Land Use Change, Remote Sensing, and Ecological Resilience in Mountainous Watersheds: A Natural Science Study of Ecosystem Service Dynamics

Abstract

Mountainous watersheds are highly sensitive ecological systems in which land use change, vegetation transformation, hydrological redistribution, and human disturbance jointly influence ecosystem service performance and environmental stability. In recent decades, rapid expansion of built-up land, adjustment of agricultural structures, engineering development, and shifts in vegetation cover have increasingly altered the ecological and hydrological behavior of mountainous regions. These transformations have not only changed landscape patterns but also weakened regulating ecosystem services such as soil conservation, runoff buffering, slope reinforcement, and hazard mitigation. Against this background, remote sensing and related geospatial technologies have become essential scientific tools for monitoring land use/cover change, identifying ecological degradation, and supporting watershed management. This paper develops a natural science analysis of the relationship between land use change and ecosystem service dynamics in mountainous watersheds. Drawing on studies related to forest ecosystem services, LUCC, runoff prediction, slope stability, vegetation restoration, and remote sensing-based hazard detection, the paper constructs an integrated analytical framework linking landscape transformation, ecological function, and watershed resilience. The analysis shows that land use change operates through multiple interconnected pathways. It modifies vegetation structure and spatial continuity, alters infiltration and runoff processes, affects sediment transport and river erosion, and changes slope resistance. As a result, ecological services decline not only in terms of value but also in terms of functional capacity.