Impact of Anthropogenic Activities on provision of Ecosystem Services: An Approach Based on Spatiotemporal Analysis of Habitat Quality

EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Introduction:
In recent decades, rapid urbanization and population growth have posed numerous challenges for densely populated urban areas, particularly concerning land use/land cover (LULC) change. The ecosystem services provided by ecological spaces play a significant role in addressing these challenges and enhancing urban ecological resilience. The increasing destructive human activities in densely populated urban areas disrupt the ecological environment, fragmenting urban ecosystems and lowering habitat quality. In urban and Peri-urban areas, ecological and natural spaces serve as nature-based solutions that significantly contribute to biodiversity conservation and habitat quality improvement. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of ecological spaces on providing ecosystem services related to habitat quality and to compare them with human-made spaces through a spatial-temporal analysis of LULC patterns.

Material and Methods:
In this study, LULC maps of the metropolitan area of Tabriz, a densely populated urban region in western Iran, were created for the years 2016 and 2023 using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery within the Google Earth Engine web platform. The next step involved detecting spatial-temporal changes in LULC within the study area for the period 2016-2023 using TerrSet software. The final step was to model habitat quality ecosystem services within the study area for the years 2016 and 2023 using the InVEST software package. The impact and role of various land uses in providing these ecosystem services were examined, focusing on the distinction between ecological and human-made spaces.

Results and Discussion:
The research results show that in both years, barren lands and built-up areas accounted for the largest area in the study region, reflecting the area's ongoing development. The LULC change in Tabriz from 2016 to 2023 shows an increase in built-up areas, barren lands, and urban green spaces, whereas urban agriculture, rangeland, and water bodies experienced a decrease in area during the same period. Due to the developed nature of the study area, the maximum habitat quality was recorded as 0.27 and 0.21 for the years 2016 and 2023, respectively. Furthermore, for these two years, the average habitat quality was 0.04 and 0.03, respectively, indicating a poor state of habitat quality and biodiversity within the metropolitan area of Tabriz. The spatial distribution of habitat degradation in the study area revealed that the most significant habitat destruction occurs at the interface between human constructions and ecological spaces due to proximity to threatening factors. In contrast, barren land in the northern parts of the study area is in better condition due to its greater distance from these threats. The findings of this research report a decline in habitat quality influenced by LULC changes from 2016 to 2023, primarily attributed to the reduction of urban agriculture and the increase in human construction. This study concludes that the role of ecological spaces in enhancing habitat quality and preserving biodiversity in Tabriz is minimal due to their limited extent and close proximity to threatening factors. Furthermore, it highlights the detrimental impact of human activities, such as the expansion of human constructions, on habitat quality.

Conclusion:
This study emphasizes the importance of remote sensing data for monitoring LULC change in areas with limited data. Combining Google Earth Engine data with the InVEST model gives us a complete understanding of how changes in urban landscape affect habitat quality over time and space. Ultimately, our research offers deeper insights into the links between the detrimental impacts of anthropogenic activities and changes in habitat quality in ecologically fragile areas. This integrated approach not only enhances our understanding of ecological dynamics but also supports sustainable urban planning initiatives aimed at preserving biodiversity and improving ecosystem services.