Changes in the Vegetation NPP of Mainland China under the Combined Actions of Climatic-Socioeconomic Factors

Abstract

Under the combined impact of climatic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors, the vegetation NPP change process and its responses to drive factors in the sub-regions of Mainland China are not clear. This study analyzes the changing pattern of vegetation NPP in China from 2000 to 2022 from the perspective of zoning and clarifies its response mechanism to climate-human interaction based on the gravity center model, third-order partial correlation coefficient and geographical detector. The results showed that: (1) There was an overall decreasing trend of vegetation NPP in China from the southeast to the northwest; (2) The vegetation NPP gravity center in Northeast, Northwest, and North China migrated southwards, while that of Southwest, Central South, and East China showed northward migration.;(3) Human activities played a dominant role in zones with increasing vegetation NPP from 2000 to 2010, while climate change greatly contributed to the increase in vegetation NPP during 2011–2022; (4) Human activities, such as deforestation and overgrazing, in Northeast and North China should be reduced to prevent vegetation ecosystem degradation, and the negative impact of human activities should be reduced to maintain the growth of vegetation NPP. This study was conducted to support decision-making for the precise restoration of ecosystems.