Enhancing ecological value through sustainable food supply of grasslands in the Three-River-Source National Park, Tibet Plateau, China

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an important ecological security barrier in China and even the world. and it is rich in natural ecological resources. Effectively transforming the ecological value of the ecosystem in this area into economic value is of great significance for balancing ecological environmental protection and economic and social development. Gross ecosystem product (GEP) accounting can objectively evaluate the effectiveness of this transformation process, and plays an important role in promoting the realization of the value of ecological products on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. this study intends to use the LMDI model to analyze the driving factors of the ecological product value in Qinghai, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia and national parks, including the resource utilization effect, structural effect, economic development effect and population scale effect. Based on the analysis, combined with the actual situation in Lhasa River basin, Tibet, Constructed a GEP index system that includes 3 aspects: ecological material products, ecological regulation service products and ecological cultural service products, This index system includes three first-level indicators and multiple second-level indicators, providing a reference for the value realization of ecological products in Lhasa River basin. The results show that, as an area with higher value of ecosystem regulation services and lower value of economic transformation of ecological products, Lhasa River basin may face challenges such as low value realization efficiency and immature market mechanism. Therefore, the construction of GEP accounting indicators should refer to the regional experience of typical cases and focus on the selection of indicator weights. It is recommended to improve the value realization of ecological products from the aspects of improving the ecological product market trading mechanism, establishing a complete ecological product industrial chain, and rationally optimizing land management and utilization.

(1) Background: Ecosystem service value assessment is a trending area of sustainable development research and ecological civilization construction. Ecosystems provide supply, regulation, support, and cultural services, and the value assessment of ecosystem services is helpful for people to understand the importance of natural ecosystems to production and life. Based on the insufficiency of the current research on the value of land ecological services, this paper discusses the research direction of the evaluation of the value of ecosystem services in the future, provides a reference for the evaluation of the value of ecosystem services, and promotes multi-scale and multi-directional research experiments on the value of land ecological services. (2) In this paper, the basic information data are obtained through the interpretation of remote sensing images, and the value equivalent factor is corrected according to the average grain yield per unit area and grain price data in 2000, 2010, and 2020 to calculate the land ecological service value. The relevant data obtained by processing the ecological service value are classified into different levels to discuss the changes and trends of 129 county-level administrative units in three periods and analyze the quantitative and spatial variation characteristics of the ecological service value of 129 county-level administrative units. The paper studies the spatial agglomeration state of the total value of ecological services and finds the hotspot areas of the land ecological service value in the study area. (3) During the study period, great changes have taken place in the land use pattern of Yunnan Province, with the area of construction land expanding and the area of wetland decreasing. The ecological service value level of 129 county-level administrative units is relatively stable. The total value of each service is ranked as soil formation and protection > gas regulation > water conservation > biodiversity protection > climate regulation > raw materials > waste treatment > entertainment culture > food production. In the three periods, Shangri-La City has the highest value of ecological services per unit of land and Wuhua District has the lowest. The value of ecological services per unit of land in 129 county-level administrative units continues to rise. The areas with high average values are mainly in western Yunnan, southwestern Yunnan, southern Yunnan, and southeastern Yunnan. (4) The development speed of land ecological service value in Yunnan Province is far less than the development speed of GDP. There is still a lot of room for the development of ecological service value in Yunnan Province. The economic influence of Kunming is radiating to various cities through expressways and high-speed railways. The spatial distribution of land ecological service value in Yunnan Province has a strong correlation, showing a pattern of spatial agglomeration distribution, and the clustered areas are very stable.

