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.

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 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.

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.

Response of Ecosystem Service Value Based on Land Use Changes and Analysis of its Driving Factors in Typical Hilly Region with Red Soil

The contribution rate of ecosystem service value variation was used to analyze the effects of land use changes on the changes of ecosystem service value in Xingguo County during 1996-2005.Grey integrated correlation was employed to explore the contribution level of the indicators such as total population,urbanization level,proportion of primary industry and investment of social fixed assets on ecosystem service value,and the correlation analysis was also carried out.The results showed that the ecosystem service value in Xingguo County during 1996-2005 mainly was woodland,and the decrease of woodland area was the major reason for the sustained reduction of ecosystem service value.With the further increase of market demand and the incentives of local government,the garden area rapidly increased during 2001-2005,and the influence degree of garden towards the changes of ecosystem service value was only second to woodland,ranking No.2.Four socio-economic indicators had different correlation degree with ecosystem service value during the different research periods.Total population,urbanization level and proportion of primary industry had high correlation degree with ecosystem service value,whereas the influence degree of various socio-economic indicators on ecosystem service value was equal with each other day by day.Urbanization level,investment of social fixed assets and total population had significant negative correlation with ecosystem service value,while the proportion of primary industry had positive correlation with ecosystem service value.

Assessment of Ecosystem Services Value in Hotan Oasis, Xingjiang

[Objective] The study aimed to assess the ecosystem services value in Hotan Oasis, Xingjiang. [Method] The visual interpretation method was adopted to process TM/ETM＋ images based on field investigation in Hotan Oasis. These inter- pretation data, along with two periods of land use data, were reclassified to farm- land, forest, grassland and so on. Then, the ecosystem services value was calculat- ed and analyzed. [Result] Analysis indicated that the ecosystem services value had been increased by 30.44x108 Yuan （16.51%） in the study area during 1980-2010, which can be explained by the increase of glacier and snowfield distributed in the south mountain with the increase of annual precipitation. At the same time, the con- tribution rate of grassland to ecosystem services value had been decreased as a result of degradation of grassland and occupation from farmland. For the whole basin, the increase of ecosystem services value came from the upper reaches, while the ecosystem services value had been reduced in the middle and lower reaches. In the middle reaches, the reduction came mainly from wetland （-1.83x10s Yuan）, waters （-1.68x10s Yuan）, forest （-0.86x108 Yuan） and grassland （-0.80x108 Yuan）. But in the lower reaches, the ecosystem services values of waters, grassland and forest were -0.61 x108 Yuan, -0.24x108 Yuan, and -0.07x10s Yuan, respectively. [Conclusion] If some effective policies, such as the implementation of returning farm- land to forest and ceasing from farming to grazing, would be taken, the ecosystem degradation can be constrained and reversed in the northwest arid region.

Impacts of Land Use Change on Ecosystem Service Value in Yanchi County of Ningxia

Based on TM image data in 1989, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2006 and 2009 of Yanchi County of Ningxia, the land use date of Yanchi County in each year were extracted supported by RS and GIS technology, and used to analyze the dynamic change of land use. The land use data were studied for estimating the change of ecosystem services value caused by the land use change of Yanchi County, using the evaluation method of China terrestrial ecosystem services value. The results showed that the changes of land use were obvious during 1989 to 2009. The area of woodland and construction land had an increasing tendency; grassland area changed from decreasing to increasing, which was in contrary to farmland and un-used land areas （from increasing to decreasing）; water area fluctuated slightly. The ecosystem services value of Yanchi County had an increasing tendency during 1989 to 1995, because the increasing woodland area had took the major role in raising the total ecosystem services value. The grassland accounted for a large proportion of the total ecosystem service value of Yanchi County, with its contribution rate from 49.8% to 60.4%. And the composition of the ecosystem services value of Yanchi County happened benign change for the increasing contribution rate of woodland. The ecosystem services value sensitivity index of each land use type was less than 1, indicating that the ecosystem services value of Yanchi County lacks flexibility on its service value index, and the research results are reliable.

Changes in Grassland Ecosystem Service Values in the Three-River Headwaters Region,China

[Method] This study aimed to assess the changes in grassland ecosystem Service values in the Three-River Headwaters Region of China, the source of the Yangtze, Yellow （Huang He） and Lantsang （Mekong） rivers. [Method] Biophysical values of four services were monetized within the region, including water regulation, air quality regulation, climate regulation and soil conservation. [Result] The total ESVs were 884.97×10^8 Yuan, 1 302.06×10^8 Yuan and 1 299.49×10^8 Yuan in 2000, 2005 and 2008, respectively. The amount of value per unit area experienced a steep increase from 2000 to 2005（18.10×10^4 Yuan/km2）, and then remained almost unchanged from 2005 to 2008 （-0.31×10^4 Yuan/km2）. The ESV tended to decline from the southeastern to the northwestern. ESV in the eastern and central part increased faster than that in the south-central and western part of the TRHR from 2000 to 2008. It could be seen that the ecosystem condition of grassland in the TRHR improved signifi- cantly over the study period of 2000-2008. [Conelusion] The results provided good information to assess the effectiveness of current ecological protection measures in the TRHR and support regional sustainable management policies.

Study on the Ecosystem Services Value of Fei County Based on RS and GIS

[Objective] With the background of dramatic changes in land use patterns,the aim was to explore the ecosystem services value of Fei County based on RS and GIS.[Method] Ecological changes in the environment can bring changes in economic value expressed quantitatively by ecosystem service value （ESV）.According to modified ESV equivalency factor tables and three periods of interpreted TM remote sensing images in 1990,2000 and 2009,this paper calculated the total ESV in Fei County,Shandong Province,China and analyzed the relationship between ESV and the land-use changes at last.[Result] The results showed that the total ESV of the study area decreased from 2.144×109 yuan in 1990,2.139×109 yuan in 2000,and at last to 2.098×109 yuan in 2009 as the overall study area land use pattern changed dramatically,in which the built-up land increased by 23％,while the cropland and forest were constantly on the decrease.[Conclusion] The research provides theoretical support for the construction of high efficient ecological economic zone and sustainable development of the region.

