Ecosystem Services Capacity Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Distribution Characteristics and Their Driving Forces of Ecological Service Value in Transitional Geospace: A Case Study in the Upper Reaches of the Minjiang River, China

Ecosystem service value (ESV) is a key indicator for evaluating ecosystem services. Thus, a unique quantitative assessment instrument that comprehensively and objectively evaluates ESV is of great significance for protecting regional ecosystems and achieving sustainable development. Based on data for meteorology, hydrology, soil use, and land use, this paper comprehensively employs the InVEST model, spatial autocorrelation, and geographic detectors to study the spatiotemporal characteristics and driving forces of spatial variations in ESV in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River. The results indicate the following: (1) The ecosystem service capacity of the study area has continuously improved, with the ecosystem service value (ESV) increasing by USD 4.078 billion over 20 years. Soil conservation has made the most significant contribution to the growth of ESV, accounting for over 85%. (2) The distribution of ESV exhibits a “lower in the northwest, higher in the southeast” trend. The Moran’s I value for each year exceeds 0.7, indicating characteristics of High–High and Low–Low aggregation. (3) Slope plays a dominant role in causing the spatial differentiation of ESV, contributing 30.9%. Slope is followed by HAI at 19.7% and the urbanization rate at 16.8%. Rainfall has the least impact at 4%. (4) The results from the multi-factorial interactions reveal that all factors experience synergistic enhancement effects when interacting. The spatiotemporal differentiation of ESV is the result of multiple factors acting in conjunction, underscoring the importance of coordinated efforts in ecological restoration and comprehensive environmental management in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River. The methodology of this research could be applied to assess the impact of natural changes and human activities on ESV. The findings offer theoretical support for regional resource and environmental management, as well as ecological compensation decision making.

Ecosystem multifunctionality, maximum height, and biodiversity of shrub communities affected by precipitation fluctuations in Northwest China.

Dryland ecosystems face serious threats from climate change. Establishing the spatial pattern of ecosystem multifunctionality, maximum height and the correlation of biodiversity patterns with climate change is important for understanding changes in complex ecosystem processes. However, the understanding of their relationships across large spatial areas remains limited in drylands. Accordingly, this study examined the spatial patterns of ecosystem multifunctionality, maximum height and considered a set of potential environmental drivers by investigating natural shrub communities in Northwest China. We found that the ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) and maximum height of shrub communities were both affected by longitude, which was positively correlated with the precipitation gradient. Specifically, the EMF was driven by high precipitation seasonality, and the maximum height was driven by high precipitation stability during the growing season. Among the multiple biodiversity predictors, species beta diversity (SD-beta) is the most common in determining EMF, although this relationship is weak. Unlike tree life form, we did not observe biodiversity-maximum height relationships in shrub communities. Based on these results, we suggest that more attention should be paid to the climatical fluctuations mediated biodiversity mechanisms, which are tightly correlated with ecosystem's service capacity and resistance capacity under a rapid climate change scenario in the future.

Analysis of Spatial Relationship Based on Ecosystem Services and Ecological Risk Index in the Counties of Chongqing

Due to the insufficient research on the spatial relationship and driving mechanism of ecosystem services and ecological risks and the current background of rising ecological risks and dysfunctional ecosystem services in local areas, analyzing the relationship and driving mechanism is an urgent task in order to safeguard regional ecological security and improve ecosystem services at present. Taking Chongqing as an example, the study scientifically identifies the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks and their driving factors at district and county scales based on the constructed Ecosystem Service—Driver–Pressures–Status–Impacts–Responses (ES-DPSIR) model. The main findings include (1) significant variation in the spatial distribution of the comprehensive ecosystem service index, where the lowest ecosystem service index (0.013) was found in the main urban area of Chongqing and the scores gradually increased outward from this center, reaching 0.689 in the outermost areas; (2) an increase in the comprehensive ecological risk index from east to west, ranging from −0.134 to 0.333; (3) a prominent spatial relationship between ecosystem services and ecological risks, with 52.63% of the districts and counties being imbalanced or mildly imbalanced; and (4) significant differences between development trends of ecosystem services-–ecological risks, including 60.53% imbalanced and 30.47% mildly balanced districts. This study identified and analyzed the spatial change characteristics of ecosystem services and ecological risks based on the ES-DPSIR model, explored the driving factors, and provided new ideas for the relationship and driving research. The results of the study could provide effective ways and references for improving regional ecological security and enhancing the capacity of ecosystem services.

