What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to analyze the impact of human activity intensity on habitat quality in the Lancang–Mekong River Basin over two decades.

March 3, 2026Open Access

Exploring the impact of human activities on habitat quality to support sustainable zoning management in transboundary basins: Evidence from the Lancang–Mekong River Basin

Key Points

The study aims to analyze the impact of human activity intensity on habitat quality in the Lancang–Mekong River Basin over two decades.
Conducted spatiotemporal analysis of human activity intensity and habitat quality from 2000 to 2020.
Utilized bivariate local autocorrelation to identify spatial clustering patterns.
Employed the Geodetector method to determine primary drivers of habitat quality changes.
Human activity intensity increased by 14.15% while habitat quality decreased by 1.84% in the studied period.
High human activity intensity was observed in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, contrasting with high habitat quality in Laos, Myanmar, and China.
Findings revealed significant negative correlations between human activity intensity and habitat quality.

Abstract

• Spatiotemporal changes in HAI and HQ in the LMRB were quantitatively analyzed. • HAI is high in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, whereas HQ is high in Laos, Myanmar, and China. • The negative impact of HAI on HQ varies across both spatial and temporal dimensions. • Ecological zoning for biodiversity protection is proposed based on HAI and HQ analysis. The distinctive geography and climate of the Lancang–Mekong River Basin (LMRB) have promoted rich species diversity, making it one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. However, rapid increases in human activity intensity (HAI) have led to significant habitat loss, posing biodiversity conservation challenges across this transboundary basin. To address this gap, this study explored spatiotemporal variations in HAI and habitat quality (HQ) in the LMRB from 2000 to 2020, analyzed their spatial relationships, and applied the four-quadrant model to delineate four ecological management zones. The empirical results show that HAI in the LMRB increased by 14.15% over the past 20 years, while HQ declined by 1.84%. Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia exhibited high HAI over the studied period, while Laos, Myanmar, and China maintained high HQ. Bivariate local autocorrelation analysis revealed predominantly “low HAI–high HQ” and “high HAI–low HQ” spatial clustering patterns. The spatial relationship between HAI and HQ showed a significant negative correlation and uneven distribution over the studied period, indicating that increasing human activity has degraded habitats. Using the Geodetector method, land use and land cover, net primary productivity, and temperature were identified as primary HQ change drivers in the LMRB. Additionally, the interactions between factor pairs exerted a significantly stronger influence than individual factors. Overall, this study’s findings offer new insights into biodiversity conservation in the LMRB, and the proposed ecological zoning based on HAI and HQ provides support for habitat protection and sustainable development in this transboundary basin.

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Cite This Study

Liu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a67eebf353c071a6f0aa0d https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2026.100457

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