基于生态系统服务的黑河中游退耕还林生态补偿研究

Understanding the impact of land use change on ecosystem service values (ESV) will provide a valuable reference for the formulation and implementation of ecological restoration programs (ERPs) and land use policies. The Guizhou Province is a typical karst region with a fragile ecosystem in southwest China. During the past decades, multiple ERPs, especially the Grain for Green Program (GFGP), have been implemented in this region, which has resulted in dramatic land use change. However, how the ESV responded to land use change in Guizhou Province remains unclear. Moreover, few studies have addressed the response of ESV to different intensities of ERPs in the future. This study adopted the benefit transfer method to quantitatively evaluate the contributions of different land use transitions to ESV change in Guizhou Province from 2000 to 2020. Moreover, we designed three GFGP scenarios to explore the response of ESV to the intensity of GFGP and identify the priority areas. The results showed that the total ESV in Guizhou Province experienced a net increase of 10.64 billion USD from 2000 to 2020, which was mainly attributed to the expansion of forestland and water area. However, the transition from forestland to farmland resulted in a loss of 5.07 billion USD in ESV, accounting for 53.66% of the total ESV loss, which should receive enough attention. The total ESV will increase by 17.07 billion USD, 30.16 billion USD, and 48.58 billion USD under mild GFGP, moderate GFGP, and strong GFGP scenarios, respectively. The high-intensity GFGP enhanced the trade-off relationship between provision services and the other three kinds of services (i.e. regulating services, culture services, and habitant services). The moderate GFGP scenario (i.e. converting farmland on a slope greater than 20° into forestland) was the optimal intensity in Guizhou Province and Zunyi, Bijie, and Qiandongnan should be the priority areas to implement GFGP in the future. The trade-off relationship between ecosystem services should be taken into consideration and the suitable intensity of GFGP should be determined based on local characteristics in the formulation and implementation of GFGP. This study can provide references for formulating and optimizing ecological restoration policy in Guizhou Province.

The Grain for Green Program (GGP), one of the world’s largest soil and water conservation initiatives, has been implemented in China as a representative payment for environmental service program. This study aims to evaluate the ecosystem service value (ESV) of forests established under the GGP in five representative provinces (Hebei, Liaoning, Hubei, Yunnan, Gansu), using a systematic methodology that integrates ecologic and economic dimensions for large-scale ecological projects. Between 1999 and 2013, a total of 717.67 × 104 ha of forests were established. Barren land served as the primary land source, with ecological forest being the dominant forest type within the program. The ESV assessment encompassed key services, including water conservation, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, nutrient retention, air quality improvements, and biodiversity improvements. Based on our estimates, the total annual ESV of the afforested areas under GGP in the five representative provinces is 3604.99 × 108 Yuan, with water conservation representing the largest share among all ecosystem services. Moreover, the cumulative ESV generated by these forests over the 14-year period exceeded the total payments made by the central government to farmers. To ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the GGP, a more equitable cost–benefit sharing mechanism is recommended.

Decades of reckless deforestation have caused serious soil erosion and land desertification issues in the Loess Plateau (LP). “Grain for Green” Program (GFGP), one of the world’s largest ecological restoration projects, is crucial to improve the ecological environment. Previous studies have demonstrated that GFGP lowers soil erosion in the LP. However, there are trade-offs and synergies between ecological services. Does strengthening soil conservation prevent enhancing other ecosystem services? Consequently, can the GFGP improve many ecological services simultaneously? This study compares changes in NDVI prior to and following the implementation of the GFGP in LP to the enhancement of ecosystem services. During the research period, the LP’s overall vegetation cover rose significantly, particularly in the GFGP’s major counties. Significant improvements were made to ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat quality. The GFGP enhanced the synergistic linkages between ecological services. The implementation of the GFGP decreased water yield, suggesting trade-offs with other ecosystem services. Additionally, we investigate regional trade-offs/synergies between ecosystem services and their influencing factors, which were influenced by topographic and climatic variables. To maximize the benefits of ecological restoration efforts, we need a deeper understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services and the mechanisms that drive them. Thus, policymakers can scientifically exert control over local influences on ecosystem services, either by boosting the provision of specific services or by limiting specific influences in order to maintain ecosystem stability.

Spatial characteristics of land uses and ecological compensations based on payment for ecosystem services model from 2000 to 2015 in Sichuan Province, China

Energy modeling simulation of changes in ecosystem services before and after the implementation of a Grain-for-Green program on the Loess Plateau—A case study of the Zhifanggou valley in Ansai County, Shaanxi Province, China

Impacts of the grain for Green Program on the spatial pattern of land uses and ecosystem services in mountainous settlements in southwest China

Southwest China is an ecologically fragile area with a high proportion of karstland and large variations in terrain, and it can be greatly affected by land use change. From 2000 to 2020, with the acceleration of urbanization in the whole country, the macro-scale Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) has been developed in the karstland of southwest China. This has resulted in the expansion of forest and construction land with a reduction in cultivated land. The response of ecosystem services (ESs) to these changes needs to be investigated. However, there is a lack of in-depth analysis of the karstland of southwest China, and current studies mostly focus on the spatio-temporal variation in individual ESs or how the whole land use change affects ESs. Thus, our study uses an InVEST model and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) to examine the spatio-temporal variation in land use associated with four ESs, namely water conservancy (WC), soil conservancy (SC), carbon sequestration (CS), and habitat quality (HQ). We found that the GFGP area first increased and then decreased, aggregating to 4.48 × 104 km2 from 2000 to 2020. We also observed that from 2000 to 2020, ESs remained stable or gradually increased (despite fluctuations), SC was the most stable, whereas WC, CS, and HQ first decreased and then fluctuated more. This may be related to the destruction of topsoil in the early stages of the GFGP and the relatively weak ES supply capacity of the young trees. Moreover, the response of ecosystem services to the GFGP was spatially heterogeneous, suggesting a strong driving influence of the local environment, mainly caused by the distribution of karstland and terrain, differentiated urbanization levels, and the intensity of the GFGP. Specifically, the relatively significantly positive effects of WC, SC, and CS were found in western and northern cities, and so was the HQ in southeastern cities. On the contrary, the negative impacts of urbanization were found to weaken over time, suggesting the trade-off effect of the GFGP. Our findings would contribute to the development of effective forest management strategies and provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders involved in ecosystem restoration and conservation efforts by exploring the impacts of the GFGP and urbanization on ESs.

