The Influence of Different Climate and Terrain Factors on Vegetation Dynamics in the Lancang River Basin

Abstract

Vegetation plays an important role in soil and water conservation, regulating the atmosphere and maintaining ecosystem stability, as well as influencing regional hydrology and water–sand processes. In this study, spatial patterns in the response of climate and terrain factors to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and its dynamic characteristics were examined in the Lancang River Basin, by using a Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) according to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) NDVI data. The results showed that the NDVI in the study area showed a significant increasing trend in time, with 6.39% of the NDVI degraded and 90.85% of the NDVI increased in space. In the Pearson correlation analysis, precipitation was mainly negatively correlated with the NDVI, while temperature was mainly positively correlated with the NDVI, especially in Qinghai and Tibet. Among the soil types, iron-alluvium, incipient soils, and leached soils are particularly suitable for vegetation growth. In conclusion, the effects of climate and topographic factors on the NDVI are roughly the same in the Yunnan section, but opposite in the Qinghai section and Tibet section.