Multi-scenario Simulation of the Impact of Land Use Change on the Ecosystem Service Value in the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou Metropolitan Area,China

As the most economically developed metropolitan area in China’s Yangtze River Delta,the rapid changing land use patterns of Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou(Su-Xi-Chang) metropolitan area have profound impacts on the ecosystem service value(ESV).Based on the patterns of land use change and the ESV change in Su-Xi-Chang metropolitan area from 2000 to 2020,we set up four scenarios:natural development scenario,urban development scenario,arable land protection scenario and ecological protection scenario,and simulated the impact of land use changes on the ESV in these scenarios.The results showed that:1) the area of built-up land in the Su-XiChang metropolitan area increased significantly from 2000 to 2020,and the area of other types of land decreased.Arable land underwent the highest transfer-out area,and was primarily converted into built-up land.The total ESV of Su-Xi-Chang metropolitan area increased initially then declined from 2000–2020,and the value of almost all individual ecosystem services decreased.2) Population density,GDP per area,night lighting intensity,and road network density can negatively impact the ESV.3) The total ESV loss under the natural development and urban development scenarios was high,and the expansion of the built-up land and the drastic shrinkage of the arable land contributed to the ESV decline under both scenarios.The total ESV under arable land protection and ecological protection scenarios increases,and therefore these scenarios are suitable for future land use optimization in Su-Xi-Chang.This study could provide a certain reference for land use planning and allocation,and offer guidance for the rational allocation of land resources.

Spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem service value and topographic gradient effect in the Da-Xiao Liangshan Mountains in Sichuan Province,China

The Da-Xiao Liangshan mountains are critical ecological function areas and essential ecological barriers in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China.This study selected a total of six periods of land use land cover(LULC)data from 1995 to 2020,to estimate the ecosystem service value(ESV)and analyzed its spatiotemporal evolution and topographic gradient divergence.The results showed that:(1)The ESV increased by 1.1 billion yuan,with an increase rate of 1.47%from 1995 to 2020.Two time periods,2005–2010 and 2015–2020,showed more significant increases than other periods.(2)The elevation and slope of mountainous areas determine the type of land use and further influence the spatial pattern of ESV.(3)Although woodland and grassland are the main land use types of the study area(more than 90%),the hydrological regulation function of the water area partially compensated for the impact of the encroachment of the built-up area on the ESV of grassland.(4)The spatial distribution of ESVs showed an inverted V-shaped characteristic as the topographic gradient increased,with the dominant position being the 5th topographic gradient zone.Finally,this study provided relevant recommendations for ecosystem protection and optimization.The findings of this study clarified the influence of topographical factors on the spatial differentiation of ESV and provided novel insights into ecosystem protection.

Evaluating rural sustainable land use from a system perspective based on the ecosystem service value

Rural sustainable land use(RSLU) is important to China’s implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of rural revitalization strategy in China. Research on RSLU is key to understanding the impact of human activities on rural sustainability. This paper explored the evaluation method of RSLU from a system perspective based on the ecosystem service value(ESV). Three systems were proposed for consideration when conducting this evaluation method. One was the sustainability of the land system, the other was the sustainability of the ecoeconomic system, and the rest was the sustainability of the land-eco-economy system. Indicators including(1) land use intensity and land system stability,(2) gross domestic production(GDP), ESV, and the eco-economic harmony degree(EEHD), and(3) coupling degree and coupling coordination degree were used to analyze the sustainability of the land, eco-economic, and landeco-economic systems, respectively. An empirical research on Yanhe ecovillage was conducted and the study period extended from 2008 to 2020. The results showed that forest land had always accounted for more than 81.20% of the total area in Yanhe eco-village from 2008 to 2020, which greatly influenced land system stability and restricted economic development. This feature contrasted with RSLU. The total ESV of Yanhe eco-village declined by 1.60×106CNY during 2008–2020 because of land use changes. The EEHD was –0.01, which presented that there was a very slight unharmonious between ecology and economy. The coupling degree and coupling coordination degree showed that the development between the land and ecoeconomic systems exhibited a coupling coordination relationship. The results indicated that ecology and economy in Yanhe eco-village will change significantly in response to land use changes in rural areas, which further revealed the dynamic linkage between human beings and nature. Moreover, opposite variation tendencies in land system stability and ESV revealed that the contradiction between the high stability of the land system and well development of the eco-economic system. The results of this study implied that it is necessary and useful to integrate ESV into land management to achieve RSLU.

