Relationships between Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services in the Songnen Plain

Spatial patterns in ecosystem services supply and demand in the Jing-Jin-Ji region, China

城市绿色基础设施生态系统服务供给与需求的空间关系——以西安市为例

With the acceleration of urbanization, the ecological environment has gradually deteriorated, the supply and demand relationship of ecosystem services has gradually become unbalanced, and human well-being has been seriously threatened. In particular, coal-using cities are facing the dual pressure of the ecological environment and resource depletion due to the concentration of population and resources, and environmental contradictions. Thus, exploring the relationship between the supply and demand of ecosystem services and their evolution help promote scientific ecological management. By using multi-source data from Huainan City in 2010 and 2020 and the ecosystem service supply and demand matrix and ArcGIS quantitative measurement of the supply, the demand and supply of ecosystem services in Huainan City were investigated. The result implies the following. (1) During 2010‒2020, the supply of ecosystem services in Huainan has decreased year by year. In terms of spatial distribution, the ecosystem service supply in Huainan City was high in the south and low in the north, and there is a significant regional differentiation, (2) Between 2010 and 2020, the demand for ecosystem services in Huainan City increased year by year, and its spatial distribution was similar to the distribution of ecosystem service supply. (3) Due to the decline in the supply of ecosystem services between 2010 and 2020, the demand for ecosystem services has increased, which leads to changes in the matching degree of supply and demand of ecosystem services in Huainan City.

Spatial correlation between the changes of ecosystem service supply and demand: An ecological zoning approach

Mastering the regional spatial differences of ecosystem service supply and ecosystem service demand is of great significance to scientifically planning the development and utilization of national land and maintaining healthy development of ecosystems. Based on the relationship analysis of ecosystem service supply and ecosystem service demand, this study explored the regional ecosystem service supply by ecosystem service value based on grid data and constructed an ecosystem service demand evaluation model that integrated the construction land ecosystem service demand equivalent for static aspects and the point of interest (POI) kernel density estimation for dynamic aspects on the basis of land use and POI data. In the end, it put forward a region division method for ecosystem service supply and ecosystem service demand and conducted an empirical analysis of Haidian District, Beijing. The following results were concluded: (1) the ecosystem service value of different grids in Haidian District was between RMB (Chinese monetary unit, Yuan) 0 and RMB 2.4787 million. In terms of spatial distribution, the ecosystem service supply took on an obvious trend of gradual decrease from the northwest to the southeast, with major ecosystem service supply coming from the northwest. (2) The construction land ecosystem service demand equivalent of Haidian District was characterized by a multicenter cluster: the high equivalent area was in the southeast, while the equivalent of the northwest was relatively low. POI kernel density estimation demonstrated cluster distribution, with a high kernel density estimation in the southeast, a lower kernel density estimation in the central part, and the lowest kernel density estimation in the northwest. The ecosystem service demand index also showed cluster distribution: high index in the southeast, low index in the northwest, and prominent sudden changes from the central part to the south. (3) The bivariate local spatial autocorrelation cluster diagram method was used to divide five types of ecosystem service supply and ecosystem service demand, namely non-significant correlation region, high ecosystem service supply and high ecosystem service demand region, high ecosystem service supply and low ecosystem service demand region, low ecosystem service supply and high ecosystem service demand region, low ecosystem service supply and low ecosystem service demand region. Grids with the highest ratio belonged to the non-significant correlation region; the distribution of low ecosystem service supply and high ecosystem service demand region had the greatest concentration, mainly in the southeast; the grids of high ecosystem service supply and low ecosystem service demand region were mainly present in the northwest and in a continuous way; the grids of low ecosystem service supply and low ecosystem service demand region, and high ecosystem service supply and high ecosystem service demand region were extremely few, with sporadic distribution in the central part. The research results could provide a basis for the adjustment and fine management of regional land use structure.

