Evolution of vegetation coverage and its response to abrupt climate change in the Wuyi Mountains National Nature Reserve

A study on the Wuyi Mountains National Nature Reserve reveals that vegetation coverage in this high-latitude northern Chinese region has significantly declined during periods of abrupt climate change, particularly from 1980 to 1995. This period saw a warming and drying trend, with annual mean temperature rising by 0.557°C per decade and precipitation decreasing slightly. The research used MODIS-NDVI data, TM/ETM+ imagery, and 62 years of meteorological observations, combined with statistical analyses like the Mann-Kendall test and sliding T-test, to assess vegetation changes from 1975 to 2016. Key findings include a notable decline in NDVI (a measure of vegetation health) during the climate transition period, with mixed forests showing the most significant degradation, followed by grasslands, coniferous forests, arable land, and wetlands. Temperature was identified as the dominant factor influencing vegetation decline, with spatial variations in its impact. The study highlights the vulnerability of high-vegetation coverage areas to climate-driven degradation.

SHENG Ren, 盛任, & WAN Luhe, 万鲁河. (2019). Evolution of vegetation coverage and its response to abrupt climate change in the Wuyi Mountains National Nature Reserve. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 39(9). https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb201801310264