Cost-benefit analysis of ecological restoration based on land use scenario simulation and ecosystem service on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract

Ecological degradation is a serious problem across the world constraining regional sustainable development, while ecological restoration is of great significance in alleviating this issue. Cost-benefit analysis of ecological restoration is valid for successful project implementation and planning but large-scale studies are still lacking, especially for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), which has a special geographic location and extremely fragile ecosystems. This study applied patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model to simulate different ecological restoration scenarios and quantified their costs and benefits (ecosystem services values). The results indicated that restoration priority areas varied in specific landscapes for different scenarios. For grassland restoration, the scenarios prioritized the southwestern regions with large tracts of grassland. The cost-benefit analysis showed that the benefit cost ratio of farmland afforestation scenario was the largest, with the value of 128.2; and it was the lowest in the degraded land restoration scenario, with the value of 58.44. And the benefit cost ratio of degraded grassland restoration was between the two, which is 80.83. Besides, in the comprehensive restoration scenarios, the benefit cost ratio increased with the increase of the grassland restoration area when the afforestation area and the degraded land restoration area remained unchanged. The results can guide and support ecological restoration planning and policy formulation on the QTP. • This study simulates four categories ecological restoration scenarios. • The benefits and cost of various restoration scenarios are quantified and compared. • Cost-benefit analysis shows that the farmland afforestation has the highest benefit.