Study on the relationship between windbreak and sand fixation function and landscape patterns in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Hebei Province

Landscape patterns and ecological functions interconnect and interact through ecological processes. Therefore, analyzing the coupling and coordination relationship between them is crucial for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of ecosystems. This study employed landscape indices to represent the characteristics of landscape structure composition and spatial configuration, and introduced an ecological connectivity index to characterize natural ecological patterns. A coupling coordination degree (CCD) model was constructed to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic relationship between the windbreak and sand fixation function and landscape patterns in the Hebei agro-pastoral ecotone. The results showed that the overall windbreak and sand fixation capacity in the study area increased from 2000 to 2020. During this period, landscape fragmentation in the study area intensified, and the ecological connectivity index decreased in more than half of the districts and counties due to the reduction in the area of natural ecological land. The overall relationship between windbreak and sand fixation function and landscape patterns in the study area was at a basic coordination level. The CCD in the Yanshan Mountain area increased significantly, while that in the intermountain basin area generally decreased. In the Bashang Plateau area, the CCD with comprehensive landscape index was relatively high, whereas that with the ecological connectivity index was low. The introduction of the ecological connectivity index can better reflect the effectiveness of natural ecological protection and restoration. This study demonstrates that coupling coordination analysis can reflect the differences and coordination changes in the relationship between landscape patterns and windbreak and sand fixation functions under different natural conditions, thus elucidating the process through which patterns affect functions, and providing a scientific basis for decision-making in ecological protection and restoration.