Assessment of coastal zone ecosystem health in the context of tourism development: A case study of Jiaozhou Bay

• The study constructs an innovative classification system for tourism land use within the Jiaozhou Bay coastal zone. • Using the VOR model, the research establishes an index system for evaluating ecosystem health over a decade. • A general reduction in tourism land area with significant transitions from fields to woodland landscapes. • Ecosystem vitality, organizational capacity, and resilience all showed a downward trend. • There was a slight decline in overall ecosystem health and a reduction in areas with the best health. The coastal zone of Jiaozhou Bay is crucial to the economic development of the Shandong Peninsula. The health of its ecosystem is a key metric for evaluating both current and future development. Building upon existing land use planning, this study innovatively constructs a classification system for tourism land use. Utilizing the “Vigor-Organization-Resilience (VOR)” model, the research establishes an index system for evaluating ecosystem health. By examining the impact of changes in tourism land use on various indicators of ecosystem health, this study quantitatively assesses the health status of the Jiaozhou Bay coastal ecosystem from 2012 to 2022. The health status is categorized into five levels: best, good, moderate, poor, and extremely poor, thereby revealing its spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics. Key findings include: (1) Decrease in Tourism Land Area: There has been a general reduction in tourism land area, with a significant transition from field landscapes to woodland landscapes. Additionally, notable bidirectional transfers between tourism and non-tourism lands have been observed. (2) Between 2012 and 2022, the health status of the Jiaozhou Bay coastal ecosystem was assessed through three critical indicators: ecosystem vitality, organizational capacity, and resilience. These indicators all exhibited a downward trend. High levels of ecosystem vitality, organizational capacity, and resilience were predominantly found in the northern and western parts of Jiaozhou Bay, while low levels were more commonly observed in the eastern regions. (3) Overall Ecosystem Health: During the same period, the average value of ecosystem health in Jiaozhou Bay showed a slight downward trend, with a decrease in the area of areas with the best and better ecosystem health, higher spatial fragmentation, and an overall deterioration in health. This analysis highlights the complex relationship between tourism development and ecosystem health, revealing significant shifts in land use and their implications for environmental sustainability.