| Vegetation is the primary component of ecosystem in arid inland river basins, which demands efficient conservation for the environmental sustainability in these regions. Taking the Tarim River basin as a case study, this research established a framework for quantitative evaluation of priority level of ecological protection and restoration based on the analysis of ecological importance and vulnerability using long series of remote sensing data. The results show that: (1) The vegetation of the Tarim River exhibits a trend of degradation in the upper and middle reaches, while showing signs of recovery downstream. Human exploitation of land and water resources stands out as the primary driver leading to the reduction in vegetation cover; (2) In terms of ecological importance, the areas classified as extremely important, quite important, and moderately important cover 2402 km2, 3570 km2, and 4154 km2, respectively. Spatially, these areas are mainly distributed in the vicinity of riverbanks, in upstream regions, and on the left bank of the river; (3) As for ecological vulnerability, the areas classified as extremely vulnerable, moderately vulnerable, and slightly vulnerable cover 14309 km2, 13556 km2, and 14059 km2 respectively. Spatially, these areas are predominantly distributed in the downstream regions and on the right bank of the river; (4) The areas prioritized for ecological protection levels 1 to 4 cover 2967 km2, 5189 km2, 7232 km2, and 8129 km2 respectively, while the areas designated for ecological restoration levels 1 to 4 cover 3708 km2, 3726 km2, 5090 km2, and 2271 km2 respectively. Overall, the priority for ecological protection and restoration, from high to low, is the Populus euphratica forest population and other forested areas, followed by grasslands and the oasis-desert transition zones. This paper is instructive for the layout of ecological protection and restoration projects and the water allocation of the Tarim River and similar arid inland river basins. |
