Research on Landscape Risks and Their Driving Mechanisms for Sustainable Development in Alpine Meadow Areas

Landscape Ecological Risk Assessment (LERA) is the basis for stable ecological functions in alpine meadow areas and is closely related to sustainable development. The research of LERA is complex, and there are problems with its identification scale and method selection. Existing LERA studies are relatively limited in focusing on alpine meadow areas. Therefore, we explored the characteristics of landscape ecological risk (LER) and its driving mechanisms in Gannan (GN) using the Landscape Ecological Risk Index (LERI) and GeoDetector at the grid scale based on the 2000–2020 CNLUCC data and other ancillary data. Results demonstrated the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, grasslands and woodlands were the major landscape types in GN. Landscape changes mainly occurred between grasslands and woodlands. (2) During the time of the research, the overall environmental patch fragmentation and complexity of the study area increased. (3) LER in GN is dominated by medium-low and medium risk, while the overall trend of LER is decreasing. (4) The effect of natural factors on the evolution of the LER pattern in GN is greater than the effect of socio-economic factors. The elevation factor has the greatest impact among all factors. Additionally, the interaction of the factors on the evolution of LER was enhanced. Consequently, scientific artificial restoration works and maintaining a reasonable area of croplands are crucial for LER control. This study offers an important reference for fine-scale LERA research and provides a scientific basis for ecological management and sustainable development in the alpine meadow regions.