Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecological quality in the Ningxia section of the Three-North Shelter Forest (2003–2023)

Taking the Ningxia section of the Three-North Shelter Forest Program as the research area, this study utilizes Landsat multispectral data and land use type data to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the ecological environment quality from 2003 to 2023 based on the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI). The spatiotemporal variations and driving factors of ecological quality in the region were thoroughly analyzed. The results indicate that the ecological environment quality in Ningxia has significantly improved over the past two decades, with the average RSEI increasing from 0.2946 to 0.6287. Areas with improved ecological quality accounted for 69.63%, while areas with degraded quality accounted for 22.36%. Ecological improvement was mainly observed in the central part of Ningxia, whereas degradation was concentrated in the northern and southern regions where human activities are more prominent. Grassland was the dominant land use type in Ningxia, followed by cropland, with a substantial increase in construction land over the past 20 years. The results demonstrate that the greening projects in Ningxia have achieved remarkable success, providing scientific evidence for evaluating the effectiveness of the Three-North Shelter Forest Program in this region.