New CDIC–UCD Research Published in Ecological Indicators Journal

Open Access | CiteScore 13.3 | Impact Factor 7.4

CDIC-TCPEP is pleased to announce a new research publication co-authored by Dr Luke Kelleher, TCPEP Programme Director, and Wenjie Xiao, PhD student at Chang’an University, together with Professor Fan (Chang'an University Deputy President) and Professor Wei.

Their paper, “Dynamics of ecosystem health drivers in the Guanzhong–Tianshui Economic Zone: A CatBoost + SHAP-based analysis from 1990 to 2020,” has been accepted by the high-impact journalEcological Indicators.

Using a 30-year dataset (1990–2020), the study applies the V-O-E-S framework and advanced machine-learning techniques to examine how ecosystem health in the Guanzhong–Tianshui Economic Zone has changed over time. The research identifies a clear shift from socio-economic to natural environmental drivers and highlights strong spatial patterns of ecological change across the region.

This publication reflects the growing research partnership between UCD APEP and Chang’an University, and builds on collaboration initiated during the May 2025 Chang’an delegation visit to UCD.