Spatial Association and Trade-off/Synergy Relationships between Ecosystem Health and Human Well-being: A Case Study of the Manas River Basin

(2) HWB increased significantly (0.106→0.738), shifting from economic well-being (EcoWB) and educational/cultural well-being (ECWB) dominance to diversified development encompassing health and safety well-being (HSWB), environmental well-being (EnvWB), and EcoWB. Its spatial evolution followed an urbanization-driven “agglomeration → diffusion → rebalancing” pattern centered on oasis towns. (3) EH and HWB showed significant spatial dependence, but their correlation weakened over time, indicating spatial decoupling of human activities from natural systems.

High EH–high HWB clusters were predominantly in midstream oases, whereas high EH–low HWB clusters were located in southern forests. (4) Trade-offs and synergies varied along the landscape gradient: ecological stress traded off with all HWB types, while ecological function showed stable synergies with EnvWB and increasing synergies with EcoWB and ECWB. These findings provide insights into EH–HWB coevolution and support sustainable development in arid-region basins.