Appraisal of urban land ecological security and analysis of influencing factors: a case study of Hefei city, China

The land is both a cornerstone of socio-economic growth and an integral member of the ecological system since it is a resource essential to human life and development. Based on land use change, land ecological sensitivity, and socio-economic impact elements, we provide a comprehensive urban land ecological security (ULES) assessment system. Land use types, topography, and ecological sensitivity of the study area were analyzed first using remote sensing data and geographic information system (GIS) technology, followed by the development of a DPSIRM model framework to evaluate indicators using an entropy-variable-weight integrated weighting method for the analysis of land ecological security (LES) in Hefei. Among the study's findings are the following: (1) Between 2000 and 2020, Hefei City's land use changed dramatically, with an increase in the amount of construction land, most of which came from cultivated land, woods, and water bodies. (2) According to the ecological sensitivity study, Hefei's land ecology level is largely moderately sensitive and lowly sensitive. (3) Human activity factors have a greater impact on land ecology than natural variables. In order to increase the ecological safety coefficient of the land, it is necessary to limit human activities that cause anthropogenic disturbances. The study's findings may serve as a guide for the evaluation.