基于CVM的海涂湿地生态服务价值的模糊评估模型

Consideration of the social values people assign to relatively undisturbed native ecosystems is critical for the success of science-based conservation plans. We used an interview process to identify and map social values assigned to 31 ecosystem services provided by natural areas in an agricultural landscape in southern Australia. We then modeled the spatial distribution of 12 components of ecological value commonly used in setting spatial conservation priorities. We used the analytical hierarchy process to weight these components and used multiattribute utility theory to combine them into a single spatial layer of ecological value. Social values assigned to natural areas were negatively correlated with ecological values overall, but were positively correlated with some components of ecological value. In terms of the spatial distribution of values, people valued protected areas, whereas those natural areas underrepresented in the reserve system were of higher ecological value. The habitats of threatened animal species were assigned both high ecological value and high social value. Only small areas were assigned both high ecological value and high social value in the study area, whereas large areas of high ecological value were of low social value, and vice versa. We used the assigned ecological and social values to identify different conservation strategies (e.g., information sharing, community engagement, incentive payments) that may be effective for specific areas. We suggest that consideration of both ecological and social values in selection of conservation strategies can enhance the success of science-based conservation planning.

国家公园生态产品价值核算

Studying the services value of oasis ecosystems in arid middle reaches of the Heihe Oasis is significant for understanding the development and evolution, revealing the maintaining mechanism of oasis security, and promoting the resources and environment sustainable development of this area. Based on the data of landsat TM image in the middle of Heihe River Basin acquired in 2000 and 2006, land use and land cover data were obtained first and also the changes were analyzed. On this basis, the service value per unit area of each type ecosystem was calculated, and the economic value of food production per hectare was calculated by production and area of crops in 2000, 2006. According to the result of calculation of the ecological services value per unit area, ecosystem service value and dynamic changes were analyzed. In addition, the sensitivity index was used to test rationality of ecological value coefficients. The result showed that firstly the land use types of farmland, grassland, water area and unused land decreased from 2000 to 2006 with a change rate of 4.50%, 1.62%, 2.42%, 0.96%, respectively, whereas, types of forest land, construction land and sandy land increased with a change rate of 16.64%, 4.96%, 2.38%, respectively. Secondly, the total services value of oasis ecosystem was increasing from 249.31 billion RMB Yuan in 2000 to 280.43 billion RMB Yuan in 2006, there were 12.48% net increment of 31.12 billion RMB Yuan, this was mainly due to the increasing forest land area and grassland ecosystem had the higher ecological service value per unit area. Thirdly, the services value of farmland, forest land, grassland, water area and sandy land ecosystem keep increasing, the service value of forest land, grassland and water area ecosystem accounted for above 80% of the total value, and forest ecosystem gave the greatest contribution to the total ecosystem service value, reaching 19.49 billion RMB Yuan. Fourthly, the sensitivity analysis suggested that these estimates were relatively reasonable. The ecological value coefficients adopted were suitable for application in the study area. So, it is important to protect oasis ecological environment and improve the service function of oasis ecosystem.

The establishment of a new type of natural protected area system with national parks as the main body is an inevitable trend of current development, and it is also an important ways to build a more beautiful China. During tourist visits, the national park will promote a variety of ways to enhance the ecological values of tourists. Ecological values can strengthen tourists’ sense of identity, but their impact on tourists’ pro-environmental behavior is not discussed. Based on this, Wuyishan National Park, a world natural and cultural heritage, is selected as the case site, and the PLS-SEM analysis method is used. An empirical test was conducted on 358 valid samples collected in the field. The results show the following: (1) tourists’ ecological values and place identity can positively affect their pro-environmental behaviors; (2) place identity plays a mediating role between ecological values and tourists’ pro-environmental behavior; (3) place dependence and place identity play a chain mediating role between ecological values and tourists’ pro-environmental behavior; (4) according to the PLS-MGA test, gender and age can play a moderating role on the influence of ecological values on pro-environmental behavior. Therefore, the managers of national parks should pay attention to the cultivation of ecological values and consider tourist attraction, as well as formulating marketing strategies and other policy suggestions according to the different characteristics of tourists. The findings of this study offer both practical guidance and a theoretical underpinning for advancing ecological tourism within the framework of natural protected areas, with national parks playing a central role.

