboratory on Agriculture and Ecology in Arid Regions, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Chinese Academy of SciencesKey Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, China and Iran Joint Laboratory on Agriculture and Ecology in Arid Regions, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Chinese Academy of SciencesGansu Forestry Technological CollegeFaculty of Natural Resources, University of TehranZhongwei Shapotou National Nature Reserve AdministrationZhongwei Shapotou National Nature Reserve AdministrationZhongwei Shapotou National Nature Reserve AdministrationZhongwei Shapotou National Nature Reserve AdministrationAbstract Land use change is a key factor affecting habitat quality. To reveal the impacts of urban land use changes on habitat quality, this paper uses the city of Zhongwei, China, as a case study. Based on the land use data from 1980, 2000 and 2020, the PLUS-InVEST coupled model was used to predict and assess the land use and habitat quality of Zhongwei. The results revealed that from 1980 to 2020, the areas of construction land and woodland increased by 312.78 and 127.36 km2, respectively, whereas the areas of watershed, grassland, and unused land decreased by 89.86, 666.36, and 21.49 km2, respectively. The areas with high and low habitat quality values increased by 25.42% and 9.70%, respectively, whereas the areas with relatively high and medium habitat quality values decreased by 14.81% and 7.13%, respectively. The main factors influencing land expansion were precipitation, temperature, population and distance from government facilities. Other areas remained largely unchanged. The predicted habitat quality of the study area in 2040 was compared under different development scenarios. A comparison of the results revealed the highest habitat quality value and the lowest degree of habitat degradation were possible under the ecological protection scenario. Although the afforestation and desertification control projects in Zhongwei have proven successful in increasing the area of woodland and improving habitat quality, their ecological restoration measures have not yet completely counteracted the adverse effects of ongoing urbanization and industrialization on habitat quality, resulting in a persistent decline in overall habitat quality.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90965-6Land use changePLUS modelInVEST modelHabitat qualityMultiscenario simulation
spellingShingle Xiao Wang
Bing Liu
Jingzhong Chen
Malekian Arash
Bo Zhang
Qing Chang
Jing Liu
Wanxue You
Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST models
Scientific Reports
Land use change
PLUS model
InVEST model
Habitat quality
Multiscenario simulation
title Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST models
title_full Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST models
title_fullStr Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST models
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST models
title_short Assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in Zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the PLUS and InVEST models
title_sort assessing the impact of land use change on habitat quality in zhongwei through multiscenario simulation using the plus and invest models
topic Land use change
PLUS model
InVEST model
Habitat quality
Multiscenario simulation
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90965-6
work_keys_str_mv AT xiaowang assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels
AT bingliu assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels
AT jingzhongchen assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels
AT malekianarash assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels
AT bozhang assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels
AT qingchang assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels
AT jingliu assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels
AT wanxueyou assessingtheimpactoflandusechangeonhabitatqualityinzhongweithroughmultiscenariosimulationusingtheplusandinvestmodels