Advancing a novel large-scale assessment integrating ecosystem service flows and real human needs: A comparison between China and the United States

Abstract

Ecosystem service (ES) supply and human needs are often spatially conflicting. Although the synergy between them is crucial for global sustainability, little is known about the real human needs for ES (RHN) and their integration with actual ES supply. This study established a novel hierarchy of human needs for ES. Taking China and the United States as case studies, multiple types of actual ES supplies and multi-dimensional human needs were integrated to calculate the value of effective ecosystem service supply (EFS). The results suggested that the overall EFS in the United States is higher than that in China. There was a significant gap between the United States and China in areas with the first grade of EFS (F-EFS); the United States accounted for 68% of the total in such areas in the two countries combined. Whereas China accounted for 32%, mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta urban group. China exhibited a gradually decreasing trend from the east coast to the northwest. Moreover, the F-EFS in China displayed more spatial concentration than in the United States. It was also discovered that the reason for the gap was a sharp spatial mismatch between actual ES supply and RHN in China. Nevertheless, China was specifically found to have the potential to enhance its EFS. This paper proposes some solutions to mitigate the gap and also offers guidance on the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).