Abstract
With the interaction of global change and human activities, the contradistinction between supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is becoming increasingly tense, which will have a profound impact on the ecological security of China and even Asia. Based on land cover data on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in 1990, 2005, and 2015, this paper estimated the supply capacity of ecosystem services using the value equivalent method, calculated the demand for ecosystem services using population density and economic density, established an ecosystem risk index based on the idea of an ecosystem service matrix to reveal the spatio-temporal pattern of the supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and identified the potential ecological risk areas arising from the imbalance between supply and demand. The results showed that: (1) In terms of the spatio-temporal pattern of land use change, the desert area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau decreased the most with 26,238.9 km2, and other types of land use increased, of which construction land increased by 131.7%; (2) In terms of the supply and demand of ecosystem services, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was mainly dominated by low-level surplus areas, accounting for 64.0%, and the deficit in some areas has worsened significantly; and (3) In terms of division pattern of ecological risk areas, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau presented characteristics of high risk in the east and low risk in the west. The high-risk area accounted for 1.1%, mainly distributed in the Huangshui Valley and the “One River and Two Tributaries” (Yarlung Zangbo River, Lhasa River, Nianchu River). The research results can provide reference for ecosystem management and policy formulation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and have important significance for realizing the coupling and coordinated development of human–land relationship in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Highlights
Various services provided by the ecosystem are an important material basis for the development of human society
Wei et al [38] studied landuse change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and evaluated the change of ecosystem service value in the past 25 years—the results show that the total value of ecosystem services including supply, regulation, habitat, and cultural services has been increasing from 1995 to 2015
Based on the land-use change data of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the ecosystem service supply matrix, the supply and demand of ecosystem service on the QinghaiTibet Plateau and their spatial matching were discussed in the paper, which is of great significance for the sub-region protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau ecosystem
Summary
Various services provided by the ecosystem are an important material basis for the development of human society. Global climate change has profoundly affected nature and the ecosystem, and the supply of ecosystem services has changed . Sustainability 2021, 13, 5366 which can affect the provision of forest ecosystem services [4]. With the increase in the total population across the globe and the rapid development of the social economy, the demand for ecosystem services such as food, water resources, and energy has been intensified [5]. The status of ecosystem services is affected by the supply of ecosystem services and by human activities. In measuring the sustainable development goals of an ecosystem, the relationship between supply and demand in ecosystem services is inseparable [7]. Quantitative assessment of supply and demand of ecosystem services should be carried out to effectively identify high-risk areas of supply and demand in ecosystem services, so as to provide a basis for formulating sound management policies of ecosystem services, realizing the harmonious development of human and nature
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