Changes In Ecosystem Service Values Research Articles

Improving grassland ecosystem services for human wellbeing in the karst desertification control area: Anthropogenic factors become more important

Elucidating the spatial and temporal patterns of grassland ecosystem service value (ESV) changes under different karst geomorphic types (KGTs) is crucial for promoting regional sustainable development and enhancing human well-being. Karst ecosystems are characterized by high spatial heterogeneity. However, analyses of the drivers of spatial and temporal changes in ESV in karst grasslands at multiple scales are lacking. In this study, the South China Karst (SCK) region was selected as the focus area, the gross ecosystem product (GEP) accounting method was used to quantify the grassland ESV from 2000 to 2020, and the GeoDetector model was used to elucidate the spatial and temporal evolution of the GEP, the drivers, and their interactions in different KGTs. The results indicate the following: (1) Over the past 20 years, the grassland GEP of SCK has increased from ¥ 14,844.24 × 108 in 2000 to ¥ 17,174.90 × 108 in 2020. Among the various KGTs, the karst gorge exhibited the fastest GEP increase (24.93 %) and karst hilly depressions the slowest (6.22 %). (2) The karst grassland GEP showed a strong positive spatial correlation with significant clustering characteristics (p < 0.05). (3) There are significant differences in the factors influencing the GEP of grasslands with different KGT values, and although they are generally influenced by factors such as NPP, precipitation, and population density, anthropogenic factors are becoming increasingly important. In addition, the multifactor interaction explained GEP better than the single factor. Based on our findings, we propose targeted grassland ESV restoration approaches and management recommendations for various KGTs dominated by distinct factors. Our results provide a scientific basis for decision-making regarding karst ecosystem service enhancement and value realization.

Exploring the impacts of land use and land cover change on ecosystem services in Dongting Lake, China: a spatial and temporal analysis

Background and objectives: Land use and land cover change (LULCC) directly affects the human living environment and economic society by influencing ecosystem services. This study explores the complex relationship between LULCC and ecosystem services in the Dongting Lake region of China.Methods: The analysis incorporates the transfer matrix analysis of LULCC, ecosystem service value (ESV) accounting, Mann–Kendall mutation test, gray correlation, and path analysis. This study explored the spatial and temporal characteristics of LULCC and ecosystem services and revealed the comprehensive impacts of LULCC on ecosystem services from the perspective of factor interactions.Findings: The findings reveal that open water (OW) area and farmable land are the dominant land use types transferring in and out of the study area, with significant interconversion observed among open water area, wetland (WL), arable land (AL), and forest land (FL). Water conservation, waste disposal, climate regulation, and biodiversity conservation emerge as the most crucial ecosystem services in the study area. The study identifies consistent patterns of abrupt changes in LULCC and ESV across six analyzed time periods. Forest land exhibits the most substantial direct influence on climate regulation, gas exchange, soil formation and protection, conservation of biodiversity, raw materials, and recreation and leisure. Additionally, forest land, wetland, arable land, and open water area contribute significantly to the total ESV, with forest land being the dominant factor influencing the spatial differentiation of ecosystem services in the Dongting Lake region.Conclusion: The research reveals the consistency of ecosystem services and LULCC trends in the Dongting Lake area. LULCC is a complex process influenced by multiple factors, in which the conversion between ecological and non-ecological land use has a significant impact, and the complex coupling and coordination among LULCC drivers together influence ecosystem services. Furthermore, LULCC alters the structure and scale of ecosystems, resulting in alterations in the ESV.

Wetland ecosystem service values in Beijing significantly increased from 1984 to 2020: Trend changes, type evolution, and driving factor

Wetlands play a key role in maintaining the ecological security and sustainable economic development for Beijing, the capital city of China. However, the dynamic changes on the wetland ecosystem service values (ESV) in Beijing over the past decades remain unknown. In this research, we analyzed changing trend, the evolution of service types and their driving factors of wetlands ESV in Beijing based on the statistical data from 1984 to 2020 with trend test and gray correlation. The results revealed that the wetlands ESV in Beijing showed a remarkable increasing trend. The wetland ecosystem service types were not set in stone. Although the proportion of the regulation services value decreased by about one-third, it was still the dominant wetlands ecosystem service (ES) type in Beijing. More importantly, socioeconomic development was the most considerable influence on changes in wetland ESV, followed by human activities, and natural factors had the least impact.

