华北豹（Panthera pardus japonensis）是我国特有的濒危豹亚种，对于区域生物多样性保护和生态系统平衡至关重要。目前，其生存受到生境丧失、人兽冲突等多方面的威胁。华北豹的主要分布区——黄土高原地区，经过本世纪初的退耕还林还草等生态工程，生态环境显著改善。然而，该地区快速的城市化进程中，城市建设直接占用土地，道路修建加剧景观破碎化，给生境带来了巨大的负面影响。此外，有研究表明城市化通过改变人口分布和社会观念等途径，促进了生物多样性保护工作。在此背景下，定量刻画黄土高原地区的生境变化，全面理解城市化对华北豹生境和居民保护态度的影响，为有效开展华北豹保护工作打下了基础。为此，本研究以黄土高原为研究区，围绕华北豹保护完成了以下研究内容：（1）基于2000，2010和2020年的遥感影像，通过土地利用转移矩阵、景观格局指数和InVEST模型，定量刻画黄土高原地区及华北豹潜在生境的面积、格局及生境质量的变化；（2）结合统计数据，从人口、土地和经济方面分析城市化对华北豹潜在生境的影响；（3）选择山西省和顺县作为典型案例地开展问卷调查，共收集209份有效问卷，对比城乡居民在华北豹保护态度中认知、情感和保护意愿三个方面的差异，并构建结构方程模型进一步分析城市化对保护意愿的作用途径。研究的主要结果如下：

（1）2000-2020年期间，研究区内华北豹潜在生境面积稳中有增，但整体生境破碎化程度提高且生境质量较低。整体生境中，草地面积最大，约占总面积40%，耕地面积减少最多，高达21,437 km²，建设用地面积增长最快，增加了18,604 km²。华北豹潜在生境面积约为153,000 km²，占比增加0.56%。整体生境的平均斑块面积从28.449 km²减小至26.643 km²，蔓延度指数从37.94%降至35.95%，香农多样性指数从1.348 增至1.393。华北豹潜在生境的邻近度指数从177.281 降至124.071，隔离程度提高。尽管华北豹现存范围的生境质量较高均值为0.610，但整体生境质量均值仅为0.380。最低生境质量地区的面积占比从40.42% 增至40.81%，主要集中在研究区东南部。

（2）整体上，城市建设用地的扩张对生境质量具有负向影响，但局部地区对华北豹生境面积具有正向作用；城市的人口吸纳作用则与生境质量和维持度密切相关。这些关系都具有明显的地带性。随着建设用地比例的增加，整个研究区的生境质量和维持度下降（p ＜ 0.05），研究区东部13个城市的华北豹潜在生境面积比例提高（p ＜ 0.05）。建设用地面积对华北豹潜在生境质量和维持度的负向影响从西北向东南方向减弱，对生境面积的正向影响以晋中城市群为中心，在这13个城市内向南北减弱。流动人口数量对研究区西北部的5个城市的生境质量指数具有负面影响，对山西省以西的26个城市的生境维持度产生负面影响，两种负向影响均呈现出从西至东递减的规律（p ＜ 0.05）。在研究区中部，生境维持度随着城镇人口占比的提高而增加，该影响从西北至东南递减（p ＜ 0.05）。

（3）尽管农村居民对华北豹的认知水平普遍高于城市居民（0.617和0.447），但城市居民的积极情感和保护意愿均高于农村居民（分别为0.766比0.697，0.781比0.713）。城市化通过促进积极情感显著地提升了居民的保护意愿（β = 0.127，p ＜ 0.001）。提升保护意愿的具体途径包括：1）通过直接提高居民对华北豹的积极情感（β = 0.052，p ＜ 0.05）；2）通过提高居民受教育水平进而促进对华北豹的积极情感（β = 0.036，p ＜ 0.01）。

综上，黄土高原地区生境的景观格局和质量都有待提高，快速的城市化可能通过建设用地扩张、聚集农村人口和改变居民态度的方式对华北豹保护产生综合的影响。为促进城市可持续发展、保护区域生物多样性，应当充分规避城市化的消极影响，利用城市化的积极作用，全面提升华北豹生境的格局和质量，增强居民的保护意愿。