European agricultural landscapes are facing contradictory phenomena in that some areas are experiencing unsustainable land-use intensification while others are being abandoned. Specifically, agricultural intensification is increasing resulting in numerous negative environmental impacts on European soils, water and biodiversity; increased crop ecological footprints; and creation of social conflicts and inequalities. Within this context, we mapped and assessed ecosystem services from Spanish agricultural landscapes to identify ecological and economical win–win situations that could provide good examples of sustainable landscape management. We aim to spatially identify gaps and areas of overlap of ecological and economic values of ecosystem services at the national scale for Spanish agricultural landscapes. Additionally, we analyse possible connections among social concerns and preferences related to environmental issues and ecosystem services with economic and ecological values of local agricultural landscapes. First, we quantified and mapped the economic value of crop production at the national level. Second, we mapped the ecological value of agricultural landscapes based on the “high nature value farming” index. Third, we explored the spatial correlations between economic and ecological values to identify major agricultural landscape patterns at the national level and specific win–win situations at the local level. Fourth, we conducted a public survey of the Spanish population about environmental concerns and their preferences towards ecosystem services. Fifth, we analysed the links among the social concerns and preferences with the ecological and economic values of agricultural landscapes at the national level. Our results allow us to better understand the main landscape patterns and help develop more balanced management strategies. For instance, the results show how current landscape management in Spain is polarized between areas with high economic values and areas with high ecological performance. The maps produced also allow the identification of agricultural landscapes with high economic and ecological values that can be used as good examples for sustainable landscape management. Additionally, the public survey revealed that environmental concerns of the Spanish population and the importance the population places on agricultural ecosystem services received very low scores. The results from this study show that the possibility of balancing and reconciling the supply of ecological and economic values from agricultural landscapes exists in practice. The results help identify areas in Spain where actions should be taken to enhance sustainable landscape planning at the national level. Among the analysed environmental concerns of the Spanish population, the three environmental concerns that had the lowest scores are those that are tightly linked to the type of action needed to shift towards more sustainable agroecological systems. Finally, we discuss how complex interactions among ecosystem services should become part of the planning strategies for new sustainable landscape management at the national level.

青藏高原生态系统完整性远程评价与国家公园群建设时序研究

Modeling the factors determining ecological and economic value gives rise to conceptual and methodological problems. Economic valuation typically focuses on use value in the short run, whether within or outside the market. Ecologists, however, are more concerned with ecological values, which provide an underlying long-run notion of value interpreted in a more general sense. This paper investigates the nature of the link between these two aspects of value in the context of a wetland in Northern India, which is also designated as a Ramsar site and a national park. A dynamic simulation model in a ‘STELLA’ environment is set up to understand the linkages between underlying ecological relationships and economic value emerging from them. The simulations point towards a critical dependence of economic value (direct and indirect income derived from the park) on ecological health indices. A non-linearity is to be seen in the impact of an increase in ecological health indices on tourist traffic. This responsive or elasticity with respect to ecological health is more at higher values of the indices, indicating thereby that once efforts at conservation increase the attractiveness of the park above a certain level, the impact may be cumulative and returns in terms of income may rise more than proportionately.

The value of ecosystem services and service capabilities continue to improve, and the way to form a path of resource industrialization development has become one of the important directions of sustainable development. This paper mainly takes the construction of national parks as a major opportunity and explores the temporal and spatial changes in the value of ecosystem services in Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu area) and the construction path of the industrial system of national park construction. The total value of ecosystem services was calculated using a comprehensive index of the degree of land use, land contribution rate, ecological service value, equivalent factor of economic value, and the improved value coefficient of farmland ecological services, and then the Sensitivity index was used to reveal the dependence of the value of ecosystem services on the value index over time. The results showed the following: (1) Human disturbance factors in Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu area) are weak, and the land use of Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu Area) was mainly grassland, followed by unused land, forest land, and glacial snow, with the change in glacial snow cover being the largest. (2) The ecosystem of Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu area) is strong, and the contribution rate of forest land, construction land, unused land, and glacial snow cover in Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu Area) was positive, while cultivated land, grassland, and water area were negative. Among them, glacial snow cover contributed the most at 10.4723 the ecological barrier function plays a stable role. (3) The ecosystem service value (ESV) in Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu Area) showed a fluctuating growth trend on the whole, showing the characteristics of high northwest and low southeast, among which the total value of grassland was the largest, the value of unused land was the smallest with the largest increase range, and the increase in water area was the smallest. (4) Qilian Mountain National Park (Gansu Area) is mainly based on regulated services, followed by support services, supply services, and cultural services, all showing a clear growth trend, increasing by 181.77%, 183.90%, 196.19%, and 170.38%, respectively. With the development of low-carbon economy and circular economy as the main idea, we aim to build a national park industrialization development path of direct product supply, indirect product supply, and basic guarantee.