Driving Force and Ecosystem Service Values Estimation in the Extreme Arid Region from 1975 to 2015:A Case Study of Alxa League,China

The research on ecosystem service values(ESVs)estimation in arid region is weak.We took the Alxa League of China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,an extreme arid region,as an example and constructed an equivalent coefficient method to assess its ESVs from 1975 to 2015,by determining the standard unit of ESVs and the basic equivalent of the value of different ecosystem services per unit area based on the regional characteristics,literature research,expert knowledge and land use data.The results show that the ESVs first decreased from 83170.4 million yuan(RMB)in 1975 to 82337.8 million yuan(RMB)in 2000 and then increased to84033.6 million yuan(RMB)in 2015,and the ESV of sparse grassland and desert account for about 33%and 29%of the total ESVs,respectively.Among the four service types,the regulating services,support services,supply services and cultural services account for66.5%,22.8%,6.0%and 4.7%,respectively.The changes of ESVs in Alxa League are determined by the socio-economic development and ecological changes.This study provides a new method to estimate the ESVs in arid region by integrating existing methods and regional characteristics,such as the cost of water for arid ecosystems.

Impacts of the north migration of China＇s rice production on its ecosystem service value during the last three decades (1980-2014)

The ecosystem services value （ESV） of rice system has received increasing attention in agricultural policy decision. Over the last three decades, China＇s rice production presented an obviously trend that moving towards north locations. However, the impacts of this migration on the ESV of rice production have not been well documented. In this paper, we analyzed the change of the ESV of rice production in China under ＂north migration＂ and ＂no migration＂ scenarios during 1980-2014 based on long-term historical data. The results showed that both the positive and negative ESVs of rice production were lower under ＂north migration＂ than under ＂no migration＂ scenarios. The total ESV during 1980-2014 was reduced by 15.8%. ＂North migration＂ significantly reduced the area-scaled ESV since the early 1990s; while its impact on yield-scaled ESV was not significant. The effects of＂north migration＂ on ESV showed great spatial variation. The greatest reduction in total and area-scaled ESV was observed in south locations. While the yield-scaled ESVs of most south locations were enhanced under ＂north migration＂ scenario. These results indicated that ＂north migration＂ has generated adverse effects on the ESV of rice production. An adjustment in the spatial distribution is essential to protecting the non-production benefits of rice ecosystem.

Spatio-temporal variation of ecosystem service values adjusted by vegetation cover:a case study of Wuyishan National Park Pilot,China

Ecosystem service values(ESV)are strongly influenced by the vegetation cover,which is heterogeneous across different vegetation types.We develop a dynamic evaluation model of ESV for Wuyishan National Park Pilot adjusted by the rate of inflation and the fractional vegetation cover,which is calculated by an enhanced vegetation index from 2000 to 2018.The spatio-temporal variation of vegetation was also examined.The results demonstrated that:(1)the unit area of ecosystem service values adjusted by vegetation cover(ESVVC)shows a gradient of forest>tea plantation>grassland>cropland,and the major ecosystem services provided by forests include soil formation and conservation,climate regulation,and biodiversity maintenance;(2)the ESV_(VC) increased to 2.1 billion yuan(The reference rate announced by the People’s Bank of China is the US dollar to 6.42 Yuan per dollar.)from 2000 to 2018.Higher and lower ESV_(VC) are predominant in the northwest and southeast region,respectively.In addition,changes of ecological protection structures and human disturbances negatively affected vegetation cover,leading to a decreased ESVVC from 2000 to 2005 in the Jiuqu Stream Ecological Protection Area and the Wuyishan National Scenic Spot.The implementation of ecological protection policies from 2010 to 2018 enhanced the ESV_(VC) in the study area;and,(3)the ESVVC is highest in the southeast and 25°–35°area with altitudes of 800–1000 m.Our model can provide timely and helpful information of changes in ESV for use in ecological corridor design and ecological security monitoring.

