The Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecosystem Health and Its Driving Factors in Karst Rocky Desertification Areas A Case Study of Guizhou Province, China

Understanding the health status and drivers of ecosystems in karst desertification areas is crucial for sustainable development. Using the "Pressure-State-Response (PSR)" framework, this study assessed the ecosystem health levels in Guizhou Province, a typical karst region, for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, and identified the main drivers affecting ecosystem health levels using the Spatiotemporal Geographically Weighted Regression (GTWR) model. The results show: (1) During the study period, the ecosystem health level in Guizhou Province was predominantly rated as excellent or relatively excellent, showing a positive development trend with an overall upward trajectory. The value increased from 0.534 in 2000 to 0.622 in 2020. Areas with better ecosystem health were mainly distributed in southern Zunyi, eastern Guiyang, and northern Qiannan Prefecture. (2) Spatially, the Ecosystem Health Index (EHI) at the county level in Guizhou Province showed significant positive spatial correlation at the 99.9% confidence level, with "H-H clustering" mainly in the northern part of Qiannan and the southern part of Zunyi. (3) Different factors have varying impacts on the ecosystem health in the study area. Precipitation, relative humidity, and nighttime lights mainly have a positive driving effect on ecosystem health in Guizhou Province, while temperature, vegetation coverage, and land use intensity are the dominant factors with a negative driving effect on ecosystem health. The findings can provide a theoretical basis for formulating ecological protection and sustainable development policies in karst desertification regions.