The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has revealed that it is necessary to strengthen research on land use and land cover change (LUCC) and ecological risk in key regions of countries around the world. In this study, the spatiotemporal characteristics of LUCC in the five capitals of Central Asian countries within the BRI were analyzed. Based on the grid scale, a landscape pattern index was introduced to quantitatively evaluate the landscape ecological risk levels of the five capitals. The results showed the following: first, the components of land use types in the five capitals have different structural characteristics, which are mainly grassland, unused land, and cultivated land. The landscape types that changed significantly were water and unused land, while the construction land area showed a trend of continuous increase. Second, different capitals have different land-use transfer patterns. Akmola State is mainly converted from cultivated land to grassland; Chuy State is mainly converted from forest land to grassland; Dushanbe and Tashkent City are mainly converted from grassland to forestland; and Ahal State is mainly converted from grassland to unused land. Third, the overall landscape ecological risks of the five capitals were low. Akmola State had the largest proportion of lowest ecological risk areas, whereas Chuy State and Dushanbe City had an increasing trend of highest ecological risk areas. The level of ecological risk in Tashkent remained stable during the study period, and the highest ecological risk areas in Ahal State decreased to 49,227.86 km². This study has enriched the research results of land use change and landscape ecological risk assessment of countries within the BRI and can provide a research reference for these countries and regions to achieve ecological sustainable development and strengthen ecosystem management.

Strengthening ecosystem monitoring and improving the efficiency of ecological risk assessment are of great significance for the sustainable development of ecosystems in an arid area. Using remote sensing monitoring data of land use, the ecological risk status of typical arid areas is assessed, its spatial heterogeneity is analyzed from the perspective of space-time, and the key areas of ecological risk management are finally identified. The results show that (1) the transformation mode of landscape ecological risk was dominated by medium–low risk to medium risk, and low risk to medium–low risk as a secondary level; in addition, the ecological risk level of the region increased. From 2000 to 2020, the transformation mode of landscape ecological risk was dominated by medium risk to medium–low risk, and medium–low risk to low risk as a secondary level; in addition, the regional ecological risk level shows a moderating trend. (2) The spatial difference in the ecological risk level in the Hexi region is obvious, showing a gradual decline from east to west, and the spatial difference in the ecological risk level in the west is significant. (3) A total of 1194 grid units are identified as key areas for ecological risk management in the Hexi region, accounting for 43% of the study area. This study provides important theoretical basis for ecosystem monitoring and risk assessment management in similar areas of arid regions.

With rapid urbanization, the interactions between human and land are becoming more and more intense, which leads to increasingly diversified land use and intensifies the conflicts among land use functions (LUFs). However, land use multi-functionality (LUMF) of densely populated areas (DPAs) in less developed regions has not been studied in depth. The objective of our study is to build a multi-functional conceptual framework for land use, and establish a comprehensive evaluation indicator system to assess LUMF. We took the Lanzhou–Xining Region (LXR) as a case area, which is a DPA in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. We established 36 indicators from the dimensions of status and trend of agricultural, economic, social, and ecological functions, to perform analysis on the LUMF using the entropy weight method (EWM) and the coupling degree method (CDM). The results show that land use in the LXR is multi-functional, that LUFs are developing in an uneven manner, and that the spatial distribution of LUFs differs greatly. We find that the multi-functional level of land use in the LXR is low. There are no dominant functions in 12 counties and districts. There are spatial conflicts among LUFs. To maintain sustainable land use, we proposed a functional zoning scheme and put forward corresponding governance strategies.

Investigating the interplay between ecosystem services and human well-being is crucial for enhancing ecological conservation and achieving a superior quality of development. This research examined the spatial–temporal disparities in ecosystem services and human well-being across 87 counties in Gansu Province using the coupling coordination degree model and geographically weighted regression analysis. The key findings include the following: (1) Over two decades, from 2000 to 2020, ecosystem services in Gansu Province witnessed a financial appreciation of approximately CNY 29.32 billion. The distribution displayed a notable trend, with higher values in the southeastern counties, particularly in Gannan and Longnan, whereas lower values prevailed in the Hexi area. (2) The well-being of the populace experienced a substantial enhancement, registering a 75% increase during the same period, characterized by higher well-being indices in the north, especially in Hexi, and the lowest indices in Gannan and the Linxia sector of Longzhong. (3) The coupling coordination degree between ecosystem services and human well-being escalated from 0.412 to 0.587, transitioning from moderate dysfunction to moderate coordination over the two decades. Regions such as Hexi and Gannan recorded a moderate discordance in their coupling coordination, whereas regions including Longzhong, Longnan, and Longdong demonstrated a more stable, basic coordination. (4) Influences on the coupling coordination degree between county ecosystem services and human well-being displayed significant spatial variability, often aligned along distinct geographic bands. Economic and natural foundations were predominantly aligned southeast to northwest, while investment and urbanization levels were more prominent from west to east, and industrialization levels were distributed along an east–west axis.