The study, published in the journal Ecography, utilized satellite data spanning 1990 to 2020 to map the ecotone's national distribution for the first time. 

The findings reveal a total area of 1,011,870 km2, covering approximately 10.54% of China's total land area. This zone has shrunk by 3.10% over the past three decades, with a notable shift in its centroid southwestward by 228.76 km.

The research team observed a complex interplay between human activity and climate change in driving these changes. Forest areas within the ecotone have steadily expanded, while grasslands and farmlands have decreased. However, some land previously used for agriculture has reverted to grassland, mitigating some of the overall loss.

Landscape fragmentation, a key indicator of habitat disturbance, displayed a mixed pattern. While some areas showed a decrease in fragmentation, suggesting potential habitat improvement, others exhibited an increase. This fragmentation appears to be driven by human activities like reforestation projects and farmland reclamation in the north and central regions. Climate change, particularly temperature and precipitation variations, seems to be the dominant factor in the ecotone's southern areas.

The lead authors, Dr. WANG Zhenwen, Dr. LI Yuehui and Ph.D. student Guo Jia, emphasizes the importance of this research for future conservation efforts. "This data provides crucial support for studying the ecotone and informing decision-making on biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration projects," they stated.

YUE Qian

Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Tel: 86-24-83970317

E-mail: yueqian@iae.ac.cn

Web: http://english.iae.cas.cn