Tightening ecological management facilitates green development in the Qilian Mountains

The Qilian Mountains Scientific Expedition was launched under the framework of the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition Program after tightening eco-environmental management in the Qilian Mountains. The expedition focused on three key areas: (1) Ecosystem diversity and security, (2) dynamic changes in glaciers and permafrost, and (3) changes in human activities and their corresponding eco-livelihood impacts. In this scientific expedition, a comprehensive investigation was conducted according to an integrated space–drone–ground-based field survey and a socioeconomic survey. More than 200 researchers participated in this expedition that lasted for 260 d and spanned 47500 km. First, investigations were performed for changes in human activities before and after tightening eco-environmental management in the Qilian Mountains. The local eco-environmental benefits and economic losses after the tightening eco-environmental management were analyzed by adopting the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model and the System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting method. Additionally, the telecoupling values of the overall ecosystem services of the Qilian Mountains were estimated using an innovative method. Second, investigations were performed for several glaciers located in the Qilian Mountains to evaluate the characteristics of glacier distribution and variations in glacier changes. The glacier ice storage and annual degradation rate were further estimated using data derived from a glacier inventory and Landsat images. Moreover, the characteristics of permafrost distribution in the Qilian Mountains were comprehensively analyzed. Furthermore, an innovative method was developed to estimate ground ice storage and the annual water discharge rate from permafrost in the six river basins of the Qilian Mountains. Lastly, investigations were performed on changes in the forest line in a coupled forest and shrub ecosystem using a drone and field surveys. Further, the spatial and temporal grassland patterns and the associated productivity were analyzed. Moreover, dynamic changes in the five main lakes in the Qilian Mountains were assessed at different spatial and temporal scales, and the activities of the key rare species such as the snow leopard were monitored regularly using infrared cameras. The key findings of the Qilian Mountains Scientific Expedition were as follows: (1) The ecological service functions of the Qilian Mountains are promoted by tightening eco-environmental management; (2) the ecosystem of the Qilian Mountains is recovering under a warm and wet climate, and the population of rare species is expanding; however, localized overgrazing is causing grassland degradation in some areas; (3) the glacier loss rate is accelerating, and the contribution of glacial melt to river runoff is expected to exceed the critical point; (4) over the past 10 years, the meltwater from permafrost has been as high as 1.18 km3/a, which is equivalent to 10% of the annual runoff into the Qilian Mountain rivers; (5) the value of the overall ecosystem services in the Qilian Mountains has been estimated to be as high as 1067.6 (±160.1) billion Yuan, which is much higher than the regional economic loss observed in 2017. It is suggested that the government should markedly increase ecological compensation to achieve a win-win situation for green development regarding ecological livelihood in the Qilian Mountains. The findings from this scientific expedition provide comprehensive datasets and decision-making support for the establishment and management of the Qilian Mountain National Park and the protection of the ecosystems of the Qilian Mountains. Such expeditions can provide scientific support for watershed management in states or regions located along the Silk Road Economic Belt.