Abstract

Under the transformation from over-cultivation to ecological protection in China’s karst, how human activities affect ecosystem services should be studied. This study combined satellite imagery and ecosystem models (Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA), Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST)) to evaluate primary ecosystem services (net ecosystem productivity (NEP), soil conservation and water yield) in a typical karst region (Huanjiang County). The relationships between human activities and ecosystem services were also examined. NEP increased from 441.7 g C/m2/yr in 2005 to 582.19 g C/m2/yr in 2015. Soil conservation also increased from 4.7 ton/ha to 5.5 ton/ha. Vegetation recovery and the conversion of farmland to forest, driven largely by restoration programs, contributed to this change. A positive relationship between increases in NEP, soil conservation and rural-urban migration (r = 0.62 and 0.53, P < 0.01, respectively) indicated decreasing human dependence on land reclamation and naturally regenerated vegetation. However, declining water yield from 784.3 to 724.5 mm highlights the trade-off between carbon sequestration and water yield should be considered. Our study suggests that conservation is critical to vegetation recovery in this region and that easing human pressure on land will play an important role.

Highlights

  • Ecosystem services, the benefits that humans receive from ecosystems, are significant to supply products, system regulation and service support to human populations [1].About 60% of ecosystem services worldwide are degraded because of anthropogenic activities, such as population growth and unsustainable economic development [2]

  • The implementation of ecological restoration programs led by Chinese governments and the trend of outmigration effectively changed land use and land cover

  • This led to increased forested land and decreased cropped and grassland areas in the karst region of southwest China

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Summary

Introduction

About 60% of ecosystem services worldwide are degraded because of anthropogenic activities, such as population growth and unsustainable economic development [2]. Soil conservation and water regulation in the degraded karst area are important for regional sustainable development [3,4]. 195 people/km2 ) and limited arable land resources in the karst region of southwest China has caused a sharp disconnect between the human population and the landbase that should sustain them [5]. Unsustainable farming activities destroyed the surface vegetation and accelerated soil erosion during the 1950s to 1980s, causing ecosystem degradation including low vegetation cover and landscapes of exposed bedrock [7,8]. The fragile ecosystems (e.g., shallow soils and intense anthropogenic disturbances) in China’s karst regions have prevented natural recovery and contributed to ecosystem service degradation

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