The North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) is a unique and endangered leopard subspecies in China, which plays a crucial role in regional biodiversity conservation and ecosystem balance. Currently, its survival is threatened by various factors, including habitat loss and human-wildlife conflicts. The main distribution area of the North China leopard, the Loess Plateau region, has seen significant improvement in its ecological environment due to ecological projects such as “Grain for Green” since the beginning of this century. In the rapid urbanization progress of this region, expanding construction land has directly occupied natural habitats, while road construction has exacerbated landscape fragmentation. Both of these factors cause significant negative impacts on habitats. In additional, studies have shown that urbanization, through altering population distribution and social attitudes, promotes biodiversity conservation efforts. In this context, quantitatively characterizing habitat changes in the Loess Plateau region, and comprehensively understanding the impact of urbanization on North China leopard habitats and residents’ attitudes towards conservation, lay the foundation for effective conservation efforts. Therefore, this study focuses on the Loess Plateau region and completes the following research contents regarding North China leopard conservation: (1) Based on remote sensing images from 2000, 2010, and 2020, the study quantitatively characterizes the changes in the area, pattern, and habitat quality of both the Loess Plateau region and potential North China leopard habitats, using land use transfer matrix, landscape pattern index, and InVEST model. (2) Combined with statistical data, the study analyzes the impact of urbanization on potential North China leopard habitats from the perspectives of population, land, and economy. (3) Selecting Heshun County, Shanxi Province as the typical case study area, the study collects 209 valid questionnaires surveys to compare the cognition, affect, and conservation willingness among urban and rural residents, and constructs a structural equation model to further analyze urbanization’s role in promoting conservation willingness. The main results are as follows:

(1) From 2000 to 2020, the area of potential North China leopard habitats showed a stable increase, but the overall habitat tends to be fragmented and its quality remains low. In the overall habitat, grassland constituted the largest portion, approximately 40% of the total area. The area of crop land decreased the most, by up to 21,437 km². The area of construction land expanded the fastest, increasing by 18,604 km². The area of potential North China leopard habitats was approximately 153,000 km², with an increase in proportion of 0.56%. The average patch size of the overall habitat decreased from 28.449 km² to 26.643 km², with the contagion index declining from 37.94% to 35.95% and the Shannon diversity index rising from 1.348 to 1.393. The proximity index for potential North China leopard habitats dropped from 177.281 to 124.071, indicating increased isolation degree. Although the habitat quality level of the current range of North China leopards was relatively high, with a mean value of 0.610, the overall habitat quality mean value was only 0.380. The area proportion of the lowest habitat quality increased from 40.42% to 40.81%, mainly concentrated in the southeastern part of the study area.

(2) Overall, the expansion of urban construction land negatively impacts habitat quality, though it positively influences the area of potential North China leopard habitats in certain cities. The population absorption effect of cities is closely related to habitat quality and maintenance. Moreover, these relationships show obvious zonal characteristics. With the increase in the proportion of construction land, the habitat quality and maintenance of the entire study area decreased (p < 0.05), while the proportion of potential North China leopard habitat area increased in 13 cities in the eastern part of the study area (p < 0.05). The negative impacts on the habitat quality and maintenance of potential North China leopard habitats weakens from northwest to southeast; while the positive impact of construction land area on habitat area is weakened from the Jinzhong Urban Agglomeration to north and south within these 13 cities. The floating population has a negative impact on the habitat quality of 5 cities in the northwest of the study area and the habitat maintenance of 26 cities west of Shanxi Province, both showing a decreasing trend from west to east (p < 0.05). In the central part of the study area, habitat maintenance increases with the increase in the proportion of urban population, and this impact decreases from northwest to southeast (p < 0.05).

(3) Although rural residents generally have a higher level of awareness of North China leopards than urban residents (0.617 vs 0.447), urban residents exhibit higher positive affect and conservation willingness than rural residents (0.766 vs. 0.697 and 0.781 vs. 0.713, respectively). Urbanization significantly enhances residents’ conservation willingness (β = 0.127, p < 0.001) by fostering positive affect. Specific pathways to enhance conservation willingness include: 1) directly increasing residents’ positive affect towards North China leopards (β = 0.052, p < 0.05); 2) increasing residents’ education levels, thereby promoting their positive affect towards North China leopards (β = 0.036, p < 0.01).

In summary, the landscape pattern and habitat quality in the Loess Plateau region need to be improved, and rapid urbanization have comprehensive effects on North China leopard conservation through land expansion, rural population aggregation, and changing resident attitudes. To promote sustainable urban development and conserve regional biodiversity, we should make efforts to avoid urbanization’s negative impacts of and utilize its positive effects, comprehensively improving the pattern and quality of North China leopard habitats, and enhancing residents’ conservation willingness.