Study on the Coupling of Land Ecological Suitability and Forage Grass Distribution in Northwest China

In the context of territorial spatial development and protection, evaluating the ecological suitability of the Northwest China region is crucial for ecological environment protection, rational utilization of grassland resources, and sustainable ecological construction of the region. This paper synthesizes natural, ecological, and social data, employing land use/land cover (LULC) transfer matrix, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), landscape connectivity, minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, and geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis technology to study the characteristics of land use and cover change (LUCC) and land ecological suitability of the northwest region of China, and explore the coupling relationship between suitable ecological protection areas and the distribution of major forage grasses. The results showed as follows: 1) From 2001 to 2020, the LULC types in Northwest China were mainly grassland and unused land. Overall, LUCC showed a trend of “large increase of forest land and construction land, and large decrease of grassland”. 2) The high values of the minimum cumulative resistance of construction land and ecological land are distributed in the southern part of Qinghai and the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, respectively. 3) In Northwest China, the zoning of land ecological suitability includes four categories: prohibited development zone, restricted development zone, optimized development zone and key development zone, with area ratios of 29.96%, 39.95%, 23.67%, and 6.42%, respectively. The Suitable area for ecological protection mainly takes the important ecological function areas in the southern part of the study area as the core, and distributes to the surrounding areas. However, the suitable area for construction development shows an obvious central and peripheral distribution pattern from northwest to southeast along the Urumqi city circle－Lanxi urban agglomeration－Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration. 4) Cyperaceae forage exhibits strong adaptability to wetlands and alpine ecosystems in the northwest region. It occupies a dominant position in the prohibited development zone and plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and protecting biodiversity in the area. In contrast, Gramineae forage is primarily distributed in the restricted development zone, where it has a significant positive impact on water source conservation, desertification prevention, and the development of animal husbandry.