Mapping ecosystem services bundles to detect high- and low-value ecosystem services areas for land use management

Abstract

How to manage multiple ecosystem services (ES) in complex social-ecological systems during rapid urbanization is a key challenge for sustainable development. We used the ES bundles method to identify counties with similar dominant ES and then determine low- and high-value ES areas in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Area (BTH), China. Seven vital ES, including provision of grains, vegetables, fruits, carbon storage, and water, soil, and sand retention were analyzed in 202 BTH counties to determine their spatial patterns, pairwise relationships, and relationships with nine social-ecological factors. There were synergies within provisioning and regulating services and trade-offs between groups. Five distinct ES bundles were identified, which were consistent with land use in the BTH, and the proportions of forestland and cropland were the major factors determining ES patterns. The 45 counties within the “urban-water bundle” and the 64 counties within the “suburban bundle” provided only 4% carbon storage, were suggested to increase the green space thereby increasing the capacity of ES providing. The “high regulating ES bundle” comprised 33 counties and provided 74% carbon storage, 75% soil retention, and 54% water retention for the BTH. The “sand retention bundle”, including 17 counties, provided 78% sand retention. These two ES bundles were suggested to be protected from land development for urbanization and reclamation. The “suburban bundle” and the “agriculture bundle”, which provided 78% of the grains, were the main source of food and responsible for avoiding the conversion of cropland to construction land. Overall, these results suggest that ES bundle analyses can not only identify the dominant services, but also demonstrate the multiple functions of landscape. The characteristics of each ES bundle can provide information to find potential win-win solutions for the land management.