Evaluating human-nature relationships at a grid scale in China, 2000–2020

Abstract

Understanding the complex relationships between humans and nature is crucial for achieving global sustainability and enhancing human welfare. China, with its vast population, stark human-nature contradictions, and considerable regional disparities, currently lacks grid-scale research methodologies and practices. We utilized the Human Footprint (HF) and Ecosystem Quality Index (EQI) as proxies for human-nature interactions. Employing the Sen + MK trend test, we analyzed their spatiotemporal dynamics across China on a 1 km² grid from 2000 to 2020. Using an improved four-quadrant diagram, we quantified human-nature relationships. Our findings reveal a trend toward greater coordination between humans and nature across China from 2000 to 2020, with areas of coordination outnumbering conflict zones by a factor of 2.4. Conflict predominantly occurred in the North China Plain and urban agglomerations. In most cities, the human-nature relationship exhibited a distinct concentric pattern: over 75% of old urban areas showed no significant change, while 80% of new urban areas experienced conflict. In nature reserves, human-nature relationships generally tended toward coordination, suggesting that conservation efforts have been largely effective. While increased human activity has generally supported ecosystem restoration and improvement at the national scale, rising HF in conflict areas has still significantly reduced the EQI. The implementation of government-led ecological projects in China has positively impacted human-nature relationships. However, urban land expansion remains a key factor contributing to human-nature conflicts. The methodology provides a valuable framework for assessing human-nature coordination across different scales and regions, facilitating dynamic regulation of ecological protection and grid-based management of the human settlement environment.