Forecasting Loss of Ecosystem Service Value Using a BP Network: A Case Study of the Impact of the South-to-north Water Transfer Project on the Ecological Environmental in Xiangfan, Hubei Province, China

Objective To recognize and assess the impact of the South-to-north Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) on the ecological environment of Xiangfan, Hubei Province, situated in the water-out area, and develop sound scientific countermeasures. Methods A three-layer BP network was built to simulate topology and process of the eco-economy system of Xiangfan. Historical data of ecological environmental factors and socio-economic factors as inputs, and corresponding historical data of ecosystem service value (ESV) and GDP as target outputs, were presented to train and test the network. When predicted input data after 2001 were presented to trained network as generalization sets, ESVs and GDPs of 2002, 2003, 2004... till 2050 were simulated as output in succession. Results Up to 2050, the area would have suffered an accumulative total ESV loss of RMB 104.9 billion, which accounted for 37.36% of the present ESV. The coinstantaneous GDP would change asynchronously with ESV, it would go through an up-to-down process and finally lose RMB89.3 billion, which accounted for 18.71% of 2001. Conclusions The simulation indicates that ESV loss means damage to the capability of socio-economic sustainable development, and suggests that artificial neural networks (ANNs) provide a feasible and effective method and have an important potential in ESV modeling.

Effects of Land Use Change on the Ecosystem Services Value in the Dry-Hot Valley

The objective of the study reported here was to determine whether LANDSAT TM images could be used to quantify changes in land-use and ecosystem services in Yuanmou County. The sizes of six land use/land cover （LUCC） categories were estimated in Yuanmou County according to the LANDSAT TM images in the summer of 1986 and 2005. Coefficients published by Xie Gaodi and co-workers in 2003 were used to value changes in ecosystem services delivered by each land use/land cover category, and the ecosystem services sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the effect of manipulating these coefficients on the estimated values. The important results are summarized as followings. （1） The estimated size of cultivated land, pasture land, water area and unused land decreased by 6.39%, 1.35%, 2.25% and 10.67% respectively between 1986 and 2005. By contrast, the estimated size of forest land and construction land increased by about 2.23% and 71.15% respectively between 1986 and 2005. （2） The total ecosystem services value （EVS） of the study area increased from 2 142 132 609.46 yuan to 2 146 416 621.00 yuan, with the net increase of 4 284 011.54 yuan during the 20-year time period. （3） The coefficient sensitivity （CS） of the study are less than unity in all cases （CS 〈 1）. This indicates that the total ecosystem values estimated for the study area are relatively inelastic with respect to the ecosystem service coefficients. While this implies that our estimates are robust and the coefficient is reasonable, highly under or over valued coefficients can substantially affect the veracity of estimated changes in ecosystem service values overtime even when the CS are less than unity（CS 〈 1）.

Effects of the Land Use Change on Ecosystem Service Value Based on RS & GIS

Assessing the effect of land use change on ecosystem service value(ESV) can provide reference for sustainable land use and ecological environment protection. The land use information was extracted and analyzed based on Landsat TM images in Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province from 1992 to 2008, following remote sensing(RS) and GIS. The ESV of the land use change in study area was evaluated by adopting the service value method within Chinese terrestrial ecosystem. The results showed that:(1) the area of paddy field and forest land reduced in the 16 years, total area of construction land expanded fast on the basis of occupying paddy field and forest land.(2) The regional ESV increased by 4,508.859×104 RMB, but there is different change trend at different times, such as the ESV fell by 10.59% in 1992–2000, increased by 16.024% in 2000–2008.(3) The conversion from forest land and cultivated land to construction land caused a decline and negative flow in ESV, the total value was 2,197.233×104 RMB and 5,317.460×104 RMB.(4) All land use types showed that change of the ESV coefficient was less elastic, the relative sensitivity: forest land > cultivated land > water area. In terms of variability of ESV, water area change had greater influence on the change of ESV in the study area, and cultivated land and forest land had relatively smaller impact.

Value Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services in the Da Hinggan Mountains, China

This study examined regional differences in ecosystem services for the Da Hinggan Mountains(DHM),China.A correction index was constructed based on ten-year average net primary productivity(NPP)data.A new equivalent factor table that was suitable for the assessment of wetlands in the DHM was formed by using the expert weight determination method(EWDM).An evaluation model was established for evaluating the ecosystem service value(ESV)of wetlands in the DHM.The results show that in 2020,the total ESV of wetlands reached 93361×10^(6) USD,with the forest swamp and marsh ecosystems contributing the most.From the perspective of value composition,regulating services and supporting services are the main service functions of wetlands in the DHM.From 2010 to2020,ESV provided by wetlands increased by 4337×10^(6) USD/yr in the DHM.The value of forest swamp and peatland ecosystems increased by 18.6%and 12.7%,respectively,whereas the value of swamp,shrub swamp,and marsh decreased.The research results are of significance for contributing to local government performance evaluation and determining financial compensation for the provision of wetland ecosystem services.

Appraisal of arid land status:a holistic assessment pertains to bio-physical indicators and ecosystem values

Background:Appraisal of arid land status is very crucial one to know the extent and factors associated with their degradation.Previous studies from arid regions are mostly qualitative in nature(indicator assessment like good,moderate,severe,and very severe)and generally overlooked the significance of temporal fluctuation.Methods:In this study,the temporal status of 12 Indian arid lands was accessed by using a new integrated approach that includes attributes like relative converge score(RCS),herbaceous component score(HCS),soil quality indexModified(SQI),ecosystem monitoring value(EMV),and a modified bare patch index.From each land,data were collected during three seasonal events(pulse,inter-pulse,and non-pulse),and thus,status was evaluated with 36 observations.Data were analyzed by using frequency distribution,principal component analysis(PCA),student t test,and regression technique.Results:RCS and HCS were recorded minimum(0.005,0.65)during non-pulse event and maximum(0.36,1.79)during pulse event respectively.With this approach,multi-directional temporal status of lands identified that were grouped into lower(7),moderate(14),high(12),and very high(3)quality lands.Conclusion:This integrated study suggested that in arid regions,although rainfall triggers plant community composition,however,sole utilization of this parameter is unable to portray the true status of lands,and other physical(soil)and biotic(livestock and other anthropogenic)parameters are equally important and influential during other events.

Characterizing changes in ecosystem service values in China's eastern Loess Plateau

Human activities such as the implementation of ecological protection projects and expansion of construction land can cause complex land use changes that affect ecosystem service values （ESV）. In this study, we investigated changes in ESV in response to land use changes in Ningwu County, in eastern Loess Plateau of China. Our aim is to provide guidance for sustainable land use planning in this region. We used remote sensing to evaluate land use changes, and applied a fast, proxy-based method for evaluating ESVat three points in time： 1990, 2000, and 2010. More than 89% of the total ESV in Ningwu County was attributable to woodland and grassland. The ESV in western mountain areas show the greatest increase from 1990 to 2010, but ESV decreased the most in the low-elevation northeastern area of flat terrain These tradeoffs led to a slight net decrease （1.0%） in Ningwu County＇s total ESV. Although the decline in ESV was relatively low compared to the rate of economic growth, total ESV was much lower than global and national average levels at the end of the study period.

Advances and Prospects in Research of Land Ecosystem Service Value

Ecosystem provides supply,regulation,support and cultural services.The value assessment of ecosystem service functions is helpful for people to understand the importance of natural ecosystems to production and life.Through analyzing domestic and foreign research on ecosystem service value,this paper sorted out the research process of value assessment.Based on the assessment process,the existing assessment methods and the introduced model methods were summarized,and the methods and models used by the latest research were classified.According to the weakness of the existing studies,it discussed prospects of future research.It is expected to promote multi-scale and multi-directional research exploration and enrich the theory and method of value assessment.

Change of ecosystem service value in Menglian county with large-area economic gardens

From the point of spatio-temporal changes of ecological system type,function and value,in Menglian county,land using/cover data was based on three Landsat TM images(respectively obtained in2000,2005,2010 and 2015) which were interpreted as basic information sources by using RS and GIS technology and then revising ecosystem service value per unit area in Menglian county.This paper has researched on the changes of ecosystem service value of economic garden for large area planting as well as evaluated ecosystem service value scientifically in Menglian county combined with the sensitivity analysis.The Results showed that:(1) In Menglian county,from 2000 to 2015,land use pattern manifested as the transformation from large areas of cultivated land,forest land and shrub to the economic landscape,the economic landscape is increased by 24458.31 hm^2,however,farm land,wood land and shrub are reduced by 24865.74 hm2 in total;(2) Changes of ecosystem service value is closely related to economic landscape development in Menglian county.The situation of ecosystem service value shows the changing trend from improvement to severity in 2000-2015.ESV is increased by 96.39 million yuan from 2000 to2005,whose annual growth rate is about 0.56%·a^(-1).But in the year of 2005 to 2015,ESV is reduced by120.23 million yuan and annual reduced rate is about 0.34%·a^(-1);(3) In Menglian county,the main ecological system is the woodland ecological system,the primary ecosystem service functions are biodiversity protection,gas regulation,soil formation and retention,climate regulation and water supply,the ecological benefit were decreased in 2000-2015;(4) From the aspect of space distribution,ecosystem service value in Menglian county is relatively high in the central area and relatively not high in the western and eastern area.ESV(yuan·hm`(-2)) was changed obvious,Gongxin town trended to decline,other towns increased first the then reduced.The temporal and spatial variation of ecosystem service value in Menglian county is affected by natural and human factors.The key to the development of economic landscape is rational land use according to the practical situation,which can create economic value and also keep its ecological value.

Spatio-temporal evolution and topographic gradient effect of land use and ecosystem service value in the Lhasa River Basin

The Lhasa River Basin forms an essential human settlement area in the southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.This study employed ecosystem service value(ESV)evaluation model,terrain gradient grading,and Geodetector to analyze land use and ESV in the Lhasa River Basin from 1985 to 2020.The findings reveal that:(1)From 1985 to 2020,grassland was the dominant land use.There was a trend of grassland reduction and the expansion of other land types.(2)ESV has increased over the research period(with a total increase of 0.84%),with higher values in the southeast and lower values in the northwest.Grassland contributed the most to ESV,and climate regulation and hydrological regulation were the ecosystem services that contribute the most to ESV.(3)Natural factors like NDVI and altitude,as well as economic factors like population density and distance from roads,influenced the spatial differentiation of ESV,the explanatory power of NDVI reached up to 0.47.The interaction between factors had a greater impact than individual factors.These research results can provide theoretical support for national spatial planning and ecological environment protection in the Lhasa River Basin and other similar areas.

Spatial and temporal changes of paddy rice ecosystem services in China during the period 1980–2014

The ecological systems services or multi-functionality of paddy rice cultivation are critical to the functioning of the Earth’s life-support system.We estimated the ecosystem services value(ESV)of paddy rice during 1980-2014 across China.The results indicated that the ESV of the paddy field in China showed an upward trend during this period.The share of ESV on CO_(2)sequestration was the highest,followed by ESV on temperature cooling and greenhouse gas(GHG)emission.The yield-scaled ESVs of ZonesⅡ(southern rice-upland crops rotation regions)andⅢ(southern double rice production regions)were similar and significantly higher than the ESVs of ZonesⅠ(northeastern single rice production regions)and IV(Southwest rice-upland crops rotation regions).Between 1980 and 2014,the ESV of each region increased to varying degrees,except for the ESVs of Guangxi,Zhejiang,Fujian,and Guangdong.Such effects suggest the existence of a significant spatial-temporal variation in the total amount,structure,and density of ESV of paddy fields in China,which can further guide the development of future options for the adaptation of healthy rice production in China.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Ecosystem Service Value in Caohai National Nature Reserve

