Spatial and temporal effect and driving factors of ecosystem service trade-off in the Qingjiang River Basin, China.

Abstract

Identifying the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of trade-offs/synergies relationships of ecosystem service in watersheds and their influencing factors is essential for ecosystem management and regulation. It is of great significance for the efficient allocation of environmental resources and the rational formulation of ecological and environmental policies. We used correlation analysis and root mean square deviation to analyze the trade-offs/synergies relationships among grain provision, net primary productivity (NPP), soil conservation, and water yield service in the Qingjiang River Basin from 2000 to 2020. Then, we analyzed the critical factors affecting the trade-offs of ecosystem services by using the geographical detector. The results showed that grain provision service in the Qingjiang River Basin presented a decreasing trend from 2000 to 2020, and that NPP, soil conservation, as well as water yield service showed an increasing trend. There was a decreasing trend in the degree of trade-offs between grain provision and soil conservation services, NPP and water yield service, and an increasing trend in the intensity of trade-offs between other services. Grain provision and NPP, soil conservation and water yield showed trade-off in the northeast and synergy in the southwest. There was a synergistic relationship between NPP with soil conservation and water yield in the central part and a trade-off relationship in the surrounding area. Soil conservation and water yield showed a high degree of synergy. Land use and normalized difference of vegetation index were the dominant factors in the intensity of trade-offs between grain provision and other ecosystem services. Precipitation, temperature, and elevation were the dominant factors in the intensity of trade-offs between water yield service and other ecosystem services. The intensity of ecosystem service trade-offs was not only affected by a single factor. In contrast, the interaction between the two services or the common factors behind the two services was the determining factor. Our results could provide a reference for developing ecological restoration planning strategies in the national land space.