Abstract: High-quality
urbanization and a healthy ecosystem are both the material basis for
sustainable social development. However, the tie between terrestrial
ecosystem health and urbanization is still unclear. Therefore, we
assessed the spatial and temporal dynamics of urbanization and TEH at
368 cities in China from 2000 to 2020, then explored their spatial
interaction and driving mechanisms by spatial autocorrelation analysis
and structural equation modeling. The results showed: (1) China’s
comprehensive urbanization index (UI) improved from 0.08 in 2000 to 0.10
in 2020, contributing by some national urban agglomerations such as
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta. (2)
China’s terrestrial ecosystem health index (EHI) also increased from
0.6718 to 0.6788. Ecosystem vigor improved significantly, while
ecosystem organization and resilience both decreased. (3) EHI and UI
appeared to be locally spatially dependent, and path dependence was
presented at municipal scales. (4) At the national scale, urbanization
is positive related to EHI, which were enhanced by social, economic and
topography factors. The dominant drivers on EHI varied among regions,
and urbanization improved EHI in all regions except for the southwest.
Our study demonstrated that
urbanization would promote
terrestrial ecosystem health by
implementing high-quality development and ecological management
simultaneously, providing theoretical support for urban sustainable
development and ecological management.
Keywords: Terrestrial ecosystem health; Regional scale; Driving
mechanism; Spatial autocorrelation; Structural equation modeling