Assessment of urban ecosystem condition and ecosystem services in Shenzhen based on the MAES analysis framework

Rapid urbanization has led to a reduction in the capacity of urban ecosystems to provide essential services. Understanding the interplay between urban ecosystem condition (EC), ecosystem service (ES) capacity and environmental stress is important for achieving sustainable economic and social development. Taking Shenzhen, a representative region of rapid urbanization in China, as an example, this study analyzed the evolution of urban EC and spatial and temporal patterns of key ESs from 2000 to 2020. With reference to the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) framework and its indicators, the analysis process used the InVEST model and empirical statistical methods. The spatial and temporal geographically weighted regression (GTWR) model was used to determine how the ESs responded to EC. The results demonstrated a tendency of increased environmental stress and degraded EC in the urban ecosystem during the study period. The supply of ESs was on the decline, with runoff retention and microclimate regulation showing significant declines, while noise reduction showed an upward tendency. ESs had an overall “east-high-west-low” spatial pattern. In terms of response relationships, the regulating and cultural services were mainly negatively correlated with PM10 concentration, temperature, and the percentage of construction land and positively correlated with vegetation cover. There was spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the mechanism of EC influence on specific services. The percentage of construction land was the key negative influencing factor, indicating that urban expansion exacerbates the decrease in the supply of ESs. The results of the study also provided evidence that the MAES analysis framework can accurately analyze environmental problems in urban ecosystems and offer a practical solution for urban ecosystem assessments. For the sustainable development of urban ecosystems, it is advised that the ES concept be included as a key decision factor in the development of urban planning policies.

Ecosystem services of lake-wetlands exhibit significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity and scale effects in a multi-lake megacity

Climate change and anthropogenic disturbances are altering global lake-wetlands (LWs) and their ecosystem services (ESs), posing a threat to sustainable development. Understanding the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and scale effects of LWESs has risen to be a critical concern in the sustainable management of wetlands. Although the LWESs of large lakes or at the macro-region are well documented, their complexity in urbanizing areas remains to be further addressed. Here we aim to reveal the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and scale effects of LWESs under the coinciding effects of wetland conservation and urbanization through a study in Wuhan, a multi-lake city of central China. The LWESs and their spatiotemporal variations from 1999 to 2019 were characterized by nine indicators based on time-series remote-sensing images and statistical data. A V-shaped trend was observed in the area of the LWs over time, which decreasing by 8.12% in 1999–2010 while recovering by 9.57% in 2010–2019. The LW loss in the main urban area (MA) was mainly encroached by construction lands, while the restoration of croplands to LWs in the rural area (RA) completely offsets the loss of LWs. We found that the change rates of most LWESs were more severely degraded along a rural–urban gradient, except for cultural services. Specifically, the water supply (-57.39%), flood regulation (-34.19%), climate regulation (-31.36%), and biodiversity conservation (-62.13%) services were the most severely damaged in LWs in the MA. However, the carbon sink services of LWs in the RA suffer the most severe degradation. Not only with spatiotemporal heterogeneity but LWESs also showed obvious scale effects. The larger the LWs, the higher the ES capacity tends to be. Smaller LWs were heavily encroached, with the worst ES capacities. These results highlight that LW conservation should no longer be homogeneous, but should combine indicators of scale effects and spatial heterogeneity. Due to land resource constraints, those close to urban center should improve regulating and supporting service capacities, while further away, improvements in area and LWESs can be pursued to balance the demand growth. Further, it is important to conserve existing and small LWs from over-encroachment.

