Strategic hub in Panxi Economic Zone, the Anning River Basin faces fragile ecology and significant land governance issues. This study uses the "Production-Living-Ecological Space" (PLES) theory to assess how land use transformation affects ecosystem service value (ESV) and sustainable development. It draws on 1985-2023 land-use data, statistical yearbooks, the modified equivalent factor method, Geo-information TuPu, improved cross-sensitivity analysis (CICS) and optimal parameter geographic detector. the findings: (1) E-P land expanded by 255,893.21 hectares, with a dynamic degree of 29.05%; (2) E-P land supplies > 90% of total ESV (67% from regulating services). Since 2005, ESV dropped 326 M yuan overall, with E-P land declining 766 M yuan. Hotspots are in high-altitude areas; cold spots, in plains; (3) ecosystem services are most sensitive to E-P land conversions, with conversions between P-E land and other types generally lowering ESV; (4) 500 × 500 m Anning River Basin data show that population density influences ecosystem services (q = 0.602) in univariate analysis, with bivariate interactions boosting explanatory power. Findings reveal complex links between land use, ecosystem services, and socio-economic factors in the Anning River Basin, emphasizing the need to consider multiple factors in land management and ecological protection.

Fire is a disturbance factor in forest ecosystems which has an important influence on vegetation succession. In order to reveal the natural recovery characteristics of the understory vegetation and its response to topographic factors (elevation, slope position, aspect and slope) after fire in subtropical forests, a typical subtropical forest (Xide County, China) was selected as the study area. Based on quadrat surveys and correlation analyses, the main results of this study were as follows. (1) Within four months after a fire, a total of 71 species, 52 genera and 20 families of understory vegetation species were increased, representing a rapid recovery after a fire. The total number of genera and species of understory vegetation increased by 157% and 209%, respectively. (2) Different burning intensities had different effects on the recovery of vegetation species diversity. The change in Margalef richness index was the most significant, increasing by 5.44 and 5.16 in lightly and severely burned areas, respectively. (3) The vegetation community could be divided into six types after restoration. (4) Elevation and slope were significantly correlated with the diversity and distribution characteristics of understory vegetation in the burned area. This study is useful to understand the characteristics of the short-term natural recovery of understory vegetation in subtropical forests after fire, to identify the relationship between vegetation and topographic factors in burned areas, and to provide a scientific basis for vegetation recovery.

Soil erosion is one of the most frequent global environmental issues, with gully erosion being its primary manifestation. Erosion gullies, formed by the combined effects of rainfall, terrain, and h...