Understanding the coordination relationship between ecosystem service (ES) supply and demand and elucidating the impact of driving factors is critical for regional land use planning and ecological sustainability. We use a large watershed area as a case to map and analyze ES supply, demand and the coordination relationship, and identify the associated socio-ecological driving variables. This study assessed the supply and demand of five ESs (crop production, water retention, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and outdoor recreation) in 2000 and 2020, and evaluated the coordination between them employing the coupling coordination degree model (CCDM). Additionally, we utilized the geo-detector model (GDM) to identify driving determinants and their interactive effects on the spatial pattern of the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between ES supply and demand. The results showed that mountainous regions with abundant forest coverage were high-value areas for ES supply, while the ESs were predominantly required in city center areas within each basin area. From 2000 to 2020, there was a slight decline in ES supply and a significant increase in ES demand. Counties were grouped into four coordination zones in the study area: extreme incoordination, moderate incoordination, reluctant coordination, and moderate coordination. The number of counties with extreme incoordination linked to regions with a mountain ecosystem is increasing, where the ES supply is much greater than the demand. The moderate incoordination counties dominated by a cropland ecosystem exhibited slightly higher levels of ES supply than demand. The moderate and reluctant coordination were linked to counties with distinct ecological characteristics. Construction land played a major role in the characteristics of the CCD, followed by grassland. The interaction between construction land and all other factors significantly increased the influence on the CCD. These findings offered valuable insights for land managers to identify areas characterized by incoordination between ES supply and demand and understand associated factors to develop optimal ES management strategies.

Evolution and coupled matching of ecosystem service supply and demand at different spatial scales in the Shandong Peninsula urban agglomeration, China

Ecosystems supply goods and services to humans and are the basis for sustainable development of human society. The study of the supply of ecosystem services and the demand and consumption of ecosystem services by human society, and the analysis of the supply and demand characteristics and flow relationships of ecosystem service flows are of great significance for the management of regional ecosystems and the development of ecological compensation. Taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt as an example, this paper calculates the supply and demand indices of ecosystem services in 2015 and 2020, and determines the ecosystem spatial flow paths and flow volumes from the ecosystem supply area to the demand area based on various methods and models such as the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model and distance decay model. The results indicate that 1). In 2015 and 2020, the supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Economic Zone show an increasing trend numerically, and there is spatial heterogeneity in the spatial distribution. In terms of ecosystem service supply per unit area, the midstream region is higher than the upstream and downstream regions. In terms of the demand for ecosystem services per unit area, the downstream is higher than the midstream and upstream. 2). From the supply-demand balance of ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Economic Zone, the midstream region is mainly the area of surplus supply of ecosystem services, and the downstream region is mainly the area of deficit supply. From 2015 to 2020, the number of areas with balanced supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Economic Belt decreases and the number of areas with unbalanced supply and demand increases, which is related to the changes in the level of economic development and land use patterns. 3). The flow of ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Economic Belt shows an increasing trend, from 726.59 billion yuan in 2015 to 1,450.54 billion yuan in 2020, with Jiangxi Province being the main ecosystem service supply area and Zhejiang Province being the main ecosystem service demand area in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Quantifying the spatiotemporal patterns of the coordination between ecosystem service supply and demand is vital for regional sustainable development. To reveal the dynamic pattern of the coordination of ecosystem service (ES) supply and demand in the Lhasa River Basin, we quantified the supply of the following four ESs using the InVEST model from 2000 to 2018: carbon sequestration (CS), water conservation (WC), habitat quality (HQ), and soil conservation (SC). Using socio-economic data, including land development degree, GDP, and population density, the ES demand was quantified. The ES supply–demand ratio (ESDR) and coupling coordination degree (CCD) model were used to evaluate the coupling relationship and coordination of ES supply and demand. The spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to determine the spatial correlation and changes in the ES supply–demand coupling coordination degree. The results indicate that the distribution of ESDR exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity. The area with ES supply far greater than demand was always in the upstream area of the Lhasa River, while the ES demand of Chengguan District far exceeded supply. Grasslands and forests were the main contributors to ESDRs, providing positive ESDRs for three services, SC, HQ, and WC, with a total proportion above 80%. From 2000 to 2018, the mismatch between ES supply and demand was gradually spreading upstream, while the upstream areas had a relatively high CCD. The spatial correlations of the CCD in the Lhasa River basin all showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.01). The high–high aggregation areas were concentrated in the northeast of the Lhasa River basin, while the low–low aggregation areas were centered around Chengguan District. This study provides reference values for optimizing the land use spatial patterns in ecologically vulnerable areas with the goal of sustainable development.