Assessments on Ecological Sensitivity and Ecosystem Service Value in Karst Area Based on GIS——Taking Bijie Prefecture in Guizhou for Example

Assessments on ecological sensitivity and ecosystem service value are two important basic works in eco-functional regionalization. According to the special ecological environment in Guizhou Province,GIS technology was used in the classification evaluations of soil erosion sensitivity,acid rain sensitivity and rocky desertification sensitivity in Bijie Prefecture,and then the comprehensive evaluation on eco-environmental sensitivity was carried out. Finally,the preliminary economic estimation of ecosystem service value in Bijie Prefecture was made by means of the appraisal approach for ecosystem service proposed by Costanza.

Responses of Spatial-temporal Variation of Karst Ecosystem Service Values to Landscape Pattern in Northwest of Guangxi,China

The responses of spatiotemporal variation of ecosystem service values (ESVs) to landscape pattern from 1985 to 2005 in a typical Karst area of the northwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,China,were examined us-ing remote sensing and geographic information system techniques in this paper.The total ecosystem service values de-clined significantly from 1985 to 1990,and then increased slowly from 1990 to 2005,almost equaled to the 1985 level.The ecosystem service values tended to decline from the west to the east and from mountainous regions to peak-cluster depression areas in 1985,1990,2000 and 2005 respectively.During the period from 1985 to 2005,the ecosystem ser-vice values have increased in the middle and eastern parts of the study area.Landscape pattern indices,such as total area,largest patch index,contagion,aggregative index,effective mesh and proportion of like adjacencies,are significantly correlated with ecosystem service values.This suggests that ecosystem service values tend to increase with the growth of patch area and patch connectivity.However,there are negative correlations between ecosystem service values and landscape pattern indices,such as division index and patch richness.It indicates that ecosystem service values decrease with patch fragmentation and patch size shrinkage.The ecosystem conditions in the typical Karst area have been improved because of the control measures of rocky desertification.It is important to protect key landscape types,such as woodland,shrub and grassland,and to increase patch size and connectivity to avoid further fragmentation.Furthermore,it is necessary to reduce disturbances to ensure the growth of ecosystem service values and to facilitate the sustainable development in this region.

Research on the Spatial Distribution of Ecosystem Service Value in Guangxi and Its Ecological Protection Countermeasure

90 counties (cities) in Guangxi Province being taken as the tested region,the ecosystem service value of those counties (cities) was measured with the data of land-using in 2005 by means of the Table of Terrestrial Ecosystem Services Value in China.The result indicated that the value of the ecosystem services per unit was divided into 3 categories:the first category with high ecosystem services value,the second category with medium ecosystem services value and the third category with low ecosystem services value.The region of the first category was mainly distributed in the mountain area of northern,northwestern,eastern and northeast part of Guangxi;the second category,in the hilly area of southern part and the mountain area in the southwestern part of Guangxi and the third category,in the basin area of central Guangxi,the karst area of western and northwestern Guangxi Province.

Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of Regional Marine Ecosystem Services Value

Marine ecosystem services are the benefits which people obtain from the marine ecosystem,including provisioning services,regulating services,cultural services and supporting services. The human species,while buffered against environmental changes by culture and technology,is fundamentally dependent on the flow of ecosystem services. Marine ecosystem services become increasingly valuable as the terrestrial resources become scarce. The value of marine ecosystem services is the monetary flow of ecosystem services on specific temporal and spatial scales,which often changes due to the variation of the goods prices,yields and the status of marine exploitation. Sensitivity analysis is to study the relationship between the value of marine ecosystem services and the main factors which affect it. Uncertainty analysis based on varying prices,yields and status of marine exploitation was carried out. Through uncertainty analysis,a more credible value range instead of a fixed value of marine ecosystem services was obtained in this study. Moreover,sensitivity analysis of the marine ecosystem services value revealed the relative importance of different factors.

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）.

Concept and Evaluation of Ecosystem Intrinsic Value

Ecosystem valuation can serve as a basis of scientific support for decision-making. So far, the most popular methods for ecosystem valuation are ecosystem service valuation （ESV）, which is based on the utility of ecosystem to human beings rather than on the objective value of the ecosystem. After more than 10 years＇ application, it has been found that all losses of ESV were about 10% of the benefits of human activities. In this paper, the ecosystem intrinsic value （EIV） is defined. EIV is an objective value that emerges from the existence, structures, functions and processes of ecosystem, but independent with man, man＇s will and preferences. The valuating approach and methods used for EIV were developed by using energy approach and the methods of emergy analysis and eco-exergy analysis. The EIV calculated by emergy from the substance, energy and information of ecosystem and by eco-exergy from the structure and function of ecosystem represents the existent value and the externally working capacity of ecosystem, respectively. The approach and methods of EIV evaluation were applied to Xiamen Bay, China. The results showed that the marine EIV in Xiamen Bay was 209 billion RMB, including 116 billion RMB of emergy and 92.4 billion RMB of eco-exergy in 2010, nearly 30 times of ESV and 8.5 times of the GDP of Xiamen marine industry in 2010. The EIV in unit area of Xiarnen Bay is more than 10 times higher than the average global ESV in estuaries. It implied a potential undervaluation to ecosystem value by ESV calculation, which may mislead decisions-making processes.