Forest Landscape Changes and Ecological Restoration for Sustainable Land Systems

ABSTRACT

This study investigates forest landscape changes and ecological restoration in Sichuan Province, China, to assess their contribution to sustainable land systems under climate stress. A theory‐guided multistage framework was applied to link Landsat‐based change detection, landscape metrics, habitat quality assessment, soil‐retention analysis, GeoDetector, Spatial Durbin modeling, and scenario simulation for 2000–2023. The Sustainable Land System Restoration Index was constructed from vegetation recovery, habitat condition, soil‐retention performance, and landscape integrity. The results show that forest area increased from 178,400 to 192,300 km ² , while fragmentation declined and landscape connectivity improved. The Sustainable Land System Restoration Index rose from 0.462 to 0.612, indicating substantial ecological recovery in both structural and functional terms. Driver analysis revealed that temperature anomaly, evapotranspiration pressure, fragmentation, and road density reduced restoration performance, whereas forest recovery intensity and restoration policy support produced significant positive effects, including spatial spillovers. Scenario analysis further showed that a restoration‐priority pathway would generate the strongest gains by 2035, while climate stress would weaken restoration benefits. The findings highlight the need for climate‐adaptive, quality‐oriented, and spatially coordinated restoration strategies.