Sustainable land use scenarios generated by optimizing ecosystem distribution based on temporal and spatial patterns of ecosystem services in the southern China hilly region

Urban expansion and inappropriate land uses in the southern China hilly region have caused a decline in the regional ecosystem services capacity. The exploration of regional ecosystem services under the principle of protecting and improving ecological functions is essential for optimizing land use. Therefore, we determined the ecosystem service value (ESV) in the southern China hilly region from 2000 to 2020 and attempted to analyse the drivers that caused these changes. The ESV decreased from 2000 to 2005 and then increased from 2005 to 2020, with the changes being correlated with changes in regional precipitation, temperature, GDP, and population density. We optimized the land use in 2035 based on these results and conducted simulation experiments to optimize the spatial pattern in three future scenarios: business as usual scenario (BUS), coordinated development scenario (CDS), and ecological priority scenario (EPS). The highest ESV was achieved in the EPS, followed by the CDS, and the lowest ESV was in the BUS. An optimized CDS was regarded as the most feasible approach for the future because it could effectively balance the synergistic relationships between social and ecological factors. The results are a practical scientific resource for future planning and the study provides a feasible method for the implementation of a national ecological protection strategy in the southern China hilly region.

Re-Evaluating the Value of Ecosystem Based on Carbon Benefit: A Case Study in Chengdu, China

Despite the acknowledged importance of terrestrial ecosystems in achieving carbon neutrality, current carbon accounting predominantly focuses on CO2 uptake, neglecting indirect contributions from ecosystem services, such as temperature regulation and air purification. We established a carbon benefit (C benefit) accounting framework that integrated these services and analyzed the drivers influencing the spatial and temporal changes in the C benefit. It was found that the average annual growth rate of C benefits in Chengdu over the past 20 years was 0.91 Tg/a, and the CO2 emissions reduction due to ecosystem services was 22.47 times that of carbon sinks. Therefore, the contribution of ecosystem regulating services to carbon neutrality cannot be ignored. In addition, the elevation, gross domestic product (GDP), and normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) are key factors affecting C benefits. It is worth noting that the intensive management of constructed ecosystems can result in significant reductions in ecosystem C benefits. Finally, our findings underline the need for low-carbon policies to not only promote carbon sink projects but also enhance the overall capacity of ecosystem services, which could substantially mitigate global climate change.

Simulation and Zoning Research on the Ecosystem Service in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region Based on SSP–RCP Scenarios

Understanding future trends and identifying characteristic differences in regional ecosystem services (ESs), in addition to ecological zoning, is vital for promoting the adjustment of ecological policy and the construction of sustainable ecosystems. Based on shared socioeconomic pathways and representative concentration pathways (SSP–RCP), the spatial distribution pattern of land use in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region (BTH) in 2030 was simulated by using a patch-generating land use simulation model (PLUS) in this study. Water yield, carbon storage, habitat quality, and food product were simulated through the comprehensive evaluation model combining ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST). The comprehensive supply capacity of ESs was assessed. The ecological risk level was calculated by comparing the changes in the integrated supply capacity of ESs in 2020 and under each SSP–RCP scenario in 2030, and ecological zoning was established using a two-dimensional discriminant matrix. The results are as follows: (1) The degradation of grassland and cropland accompanied by an increase in construction land and forest to varying degrees will be the common characteristics of the three SSP–RCP scenarios in BTH. (2) Water yield and carbon storage services will exhibit an upward tendency only under SSP1-2.6, while habitat quality and food product services will exhibit a downward trend under three SSP–RCP scenarios. Obvious geographical heterogeneity exists in the comprehensive supply capacity of ESs. (3) Zones with low ecological risks will mainly be distributed in some counties of Zhangjiakou city, while zones with high ecological risks will account for a large proportion of the whole. There will be great ecological risks in the BTH overall. (4) The BTH was split into four types of ecological zones based on supply and risk. These zones comprise the ecological enhancement zone, ecological restoration zone, ecological sensitive zone, and ecological conservation zone. Corresponding control measures were also proposed. The findings of this study can be used to inform the formulation and improvement of environmental conservation policies.

