Effects of land-use intensity on ecosystem services and human well-being: a case study in Huailai County, China

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of land-use intensity (LUI) on ecosystem services and human well-being in a rural county of China. LUI was assessed using the landscape development intensity index, key ecosystem services (crop production, soil conservation and climate regulation) and human well-being (standard of living and food security), which were quantified by proxy indicators. In addition, correlation method and ANOVA were used to reveal the effect of LUI on ecosystem services and human well-being. These results showed that LUI was correlated with changes in ecosystem services and human well-being in the study area. As LUI increased, there were increases in crop production and living standard well-being and a reduction in regulating services (soil conservation and climate regulation). The statistical results between LUI and food security were not significant. Furthermore, there were tradeoffs between provisioning and regulating services and synergies between regulating services when the LUI increased. These findings revealed the different responses of ecosystem services and human well-being to increasing LUI and provided guidelines for land-use decision-making and ecosystem services management.