Quantification and driving force analysis of ecosystem services supply, demand and balance in China

Ecosystem services (ESs) is a term used to describe the foundations of the well-being of human society, and several relevant studies have been carried out in this area. However, given the fact that the complex trade-offs/synergy relationships of ESs are a challenging area, studies on matching mechanisms for ES supply and demand are still rare. In this study, using the InVEST model, ArcGIS, and other professional tools, we first mapped and quantitatively evaluated the supply and demand of five ES types (water yield, soil conservation, carbon retention, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) in Hangzhou, China, based on land use, meteorology, soil, and socio-economic data. Then, we analyzed the matching characteristics between the supply and demand of these ESs and analyzed the complex trade-offs and synergy between the supply and demand of ESs and factors affecting ESs. The results of this analysis indicate that although the ES supply and demand of carbon retention tended to be out of balance (supply was less than demand), the supply and demand of the other four ES types (i.e., water yield, soil conservation, food supply, and leisure and entertainment) were in balance (supply exceeded demand). Finally, the spatial heterogeneity of the supply and demand of ESs in Hangzhou was significant, especially in urban areas in the northeast and mountainous areas in the southwest. The supply of ESs was based on trade-offs, whereas the demand of ESs was based on synergy. Our results further show that the supply and demand of ESs in the urban area in Hangzhou were out of balance, whereas the supply and demand of ESs in the western region were coordinated. Therefore, the linkage of ES flows between this urban area and the western region should be strengthened. This innovative study could provide useful information for regional land use planning and environmental protection.

Spatial gradients of supply and demand of ecosystem services within cities

Understanding the impacts of human activities on the supply and demand of ecosystem services can lay a solid foundation for reducing environmental damage in ecologically valuable areas and is thus of great significance for regional sustainable development. We focused on the middle reaches of Yangtze River urban agglomeration and evaluated six key human pressure indicators: population density, gross domestic product (GDP), land use type, traffic network, energy consumption, and building height. Using multi-source data, including land use, meteorology, and socioeconomic information, and applying various ecological models such as InVEST, we quantified and spatially characterized the supply and demand of four ecosystem services: carbon storage, water yield, soil conservation, and grain production. We used structural equation model to analyze the relationship between human distur-bance and the supply and demand of different ecosystem services, aiming to explore the impacts of different human disturbances on the supply and demand of ecosystem services across various spatial scales. The results showed that the spatial distribution characteristics of different human disturbances varied significantly. Population density, GDP, and transportation network exhibited high levels of disturbance in densely populated areas, while land use, energy consumption, and building height had greater impacts in the core cities of the urban agglomeration. Ecosystem services in urban areas were at a state of undersupply, whereas non-urban areas experienced oversupply, with this imbalance being intensified with increasing spatial scales. The magnitudes of the impacts of human disturbances on ecosystem service supply and demand also varied across scales. At the grid scale, local land use and vegetation cover were the primary and direct drivers, while at the county and larger scales, socioeconomic factors, regional policies, and climate change exerted a combined influence. Population density, economic development, and land use were the main factors affecting the supply-demand relationship of ecosystem services. The feedback mechanisms and cumulative effects of multiple human disturbances directly exacerbated ecosystem service degradation. These findings would provide scientific guidance for policy formulation aimed at balancing ecological protection with human activities.

Ecosystem services supply and demand response to urbanization: A case study of the Pearl River Delta, China

Improving the identification of mismatches in ecosystem services assessments