Spatial and temporal variations in ecosystem health and coping strategy in the Hexi Corridor under climate change

The health status of ecosystems is the foundation for global climate change adaptation decision-making and a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring regional ecosystem stability. We constructed an ecosystem health assessment indicator system based on a contribution, vigor, organization and resilience model from the perspectives of system integrity and contributive capacity. With this system, we analyzed the spatial-temporal variation of ecosystem health in Hexi Corridor and its relationship with climate change from 2000 to 2020 by utilizing the bivariate Moran's index. Results showed that the ecosystem health index in the Hexi Corridor improved by 2.5% during 2000-2020. The central oasis area and the southeastern mountainous area showed significant improvement in ecological health, while the northern desert area and some localized regions experienced degradation. During the study period, the overall health status of the Hexi Corridor's ecosystem remained at a moderate level, with consistent trend across various dimensions that initially declined before subsequently rising. There was a significant spatial positive correlation between climate change and ecosystem health. In the arid and low-precipitation condition of the Hexi Corridor, increased average annual precipitation and elevated average annual temperature contributed positively to ecosystem health, which was the key determinants of regional ecosystem health. Finally, we proposed corresponding strategies for enhancing ecosystem health levels in the southern Qilian Mountain area, the central oasis areas, and the nor-thern desert areas.