Wetland ecosystems are important regulators of global climate change.Studying the spatiotemporal changes and driving mechanisms of their ecosystem service values(ESV)is beneficial for the sustainable development of wetlands.This paper uses the equivalent factor method,based on land use changes,to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution of the ecosystem service value in the Caohai National Nature Reserve(CNNR).The results show the following:①from 2000 to 2020,there was a significant decrease in the core zone s arable land area,with an increase in forest and water areas.Construction land mainly increased in the experimental area,and the grassland area showed a fluctuating change of first increasing and then decreasing;②in 2000,2010,and 2020,the ecosystem service value of the study area was 302 million,296 million,and 325 million yuan,respectively,showing a trend of fluctuating growth,with the value of wetland ecosystems playing a dominant role;③regulatory services are the main contributors to the ecosystem service value in the study area,with a contribution rate of 60%.Hydrological regulation is the ecosystem function with the highest value in wetland ecosystem services,contributing more than 35%to the ESV in all three periods;④in terms of spatial distribution,the core zone s ecosystem service value is dominant.Looking at the total ecosystem service value of the region,the core zone>the experimental area>the buffer zone.In terms of ESV per unit area,the core zone(89000 yuan/hm^(2))is significantly higher than the buffer zone(39100 yuan/hm^(2))and the experimental area(15800 yuan/hm^(2)).The study can provide a basis for research and spatial management of ecosystem services in wetland ecosystems and nature reserves.

Temporal and spatial responses of ecological resilience to climate change and human activities in the economic belt on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, China

In the Anthropocene era,human activities have become increasingly complex and diversified.The natural ecosystems need higher ecological resilience to ensure regional sustainable development due to rapid urbanization and industrialization as well as other intensified human activities,especially in arid and semi-arid areas.In the study,we chose the economic belt on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains(EBNSTM)in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China as a case study.By collecting geographic data and statistical data from 2010 and 2020,we constructed an ecological resilience assessment model based on the ecosystem habitat quality(EHQ),ecosystem landscape stability(ELS),and ecosystem service value(ESV).Further,we analyzed the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of ecological resilience in the EBNSTM from 2010 to 2020 by spatial autocorrelation analysis,and explored its responses to climate change and human activities using the geographically weighted regression(GWR)model.The results showed that the ecological resilience of the EBNSTM was at a low level and increased from 0.2732 to 0.2773 during 2010–2020.The spatial autocorrelation analysis of ecological resilience exhibited a spatial heterogeneity characteristic of"high in the western region and low in the eastern region",and the spatial clustering trend was enhanced during the study period.Desert,Gobi and rapidly urbanized areas showed low level of ecological resilience,and oasis and mountain areas exhibited high level of ecological resilience.Climate factors had an important impact on ecological resilience.Specifically,average annual temperature and annual precipitation were the key climate factors that improved ecological resilience,while average annual evapotranspiration was the main factor that blocked ecological resilience.Among the human activity factors,the distance from the main road showed a negative correlation with ecological resilience.Both night light index and PM2.5 concentration were negatively correlated with ecological resilience in the areas with better ecological conditions,whereas in the areas with poorer ecological conditions,the correlations were positive.The research findings could provide a scientific reference for protecting the ecological environment and promoting the harmony and stability of the human-land relationship in arid and semi-arid areas.

The effects of land consolidation on the ecological connectivity based on ecosystem service value： A case study of Da＇an land consolidation project in Jilin province

Land consolidation has a profound impact on landscape patterns and ecological functions at various scales through engineering and biological measures. In recent years, China invests more than 100 billion RMB yuan on land consolidation each year. To under- stand how land consolidation affects landscape patterns and ecosystems, we investigated the ecosystem service value and the ecological connectivity in a consolidated area of Da＇an city from 2008 to 2014 using a revised ecological connectivity index. The results indicated that land consolidation has certain negative influences on the ecosystem services in this area. The total ecosystem service value will decrease by nearly 30% in the late stage of consolida- tion. This decrease is caused by the loss of ecosystem service of the wetland and grassland, despite a sensible increase of cultivated land. In addition, land consolidation could change the ecological connectivity as well as the land use structure. Up to 85% of the entire area will be in low connectivity in the late stage of consolidation, representing a 6.23% increase in the total coverage compared to pre-consolidation. Finally, the different connectivity landscape and their key areas can be identified by the revised ecological connectivity index effectively. This study is helpful to trace out the relationships between landscape pattern and ecological process, and provides insights for ecological planning and designing of land consolidation in this area. We suggest that more attentions should be paid to improve the quality and eco- system service value per unit area of the landscape, to establish ecological compensation mechanism of wetland losses, and to create the ecological corridors along the least accu- mulated impendence surface in the key areas during land consolidation.