Using ecological infrastructure to comprehensively map ecosystem service demand, flow and capacity for spatial assessment and planning

Ecosystem services provide substantial benefits to people, but the underlying ecosystems are under unprecedented pressure, compromising service delivery. Therefore, ecosystem services need to be integrated into conservation and management processes to secure their benefits for current and future generations. A key first step is a robust method to map ecosystem services for spatial planning. We aimed to develop and apply a broadly applicable, flexible and spatially accurate method for comprehensive ecosystem services mapping using Ecological Infrastructure, abbreviated to PROPSER. We evaluated the demand, flow, and capacity of three ecosystem services (sports events, recreation, and coastal protection) along the South African coast using causal relationships, including ecological condition of the EI, and approximated EI performance as a measure of its importance to society. This resulted in a high-resolution map of EI performance per service and a cumulative map of multiple-service performance created by integrating the three single-service maps. Altogether, there were 5127 EI sites, with EI close to urban nodes being most important. Post-hoc tests confirmed the spatial accuracy of the output maps, and the sensitivity of PROPSER to the variables and components of the indicator models. PROSPER is a comprehensive and innovative method for mapping ecosystem services that is flexible and can be widely applied. The outputs from this study have been taken up in a national spatial planning process, with several other applications discussed. We identify seven ways in which PROSPER can be advanced, and encourage further testing and application of our approach.

Evaluation and Tradeoff of Ecosystem Services in Jiaozuo

With the continuous development of the economy and society, the demand for land space for human survival has also increased, which means that the pressure on ecosystem services has also been unprecedentedly high, leading to serious problems such as ecological environment deterioration and system function decline, resulting in fierce conflicts between ecological environment protection and human social development. Therefore, the relationship between ecosystem services and economic and social development has become a hot research topic in the field of land ecology. Jiaozuo City is also facing the problem of ecological degradation. In order to achieve coordinated development of ecology, society, and economy, this article analyzes the spatiotemporal changes in land use/cover in Jiaozuo City from 1995 to 2020. The InVEST model is used to evaluate four types of ecosystem services in Jiaozuo City: water production, carbon storage, soil conservation, and nutrient output; Summarize and summarize the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and evolution laws of ecosystem services, and explore the trade-off and synergistic relationships between ecosystem service functions and their driving factors. The research results indicate that: (1) The main types of land use/cover in Jiaozuo City are arable land (64.5%), forest land (approximately 9.9%), grassland (1.1%), water area (0.6%), and construction land (23.8%). The changes in land use types are relatively small. (2) From 1995 to 2020, the biomass and spatial distribution evolution of the four ecosystem services in Jiaozuo City varied. There are significant interannual differences in water production services, and the spatial distribution of water production in the western region is lower than that in the eastern region. The southern region is lower than the northern region. The interannual variation of nutrient (phosphorus) output is relatively small, and the spatial distribution pattern varies greatly, showing a high and low value clustering distribution pattern. The interannual difference in soil conservation is relatively small. The interannual differences in carbon storage are small, and the annual spatial distribution is irregular. (3) Each ecosystem service is influenced by different natural and social influencing factors, and the contribution rate of natural factors is higher than that of social factors. There is a significant difference in the output capacity of ecosystem services among different land uses/covers, which directly affects the total amount and spatial distribution of ecosystem services. The ecological status of Jiaozuo City is worrying. In the future socio-economic development process, reasonable planning of land use should be carried out to vigorously ensure the parallel and healthy development of social economy and ecological environment.

Analysis of Ecosystem Service Contribution and Identification of Trade-Off/Synergy Relationship for Ecosystem Regulation in the Dabie Mountains of Western Anhui Province, China

