Coupled mutual feedback and interaction mechanisms among the geological environment, ecological environment and human activities in the Qinling Mountains

Studying the roles of geological environment and human activities in shaping the ecological environment can reveal the coupled mutual feedback among the geological environment, the ecological environment, and human activities. Understanding these processes is important for ensuring effective natural resource planning, ecological environment protection, and sustainable economic and social development. In this study, the Qinling Mountains were used as an example, and suitable indicators were selected to establish a mutual feedback system incorporating the geological environment, the ecological environment, and human activities. Moreover, various mathematical methods, namely, coupling degree, coupling coordination degree, Geodetector, and correlation and partial correlation analysis, were employed to explore the spatiotemporal evolution, coupling coordination, and driving mechanism of the interactions among these systems. The study results revealed the following: (1) Spatial heterogeneity in the interactions among the geological environment, the ecological environment, and human activities in the Qinling Mountains is high; the carrying capacity of the geological environment constrains the ecological environment quality and the scope of human activities. Besides, human activities modify, damage, and restore the eco-geological environment. (2) From 2000 to 2020, human activities in the Qinling Mountains were characterized by rapid economic development and urbanization. The scope of human activities has continued to increase, and the ecological environment has generally improved. (3) The area with a high coupling degree between geological environment sensitivity and ecological environment quality is located in the central mountainous area, indicating that the geological environment greatly affects the ecological environment in the area. The coupling coordination degree between human activity intensity and ecological environment quality reflects the imbalance in the spatial distributions of urbanization development and human-land conflicts in the Qinling Mountains. (4) Temperature and human activities are the main factors influencing the ecological environment quality in the Qinling Mountains, with positive and negative effects, respectively. In contrast, precipitation is not the main factor limiting the ecological environment quality in the Qinling Mountains. This study quantitatively revealed, for the first time, the coupled mutual feedback and interactions among the geological environment, the ecological environment, and human activities. The proposed research method offers new ideas for eco-geological assessment research, and the research results provide theoretical support for ecological environment protection in the Qinling Mountains from eco-geo-environmental perspectives.