InVEST model analysis of the impacts of land use change on landscape pattern and habitat quality in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir area of the Yellow River basin, China

Abstract Changes in land use impact the landscape pattern and habitat quality (LPHQ) of ecosystems. Since 1999, the Grain‐for‐Green Program (GGP) has brought dramatic changes in land use in Western China. Although many studies have reported positive contributions of the GGP to sediment reduction, the effects of the GGP on LPHQ remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the spatiotemporal characteristics of LPHQ in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir Area in China (XRAC) before and after GGP implementation (in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020) using the InVEST habitat quality model. The results showed that: (1) From 1990 to 2020, the main land use changes in the XRAC were a 34.97% increase in forestland and a 37.56% decrease in farmland. The landscape pattern showed decreased fragmentation and tended toward aggregation, and forestland became the dominant land use type. (2) Habitat quality in the XRAC improved from 0.63 to 0.91 between 1990 and 2020. High‐quality habitat (0.80–1) was observed in 88.24% of the XRAC in 2020. The spatial distribution of habitat degradation decreased overall, with some localized increases; areas with high levels of habitat degradation shrank and aggregated with the concentration of human activities. (3) The spatiotemporal evolution of habitat quality was influenced by both natural factors and human activities; the short‐term improvement in habitat quality in the XRAC was significantly related to the increase in forestland area, decrease in farmland area, and increase in vegetation coverage. Our results provide evidence for assessing the ecological benefit of the GGP in the Yellow River basin.