Ecological compensation is an effective means to solve the conflict of interests among trans-boundary river basin countries. How to determine the ecological compensation standard is the core of ecological compensation. On the basis of the emergy synthesis method, we developed an emergy-water resources ecological footprint model for trans-boundary river basin countries. Based on the calculation of ecosystem service value and consumption ecological value of trans-boundary river basin countries, the ecological spillover value of each basin country is obtained. From the perspective of supply and consumption, the ecological compensation standard in basin countries is determined by judging the supply and consumption status of ecological services and combining with the willingness to pay for ecological compensation. Taking the Lancang–Mekong River Basin as an example, the results show that (1) the ecosystem service value of the Lancang–Mekong River Basin countries from high to low is Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Myanmar; (2) in terms of ecosystem service value consumption, the order from high to low is Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Laos, and Myanmar; and (3) Thailand and Vietnam, located in the lower reaches of the basin, belong to the consumers of ecological services, and based on the actual willingness to pay, they need to pay $46.913 billion and $1.699 billion, respectively.

南水北调中线工程途经区生态服务价值的时空变化

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world, which is also a global climate change sensitive area and ecologically vulnerable area. Establishing national parks is a key measure for biodiversity conservation. This study systematically disposed spatial distribution data of 51 national parks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, forming a comprehensive spatial information database. Characteristics such as development history, protection objects, and construction scale were statistically analyzed. Using methods such as the Geographic Concentration Index and Kernel Density Index, spatial distribution characteristics of national parks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau were analyzed from different dimensions including national distribution, development history, ecological zones, and agglomeration distribution. The results indicate that (1) there are a total of 51 national parks belong to eight countries on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, covering a total area of 864,400 square kilometers, accounting for 28.03% of the total area of the plateau, generally experienced two stages of “initial development” and “continuous prosperity”; (2) the national parks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau exhibit an aggregated and unbalanced distribution spatially, showing a characteristic of “more in the southwest and less in the northeast, with agglomeration in the southwest and dispersion in the northeast” distribution pattern along the Pamir-Himalaya region, and cover important ecological nodes and biodiversity hotspots, with clear regional differentiation regularity; (3) the contiguous agglomeration effect of national parks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau decreases from the southwest to the northeast, as well as in quantity, but an increasing trend in construction scale from the southwest to the northeast, which may closely related to policies. Finally, this study discusses the main reasons for the spatial pattern of national parks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and proposes three recommendations. This research could provide important references for policymakers to balance the conservation of national parks on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

The static calculation of ecological service value is the main basis for determining the value of water ecological service function in a river basin. The reasonable ecological service value calculation is the premise to determine the limit value of ecological compensation standard. Based on the types and calculation methods of watershed water ecological service value, on the basis of comprehensive comparison of the applicable scope and reliability of calculation results of various calculation methods, combined with the landscape characteristics of the study area, the ecological value assessment method of watershed forest system was given. Taking the Shanxi reservoir area in the Feiyun River basin as an example, the ecological value of the four service functions of supply, regulation, culture and support services was calculated, and the total ecological service value of the reservoir area was determined to be 7.062 billion yuan/a. The ecological services value of the forest in Shanxi reservoir area in terms of water retention, environmental purification, and reduction of soil waste requires cost inputs from the people upstream of the reservoir area. In order to achieve the overall equitable, coordinated and sustainable development of the basin, the beneficiaries of the downstream ecological service value of the basin should compensate the upstream 1.498 billion yuan/a, which is about 21% of the ecological service value.