Fractional Vegetation Cover Change and Driving Factors in Gansu Section of Yellow River Basin

The Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin, a crucial ecological security barrier in China, plays a vital role in water conservation and northern desertification control. Understanding the vegetation changes and driving forces is crucial for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the basin. Based on the MODIS NDVI dataset from 2001 to 2022, the vegetation change trend and driving force in the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin over the past 20 years were analyzed by using pixel dichotomy, coefficient of variation, trend analysis, Hurst index and geographic detector. The results showed that the FVC in Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin showed an increasing trend during 2001—2022, indicating a positive vegetation growth. In the past 20 years, nearly 1/2 of the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin had relatively high-high volatility, which was mainly distributed in the northern Loess Plateau region, while the medium volatility and relatively low-low volatility were mainly distributed in the Gannan Plateau region and the Longnan Mountain region. The vegetation in most areas of the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin showed an improvement trend, while a few areas showed degradation, indicating a potential anti-sustainable trend in future vegetation changes. The analysis of driving forces indicated that precipitation, vegetation type and soil type were the predominant factors influencing vegetation cover in Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin.