IMPACT OF ROAD GRID TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL CHANGES ON THE ECOSYSTEM IN THE HIGHALTITUDE PLATEAU AREA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

This empirical research utilized geographic information system (GIS) data and involved kernel density estimation (WKDE), ecological footprint modeling, landscape index analysis, and spatial analysis methods. A plateau landscape ecological risk model is constructed, and the temporal and spatial changes in the road network pattern and the landscape ecological risk in the region in 2012 and 2020 are investigated. The study results identify that the expansion of the road network led to a rapid increase in construction land area and a decrease in cultivated land area. However, there is little impact on other landscape types. The study reveals that road network expansion leads to landscape ecological risk changes, primarily in low-altitude urban centers. The risk levels decrease with increasing ecological risk levels, with the proportion of road level lengths increasing and decreasing. Landscape ecological risk and road level is correlated. This study will interest practitioners engaged in ecosystem management, infrastructure planning, and transportation systems development, as well as researchers in these and related areas.