Wetland resources in wetland parks are unique natural resources. Discussing the ecological restoration and compensation standards of wetland parks plays an important guiding role in the construction of wetland protection systems. Based on the characteristics of wetland resources, using wetland ecosystem evaluation, ecosystem services evaluation, alternative cost, and conditional value methods, nine secondary indices were determined to evaluate the ecosystem services of Ganjiangyuan National Wetland Park. The results are as follows: (1) Ganjiangyuan National Wetland Park ecosystem evaluation result was “excellent,” the ecosystem service value of the wetland park is 43,922,014.39 yuan/hm2·year, among which the hydrology regulation value is the largest (19,257,869.14 yuan/hm2·year) and the food production value is the smallest (12,900.76 yuan/hm2·year). (2) The ecological restoration of Ganjiangyuan National Wetland Park should be based on improvements in hydrological regulations, waste treatment, entertainment culture, and biodiversity conservation. In conjunction with the strategic needs of wetland protection and social economy, wetland park restoration can contribute to urban development. (3) The upper and lower limits of the ecological compensation standard in the study area were calculated to be 310.49 and 257.87 yuan/hm2·year, respectively. Research shows that the ecosystem service value of wetland parks is huge, especially in terms of water conservation and waste treatment. It is necessary to pay attention to ecological benefits while reaping the economic benefits of wetland parks. Therefore, the results of this study provide a theoretical reference for the ecological compensation of wetland parks.

Evaluation and simulation of the impact of land use change on ecosystem services trade-offs in ecological restoration areas, China

Natural ecosystems of the West Liao River basin (WLRB) in northeast China have been damaged by both natural and human factors from the 1990s. Since 2000, China’s Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) has been widely adopted with the aim of improving ecosystem services. An accurate evaluation of the eco-hydrological effects for policy implementation is essential to provide references for further restoration of ecosystem services. This study quantified and characterized the ecosystem services and their trade-offs/synergies using models and statistical methods in the WLRB from 1990 to 2020. Moreover, the impact of key drivers on ecosystem services was evaluated by the difference-in-differences model. Among them, the study mainly investigated how GFGP affects ecosystem services. The results confirmed that the water yield, carbon sequestration, habitat quality, and total ecosystem service of the WLRB decreased in the pre-GFGP period (1990–2000). However, this tendency was reversed in the regions where the GFGP was implemented during the period of 2001–2020. Furthermore, a synergistic relationship was shown among carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat quality. Additionally, there were tradeoffs between water yield and the other three ecosystem services, especially in mountain areas. The GFGP could restore carbon sequestration, habitat quality, and total ecosystem services by 1.3%, 2.1%, and 0.6%, respectively. Nevertheless, GFCP may enlarge the tradeoff and imbalance between water yield and habitat quality. Results highlight the need for the governance of ecosystem protection and suggest natural restoration in the mountain area for maintaining water yield and helping ecosystem restoration. Timely adjustment of the policy implementation areas is the key to improving and balancing multiple ecosystem services in the future.

Ecological engineering is a widely used strategy to address environmental degradation and enhance human well-being. A quantitative assessment of the impacts of ecological engineering on ecosystem services (ESs) is a prerequisite for designing inclusive and sustainable engineering programs. In order to strengthen national ecological security, the Chinese government has implemented the world’s largest ecological project since 1999, the Grain for Green Program (GFGP). We used a professional model to evaluate the key ESs in Lvliang City. Scenario analysis was used to quantify the contribution of the GFGP to changes in ESs and the impacts of trade-offs/synergy. We used spatial regression to identify the main drivers of ES trade-offs. We found that: (1) From 2000 to 2018, the contribution rates of the GFGP to changes in carbon storage (CS), habitat quality (HQ), water yield (WY), and soil conservation (SC) were 140.92%, 155.59%, −454.48%, and 92.96%, respectively. GFGP compensated for the negative impacts of external environmental pressure on CS and HQ, and significantly improved CS, HQ, and SC, but at the expense of WY. (2) The GFGP promotes the synergistic development of CS, HQ, and SC, and also intensifies the trade-off relationships between WY and CS, WY and HQ, and WY and SC. (3) Land use change and urbanization are significantly positively correlated with the WY–CS, WY–HQ, and WY–SC trade-offs, while increases in NDVI helped alleviate these trade-offs. (4) Geographically weighted regression explained 90.8%, 94.2%, and 88.2% of the WY–CS, WY–HQ, and WY–SC trade-offs, respectively. We suggest that the ESs’ benefits from the GFGP can be maximized by controlling the intensity of land use change, optimizing the development of urbanization, and improving the effectiveness of afforestation. This general method of quantifying the impact of ecological engineering on ESs can act as a reference for future ecological restoration plans and decision-making in China and across the world.

Exploring ecological compensation standards in the urbanization process: An ecosystem service value-based perspective

Inter-regional ecological compensation in the Yellow River Basin based on the value of ecosystem services

Value of ecosystem hydropower service and its impact on the payment for ecosystem services

Land use optimization based on ecosystem service assessment: A case study in the Yanhe watershed