Residents’perceptions of ecosystem services in an urbanizing basin:A case study in the Guanting Reservoir basin,China

Understanding stakeholders’differences in perceptions of ecosystem services(ES)is crucial for guiding ecolog-ical conservation and planning.However,the variations of ES perception amongst different types of residents in urbanizing areas along an urban-rural gradient are still poorly understood.Combining a questionnaire-based survey,redundancy analysis,and statistical tests,we delineated the urban-rural gradient according to local res-idents’socio-economic characteristics,and investigated the differences in local residents’perceptions of ES and potential factors affecting them in the Guanting Reservoir basin,a rapidly urbanizing basin in China.The results showed that residents living in urban-rural transitional areas attached great importance to provisioning services of providing food and domestic water,regulating services of carbon sequestration and air purification,and cul-tural services of providing education and training,which were 0.7%-13.1%,0.7%-9.1%and 2.5%-21.2%higher than that of residents in other areas,respectively.Age and occupation were major factors affecting residents’perceptions.In terms of land-use types that deliver ES,the difference in perceptions of ES delivered by grassland was the greatest amongst residents.Our results support recommendations for policymakers to take into account the stakeholders’diverse perceptions,thus promoting residents’sense of gain on ES.

A Global Analysis of the Relationship Between Urbanization and Fatalities in Earthquake-Prone Areas

Urbanization can be a challenge and an opportunity for earthquake risk mitigation.However,little is known about the changes in exposure(for example,population and urban land)to earthquakes in the context of global urbanization,and their impacts on fatalities in earthquake-prone areas.We present a global analysis of the changes in population size and urban land area in earthquake-prone areas from 1990 to 2015,and their impacts on earthquake-related fatalities.We found that more than two thirds of population growth(or 70%of total population in 2015)and nearly three quarters of earthquake-related deaths(or 307,918 deaths)in global earthquake-prone areas occurred in developing countries with an urbanization ratio(percentage of urban population to total population)between 20 and 60%.Holding other factors constant,population size was significantly and positively associated with earthquake fatalities,while the area of urban land was negatively related.The results suggest that fatalities increase for areas where the urbanization ratio is low,but after a ratio between 40 and 50%occurs,earthquake fatalities decline.This finding suggests that the resistance of building and infrastructure is greater in countries with higher urbanization ratios and highlights the need for further investigation.Our quantitative analysis is extended into the future using Shared Socioeconomic Pathways to reveal that by 2050,more than 50%of the population increase in global earthquake-prone areas will take place in a few developing countries(Pakistan,India,Afghanistan,and Bangladesh)that are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.To reduce earthquake-induced fatalities,enhanced resilience of buildings and urban infrastructure generally in these few countries should be a priority.