Spatial and Temporal Changes in Ecosystem Service Value in Karst Areas in Southwestern China Based on Land-Use Changes

Abstract

Since 1999, the ecological restoration project has a great impact on the ecosystem service value in China. However, it is still unclear how the temporal and spatial characteristics of ecosystem service value (ESV) in karst areas in southwestern China have changed before and after the ecological restoration project. Land-use data from the five phases from 1980 to 2018 were used in combination with the actual, physical geography and socioeconomic situation of the karst areas in southwestern China. The equivalent factor method and spatial, autocorrelation-analysis method were used to study the temporal and spatial distribution of ESV. The results show that the change trend of ESV in the study area decreased at first and then increased from 1980 to 2018, ESV increased by 19.62 billion yuan, with a growth rate of 0.35%; the ESV in the southwest direction is higher, while in other areas, from west to east, the ESV generally shows a spatial distribution pattern of “high-low-high-Iow”; and the ESV and its changes in the study area from 1980 to 2018 have significant, positive autocorrelations in spatial distribution. The spatial aggregation of ESV among cities is mainly the aggregation of spatially similar values. The results of this study provide reference data for ecological infrastructure construction and ecological economic development in karst areas in southwestern China.