Evaluation of ecological policy effects from vegetation rest oration potential realization perspective:A case study of China's Loess Plateau

[Objective]Vegetation restoration is the prerequisite for ecological restoration.Only when vegetation is successfully restored can the goals of ecological policy be achieved.Evaluating the effects of ecological policy and past work experience facilitates more prompt adjustments of ecological policy measures.Previous research primarily explored the implementation effects of ecological policies from the perspective of vegetation coverage level.However,improvements in vegetation coverage are driven by both resource endowment conditions and policy behaviors,and it is difficult to accurately assess the implementation effects of policy alone.[Method]This study build upon the theory of similar habitats and uses a local sliding window model to construct similar habitat units on the Loess Plateau.It proposes the index of potential realization degree as a means to evaluate the implementation effects of ecological policy.[Result]The results show that:(1)the green territory of the Loess Plateau gradually expanded to the northwest over the study period(2000-2020),and the overall level of vegetation coverage has been effectively improved;(2)the level of vegetation coverage in the Loess Plateau has room for further improvement,especially in the central and northwest areas.Establishing future vegetation will be key for restoration in these areas;(3)compared with the use of the enhancd vegetation index,the potential realization degree can more effectively separate the influence of resource endowment conditions and accurately evaluate the vegetation restoration effect driven by ecological policies.[Conclusion]This study is expected to provide a theoretical reference for future adjustments to ecological policy and offer new options for methods of ecological policy evaluation.