The study of tradeoffs/synergies among ecosystem services (ESs) is highly significant for land-use planning and regional ecosystem optimization. Land-use change and topographic factors have important implications for ESs. Strengthening the comparative analysis of the capacity of ESs provided by different land-use types in specific regions, studying the topographic gradient effects of ecosystem service trade-offs/synergies with slope changes, and identifying the dominate trade-off/synergy relationship among ESs will help us to carry out ecosystem regulation according to local conditions through land-use layout optimization at a fine scale. Our research site was located in the Dabie Mountains of western Anhui Province, China (DBM), where, based on the InVEST software, R language, self-organizing maps (SOM), and GeoDA, the temporal and spatial variations of five typical ESs, including food supply, soil retention, water yield, carbon storage, and biodiversity maintenance from 2005 to 2020, were analyzed, and spatial distributions of the different ESs clusters were also recognized by using the SOM method. Moreover, the impacts of land-use type and slope on ESs, and the characteristics of trade-offs/synergies among the five ESs, were discussed. Results showed, firstly, that the total values of ESs showed a changing trend of “three increases and two decreases” from 2005 to 2020. Among the ESs, food supply, soil retention and water yield showed upward trends, with annual growth rates of 2.83%, 6.50% and 2.98%, respectively, whereas carbon storage and biodiversity maintenance showed downward trends, with annual decline rates of 0.03% and 0.07%, respectively. Second, the results showed that the Moran’s I index of the total ESs was 0.3995 in 2005 and 0.4305 in 2020, respectively, indicating that they had significant spatial clustering characteristics. The Low-Low clustering regions with reduced changes were mainly in the central and northern parts of the study area, whereas the High-High clustering regions with increased changes were found distributed mainly in the south of the study area. Thirdly, it was found that cropland and woodland were the main contributors to the total amounts of ESs, but the supply capacity of ESs per unit area of woodland was the largest, constituting nearly 1/3 of the total supply capacity of the ESs. Last, the slope effect on trade-offs and synergies was significant between typical ecosystem service pairs in the study area; trade-offs were the main relationships between the pairs of ESs in the study area, which accounted for nearly 60% of all types of trade-offs/synergies during the 15 years. In addition, the spatial distributions of the trade-offs/synergies between ESs pairs were visualized clearly, and the six ES bundles were identified by using the SOM method at the township administrative scale. The identification of ecosystem service bundles is of great significance for the division of ecological functional zones and ecological regulation in the DBM.

Heterogenous Effects of Circular Economy, Green energy and Globalization on CO2 emissions: Policy based analysis for sustainable development

The tragedy of the depletion of natural resources led by their overconsumption has posed severe deleterious effects on humanity and the environment. Post-consumption-led waste has worsened the situation, given that unregulated and unscientific waste treatment furthers the criticality of ecological dilapidation. To curb ecological overshoot and restore the full capacity of ecosystem services, we need to focus more on recycling the available resources at their maximum capacity. In other words, we must take a U-turn from the linear economic system to the circular one. The issue is that the number of real-world data-driven scientific studies is very scant in this sphere of literature. Against this milieu, this paper scrutinizes the effect of a circular economy on CO2 emissions intensity among a panel of the top seven CO2 emitters of the world. We have used data from 1990 to 2020 and applied the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) technique to reach our empirical conclusions. By controlling for globalization and renewable energy consumption, we unveil that municipal waste, a crucial component of the circular economy, is positively entangled with CO2 emissions among the designated nations. This observation further reiterates the theoretical underpinning and urges to harness municipal waste as a valuable raw material for a circular economy. Moreover, we disclose that economic growth and globalization boost CO2 emissions intensity among the designated nations. Contrarily, the consumption of renewables helps uplift environmental integrity. Our conclusions also hold after the robustness check. Further, the D-H causality test establishes a bidirectional causality between municipal waste and CO2 emissions. One-lane causality is also observed from a linear economy to a circular economy. More specifically, municipal waste is observed as a critical determinant of pollution and carbon emissions. In light of the findings, the authors provide novel policy recommendations apropos sustainable development goals.

The paradoxical need for human intervention in the conservation of natural environments in Venice lagoon

