Unraveling the Spatio-Temporal Relationship between Ecosystem Services and Socioeconomic Development in Dabie Mountain Area over the Last 10 years

Jianfeng Liu,Yifan Zhao,Zhonghua Yang,Xiwang Zhang,Lin Chen

doi:10.3390/rs14051059

Jianfeng Liu, Yifan Zhao + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14051059

Copy DOI

Abstract

The Dabie Mountain area is a typical poverty-stricken area in China. It is of great significance to evaluate the ecosystem service value and its impact mechanism toward optimizing the ecological structure and coordinating ecological protection and economic development. This study determined the ecosystem service value coefficient and calculated the ecosystem service value (ESV) according to the regional economic development in the past ten years, and the ESV was spatialized based on NPP, which is closely related to ecological function. The temporal and spatial variation of ESV was then analyzed, and an RDE index was proposed to describe its response to land cover change. Further, the relationship between ESV and several parameters that reflect socioeconomic development was researched and analyzed. The results show that the total ESV in the study area first decreased and then increased, with an overall increase of CNY 3.895 billion. Among the land cover types, forest land had the greatest impact, contributing more than 70%. In the ecosystem service functions, the contribution of regulation function exceeded 50%. ESV was found to be sensitive to land cover change. On average, every 1 km2 change leads to an ESV change of about CNY 1 million. Socioeconomic-related parameters were negatively correlated with ESV, among which the correlation with per capita disposable income was the weakest, indicating that there was no obvious contradiction between human well-being and ESV. Therefore, a path for harmonious symbiotic development can be found between man and nature.

Highlights

Introduction iationsEcosystems consist of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the nonliving environment, which interact as a functional unit [1,2]
net primary productivity (NPP) is the result of the interaction between plant biological characteristics and the external environment, reflecting the function of organic matter production [55,56]; the organic matter of all vegetation has nutrient elements and undergoes exchange with the external environment, indicating the service function of promoting nutrient circulation [57]; the respiration of plants releases oxygen and fixes carbon dioxide, meaning regulation function [58,59]; longterm lush vegetation has greater NPP and stronger soil erosion protection ability and water conservation ability, showing water and soil conservation function [60,61]
This study found that there is no contradictory relationship of human production and life with ecosystem service value (ESV), there is a certain negative correlation, and ESV has improved in the past ten years in the Dabie Mountain area

Summary

Introduction

Ecosystems consist of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the nonliving environment, which interact as a functional unit [1,2]. Processes, and functions, an ecosystem can directly or indirectly provide life support products and services. These are important for maintaining the natural environmental conditions and facilitating human survival [3,4]. Ecosystem service is a general term referring to human beings obtaining benefits from an ecosystem [5]. Human society and ecological environment interact, are closely related and mutually beneficial and have formed an inseparable complex [9]. The rapid development of human society leads to the destruction of the ecological environment.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion