Abstract
Human activities and environmental deterioration have resulted in land use transition (LUT), which seriously affects the ecosystem service value (ESV) of its region. Therefore, relevant policy measures are urgently needed. Nevertheless, research on the relationships between LUTs and ESVs from the overall watershed scale is lacking. Thus, the geo-information Tupu method was applied to analyze the dynamic patterns of LUT based on land use data from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2018 of the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Then, a newly revised ecosystem services calculation method was utilized to the responses of ESV to LUTs. The results indicated that the Tupu units of the LUT were mainly based on the mutual transformation of grassland and unused land, and cultivated land and forestland, which were widely distributed in the upper and middle reaches of the basin. The spatial distribution was concentrated, and the expansion’s trend was also obvious. Moreover, the conversion of cultivated land into construction land was mainly distributed in the lower reaches of the basin. During 1990–2018, the total ESV fluctuated and increased (+10.47 × 108 USD) in the YRB. Thereinto, the ESV of grassland (45%) and forestland (30%) made the greatest contribution to the total ESV. As for different reaches, the ESV increased in the upstream, but decreased in the midstream and the downstream. In terms of contribution rate, the conversion of unused land into grassland (12.477%) and grassland into forestland (9.856%) were the main types to enhance the ESV in the YRB, while the conversion of forestland into grassland (−8.047%) and grassland to unused land (−7.358%) were the main types to reduce the ESV. Furthermore, the range of ecological appreciation zones was widely distributed and scattered, while the range of ecological impairment zones was gradually expanded. These findings could have theoretical support and policy implications for land use planning and environmental services in the YRB.
Highlights
A watershed is an area where the natural environment and human activities interact strongly [1,2], and is the main area of human life and reproduction
Construction land was mainly distributed along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and the estuary
This work revealed the spatio-temporal pattern of land use transition (LUT) by using the geo-information Tupu method and assessed the change in ecosystem services value (ESV) caused by different Tupu units based on the equivalent factor method
Summary
A watershed is an area where the natural environment and human activities interact strongly [1,2], and is the main area of human life and reproduction. Human activities have resulted in dramatic land use transitions (LUTs), which have seriously affected. Land 2020, 9, 514 the ecosystem services value (ESV). It would bring severe ecological problems that threaten sustainable human development [3,4,5]. It could be seen that the balance of the watershed ecosystem was affected by LUT, which posed a serious threat to the regional ecological environment. It is necessary to model and analyze the impact of watershed ecosystem services. As the second-longest river in China and the fifth-longest river in the world [6,7], the Yellow River occupies important strategic positions both in social-economic development and as an ecological barrier in
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