The Venice lagoon—the largest Mediterranean coastal lagoon—is characterized by the presence at its edges of 31 “valli da pesca”, types of artificial ecosystems that mime the ecological processes of a transitional aquatic ecosystem. Constituted by a series of regulated lakes bounded by artificial embankments, the valli da pesca were established centuries ago to maximize provisioning Ecosystem Services (ESs), such as fishing and hunting. As time passed, the valli da pesca underwent an intentional isolation process leading to private management. Nonetheless, the valli da pesca are still exchanging energy and matter with the “open’ lagoon and today represent an essential element within the context of lagoon conservation. This study aimed to analyze the possible effects of artificial management on both ESs supply and landscape arrangements by assessing 9 ESs (climate regulation, water purification, lifecycle support, aquaculture, waterfowl hunting, wild food, tourism, information for cognitive development, and birdwatching), along with eight landscape indicators. Obtained results suggested that the valli da pesca are today ruled under five different management strategies, according to the maximized ES. Management conditions influence the landscape pattern and achieve a series of “side effects” on the other ESs. The comparison between the managed and abandoned valli da pesca highlights the importance of anthropogenic interventions for conserving these ecosystems, as the abandoned valli da pesca show a loss of ecological gradients, landscape heterogeneity, and provisioning ESs. Nevertheless, the persistence of intrinsic geographical and morphological characteristics still prevails regardless of intentional landscape molding. The result is that the provisioning ESs capacity per unit area is higher in the abandoned valli da pesca than in the open lagoon, emphasizing the importance of these confined areas of the lagoon ecosystem. Considering the spatial distribution of multiple ESs, the provisioning ESs flow that does not occur in the abandoned valli da pesca seems to be replaced by the flow of cultural ESs. Thus, the ESs spatial pattern highlights a balancing effect between different ESs categories. The results are discussed considering the trade-offs generated by private land conservation, anthropogenic interventions, and their relevance for the ecosystem-based management of Venice lagoon.

Capturing twenty years of change in ecosystem services provided by coastal Massachusetts habitats

Accounting for ecosystem services across expansive and diverse landscapes presents unique challenges to managers tasked with navigating and synthesizing the social-ecological dynamics of varied stakeholder interests and ecological functions. One approach to this challenge is through expert based matrices that provide valuations for specific service-habitat combinations. In this study, we combine a literature review with local expert input to build an ecosystem service capacity matrix for the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership (MassBays). We then apply this matrix to a custom conglomerate land cover data set and a habitat connectivity analysis to assess the spatial and temporal dynamics in select ecosystem services of coastal habitats across MassBays from 1996 to 2016. In 1996, saltmarsh was the primary provider of coastal ecosystem services, representing roughly 60% of the total service capacity. More specifically, high elevation saltmarsh was top-ranked, followed by tidal flats, seagrass, low elevation saltmarsh and unclassified saltmarsh. This distribution of service provisioning varied considerably among the five regions of MassBays, reflecting the unique habitat mixes and local expert valuations of each. Although saltmarsh dominated the overall production of services, seagrass and tidal flats drove 97% of the service changes that occurred from one year to the next. From 1996 to 2016, MassBays lost 50% of its seagrass cover and gained 20% more tidal flats, resulting in a 5% overall loss in ecosystem services. Again, this varied among the five regions, with Cape Cod losing as much as 12% of a given service while the Upper North Shore gained 4% in services overall. We bootstrapped the analysis to provide a range of probable outcomes. We also mapped the changes in service production for each of the sixty-eight embayments. This analysis will aid local managers in accounting for ecosystem services as they develop management plans for their represented stakeholders.

Review on Driving Factors of Ecosystem Services: Its Enlightenment for the Improvement of Forest Ecosystem Functions in Karst Desertification Control

Understanding the multi-scale and multi-factor driving mechanisms of ecosystem services (ES) change is crucial for combating the severe degradation of the ecosystem. We reviewed 408 publications on ecosystem structure, biodiversity, and plant functional traits related to ES in forest ecosystems. Strategies were proposed and key scientific issues were pointed out to improve the forest ecosystem in the karst desertification area. The results showed that the total number of publications has increased rapidly since 2014, of which biodiversity studies contributed the majority. China, the USA, and Germany were the top three countries, accounting for 41%, 9%, and 6% of the research, respectively. Further review found that structure, species diversity, and functional traits have an apparent effect on ES at different (macro, meso, and micro) scales. The optimization of tree structure contributes to the improvement in ES provision and the regulation capacity. Species diversity plays an important role in provision services, while functional diversity is equally important in regulation services. Plant root functional traits can not only help regulation services but also determine the species and structure of rhizosphere microbial communities. The response of ES to a certain factor has been extensively reviewed, but the interaction of multiple driving factors needs to be further studied, especially in how to drive the supply capacity of ES in multi-factor and multi-scale ways. Clarifying the driving mechanism of ES at different scales will help to improve the supply capacity of the ecosystem and achieve the goal of sustainable development.

Quantitative Assessment of Horizontal Ecological Compensation for Cultivated Land Based on an Improved Ecological Footprint Model: A Case Study of Jiangxi Province, China.

Cultivated land horizontal ecological compensation is an essential means of reconciling agricultural ecosystem protection and regional economic development. It is important to design a horizontal ecological compensation standard for cultivated land. Unfortunately, there are some defects in the existing quantitative assessments of horizontal cultivated land ecological compensation. In order to raise the accuracy of ecological compensation amounts, this study established an improved ecological footprint model based on the ecosystem service function, focused on estimating the value of ecosystem service function, ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity, ecological balance index and ecological compensation values of cultivated land in all cities of Jiangxi province. It then analyzed the rationality of ecological compensation amounts in Jiangxi province, which is one of the 13 provinces of major grain-producing areas in China. The results show the following: (1) The total value of soil conservation service function, carbon sequestration and oxygen release service function and ecosystem service function in Jiangxi province showed a spatial distribution trend of "gradually increasing around Poyang Lake Basin". (2) The cultivated land ecological deficit areas in Jiangxi province are Nanchang City, Jiujiang City and Pingxiang City; ecological surplus areas are Yichun City, Ji'an City and eight other cities; and there is an obvious "Spatial Agglomeration" phenomenon in ecological deficit and ecological surplus areas where ecological deficit areas are mainly concentrated in the northwest region of Jiangxi. (3) The amount needed to attain fair ecological compensation for cultivated land is 5.2 times the payment amount for cultivated land; this indicated there is larger arable land, a favorable condition for agricultural cultivation, and better supply capacity of ecosystem services in most of the cities of Jiangxi. (4) The compensation amount for cultivated land ecological surplus areas in Jiangxi province is generally higher than the cost of ecological protection, and its proportion in GDP, fiscal revenue and agriculture-related expenditure is significantly higher than that in ecological deficit areas; this indicated that the compensation value of cultivated land could play the driving role in the protective behavior for cultivated land. The results provide a theoretical and methodological reference for the construction of horizontal ecological compensation standards for cultivated land.

Spatial–Temporal Heterogeneity of Urbanization and Ecosystem Services in the Yellow River Basin

Taking 736 counties in the Yellow River Basin of China as the research area, the comprehensive urbanization development level and ecosystem service capacity from 2000 to 2020 were measured. Combined with spatial autocorrelation, the spatial pattern evolution characteristics of the two systems in the Yellow River Basin were revealed. The spatio–temporal geographically weighted regression (GTWR) model was used to analyze the spatio–temporal heterogeneity of the impact of various elements of the system on urbanization and ecosystem service capacity. The results showed that (1) the urbanization level and ecosystem service capacity of the Yellow River Basin were on the rise but the urbanization level and ecosystem service capacity were low, while the spatial and temporal heterogeneity was significant. (2) The two systems are positively correlated in space, and the agglomeration characteristics are significant. The evolution trend of urbanization from an L–L agglomeration area to an H–H agglomeration area is occurring gradually. The spatial change in the ecosystem service agglomeration area is small, and the stability is strong. (3) The impact of ecosystem services on comprehensive urbanization is enhanced by time, and the spatial ‘center–periphery’ diffusion characteristics are significant. (4) The influence of urbanization on the comprehensive ecosystem service capacity is enhanced and shows the law of east–west differentiation in space. There are obvious transition zones in the spatial heterogeneity interval of the interaction between the two systems.

