Abstract
An ecosystem service assessment can directly reflect the effectiveness of ecological restoration, reveal the process and driving mechanism of ecosystem change, and guide the future management. However, most studies have focused on analyzing the historical dynamic changes in ecosystem services (ESs), and few studies have clarified what level the ecosystem should be restored to. Therefore, this study proposed the concept of a zonal climax background based on the ESs in natural reserves, which can present the best state of ecosystem in the same region. We regarded the zonal climax background as the ultimate goal of ecological restoration, and described the recovery process and gap compared with the actual state. Taking the forest, grassland and wetland ecosystems of the Loess Plateau (LP) as the research object, we quantitatively simulated the zonal climax background and actual conditions of carbon fixation, water conservation, soil conservation and sand fixation. The results showed that the annual average carbon fixation of the zonal climax background of the LP was 44.88 MgC/km2/a, the water conservation was 4.39 × 106 m3/km2/a, the soil conservation was 8416.64 t/km2/a and the sand fixation was 1051.97 t/km2/a, which represented the annual average recovery degrees were 94.10%, 38.46%, 64.73% and 87.59%, respectively. In addition, the study categorized the four ESs of the regionalization of comprehensive control of the LP through the superimposed analysis of the recovery space and the recovery degree and clarified the main focus of future ES improvement, such as carbon fixation in the loss hilly and valley region (LHGR) and Loss Plateau valley region (LPGR); soil conservation in the LHGR, LPGR and earth rock mountains area (ERMA); and water conservation in the LHGR and plain area (PA). Water and soil conservation in irrigated regions (IRs) and sandy areas (SAs) were not the main ESs and should not be prioritized over other ESs.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
