Ecosystem stability evaluation in karst World Heritage Sites: a perspective of key time points in Shibing and Libo-Huanjiang

Using the Shibing Karst and Libo–Huanjiang Karst World Heritage Sites (WHSs) as case studies, this study constructed an integrated ecosystem stability index and applied spatial autocorrelation analysis, transition analysis, and optimal-parameter GeoDetector (OPGD) to examine ecosystem stability patterns in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Ecosystem stability in both heritage sites peaked in 2018 and declined in 2022. Highly stable areas were concentrated mainly in woodland-dominated core conservation zones, whereas unstable areas were distributed mainly in buffer zones and ecological transition belts. GeoDetector analysis showed that Shannon’s Evenness Index (SHEI), Landscape Disturbance (LD), and Landscape Stability (LS) exhibited relatively strong spatial associations with ecosystem stability patterns. The results suggest that ecosystem stability in karst World Heritage Sites is closely associated with landscape configuration and disturbance-related factors, highlighting the importance of buffer-zone monitoring and landscape management.