Supply-demand analysis of ecosystem services based on socioeconomic and climate scenarios in North China

The demand and supply of ecosystem services (ESs) play a crucial role in the sustainable development of regional nature-society systems. With complex climate change and multiple pathways of social development, there is an urgent need for predictive research on how to combine both social and natural factors to determine the comparatively optimal regional development pathway. Based on the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs)–representative concentration pathways (RCPs) framework and the pattern-process-service-management research paradigm, this study analyzed the various trends of regional landscape patterns for 2030–2050 and predicted the state of ecosystem services supply and demand (ESSD) in 2030 under multiple scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5) in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions. The results show that: 1) area of cropland will decrease in multiple future scenarios. There is a smaller landscape variation and an upward trend of urban area in the SSP5-8.5 scenario. The transfer types among different landscapes will be concentrated between forest and grassland under SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5. 2) The average provisioning capacity of ES will increase in the future, with a spatial pattern of high in the northwest and low in the southeast. Habitat quality has the least interdistrict variation in service distribution, while the recreation service exhibits the opposite trend. 3) The average comprehensive ecological supply and demand ratio (CESDR) is higher in Beijing city than in Hebei Province and Tianjin city. The primary imbalance services are water yield, soil retention, and habitat quality in Beijing city, Hebei Province, and Tianjin city, respectively. Moreover, the SSP5-8.5 scenario has the highest number of ES deficit regions. 4)The ESSD state of each ES had an inverse relationship with the local economic level in 2020, in which water yield had the highest negative correlation degree (-0.191) and soil retention had the lowest (-0.041). In addition, the relationship between gross domestic product and CESDR will change from negative to positive along with different future scenarios (SSP1-2.6: −0.05, SSP2-4.5: 0.05, SSP5-8.5: 0.12). The study provides useful implications for policy-makers to coordinate regional resources and implement sustainable development by integrating both ecological and economic aspects.

From GI, UGI to UAGI: Ecosystem service types and indicators of green infrastructure in response to ecological risks and human needs in global metropolitan areas

Green infrastructure (GI), providing multiple ecosystem services (ESs), is considered a key way to address ecological risks and human needs faced by global metropolitan areas. However, there is no review of GI's response to multiscale risks and needs by providing ESs. To address this research gap, we used systematic review method by searching articles constructing GI based on ES evaluation and mapping from 2005 to 2021 in Scopus and Web of Science databases, and eventually selected 101 articles. We observed three research scales and GI construction forms: GI and its components, urban GI (UGI), and urban agglomeration GI (UAGI). We found that: 1) flood disasters and human demand for outdoor recreational spaces were dominant risks and needs co-faced by metropolitan areas on three scales. 2) The proportion of GI components in UGI and UAGI providing special ES for specific risk and need should be raised to avoid disservices or ES trade-offs. 3) More attention should be given to the overall ES capacity in both quantity and efficiency of UGI and UAGI networks. Finally, UAGI with superiority in function, layout, and ability to address risks and needs was proposed as a prioritized planning approach to adapt to development of metropolitan areas.

Ecological spatial intensive use optimization modeling with framework of cellular automata for coordinating ecological protection and economic development.

With the exposure of excessive intensive use of urban and agricultural space, the optimization of intensive use of ecological space provides a new way to coordinate the global problem of spatial conflict between ecological protection and economic development. However, the coupling accuracy of the existing structure-spatial coupling optimization model is low, which cannot provide method support for the optimization of intensive use of ecological space. To solve this problem, we propose a new model of ecological spatial intensive use optimization (ESIUO) based on the non-stationarity of the Markov state transition probability of the dominant ecosystem service functions (DESFs) and their suitability, and with the help of the framework of cellular automata (CA). We took Qionglai City as an empirical study area, and compared the results of this model with those of CA-Markov and CLUE-S models with the same parameters. The results show that: (i) The quantitative structure corresponding to the spatial layout of each dominant ecosystem service function (DESF) optimized by the ESIUO model has the smallest relative error (δk≤0.04%) with the optimal quantitative structure. (ii) The layout of DESFs optimized by the ESIUO model maximizes the supply capacity of ecosystem services. The minimum matching degree between the distribution of each DESF and the high-value area of its suitability is 92.06 %, and the spatial distribution is more compact, and the comprehensive effect of spatial layout is the best. Further analysis confirmed that the model can establish the spatial layout of DESFs that can realize the high precision coupling with the optimal quantitative structure of DESFs in terms of quantitative structure, and can support the construction of the layout of intensive use of ecological space to alleviate the pressure of non-ecological space expansion in these areas, and then provide a new way to coordinate ecological protection and economic development.