Stability in change: building a stable ecological security pattern in Northeast China under climate and land use changes

Climate change and land use change caused by human activities have a profound impact on ecological security. Simulating the spatio-temporal changes in ecosystem service value and ecological security patterns under different carbon emission scenarios in the future is of great significance for formulating sustainable development policies. This study quantified the four major ecosystem services (habitat quality, water retention, soil erosion, and carbon storage) in Northeast China (NC), identified ecological source areas, and constructed a stable ecological security pattern. The results show that the spatial patterns of soil erosion, carbon storage, water retention, and habitat quality, the four major ecosystem services in NC, are relatively stable in the next 30 years, and there is no significant difference from the current spatial pattern distribution. The SSP1–2.6 carbon emission scenario is a priority model for the development of NC in the next 30 years. In this carbon emission scenario, the NC has the largest ecological resources (191,177 km2) and the least comprehensive resistance value (850.006 × 10−4). At the same time, the relative resistance of the corridor in this scenario is the smallest, and the area of the mandatory reserve pinch points is the least. The ecological corridors in the SSP1–2.6 scenario form a network distribution among the ecological sources, connecting several large ecological sources as a whole. This study fills the knowledge gap in building a stable ecological security pattern in NC under the background of global change, and provides a scientific basis for the decision-making of regional ecological security and land resource management.

Dynamic Changes in Ecosystem Service Value and Ecological Compensation in Original Continuous Poverty-Stricken Areas of China

The original contiguous poverty-stricken areas of China (OCPSAC) are a regional complex with natural and human attributes. Their ecosystem services are highly complex in their contribution to human well-being. The region’s ecosystem is unstable and socio-economic development is unbalanced, making it a key area for research and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, it has become the focus of social attention. This study obtained satellite remote sensing images of the Landsat8 based on the Google Earth Engine. The dynamic characteristics of the spatial and temporal distribution of the OCPSAC’s land use changes in 2015 and 2022 were analyzed. The characteristics of the changes in ecosystem service value (ESV) were quantitatively evaluated through the revised ESV equivalent scale, and the ecological compensation (EC) standards and EC priority level suitable for the region were explored. The research results showed that: (1) the OCPSAC land use types were mainly grassland, forests, and deserts, accounting for more than 80% of the research area; (2) the OCPSAC’s ESV reached CNY 115.578 billion, and the Tibet Region (TR) and Tibetan Region of Four Provinces (TRFP) had the highest ESVs, accounting for 32.28% and 19.64%, respectively. Among individual ESVs, hydrological regulation (HR) and climate regulation (CR) had the highest values, accounting for 55.23% of the research area; (3) the ESV of the research area presented the characteristics of being high in the middle and low at both ends. From the terrain perspective, the areas with a higher ESV per unit area were distributed in the second altitude gradient, followed by China’s third altitude gradient, and the first altitude gradient was the lowest; (4) in the period of 2015–2022, the ESV increased by CNY 21.39 billion, of which TR’s ESV increased by CNY 17.44 billion. From the perspective of a single ESV, the value of waste treatment (WT), HR, nutrient cycle (NC), and provide aesthetic landscape (PAL) increased by CNY 24.38 billion; and (5) in 2022, the EC standard of the OCPSAC was CNY 917.14 billion. High-EC-value areas were mainly distributed in TR and TRFP, accounting for 72.79% of the total compensation amount, of which only TR’s EC amount exceeded a GDP of 2022, accounting for 4.77% of the total compensation. The purpose of this study was to provide a reference for ecosystem sustainability and EC.

Wetland Changes and Ecosystem Services Valuation of Kapla Beel in Assam

Background: Wetlands are productive ecosystem with immense potentiality of providing various goods and services. But they are fast depleting due to various natural and anthropogenic causes. Kapla beel is a freshwater wetland located in Barpeta district in the lower Brahmaputra valley of Assam. Area of the Kapla beel has been decreasing over the years. This study shall make an attempt to analyse the causes of land use and land cover changes of Kapla beel of Assam and assess its ecosystem services value changes during the period 1990 to 2022. Methods: To assess the changes, two Landsat images for the year 1990 and 2022 of Kapla beel were taken from the United State Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Explorer. Land-use change analysis was assessed by comparing the areas occupied by each land use in each period using the ArcGIS software. The dynamicity index is used to calculate the rate of change in land cover. In order to assess the changes in the wetland ecosystem service value due to wetland changes, Benefit Transfer Method is used which involves transferring monetary values of ecosystem services from previous studies. Result: The valuation of ecosystem services underlines the fact that wetlands are highly productive and economically viable ecosystems. Accounting of ecosystem services provides information about the need for optimal decision -making towards judicious use of wetland resources for their sustenance.

Impacts of land use and cover changes on ecosystem service values from 1992 to 2052 in Gena District, Southwest Ethiopia

Land use and cover changes alter the functions and structures of ecosystem, resulting in variations in Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs). Thus, we examined the impacts of land use/land cover (LULC) changes on ESVs from 1992 to 2052 using geospatial technologies. The Landsat images were classified using the supervised maximum likelihood classification technique, and future changes in LULC were predicted using the CA-Markov model. Ecosystem Service Values coefficients were adopted from empirical studies and ESVs changes were evaluated based on the benefit transfer method using LULC data for the study periods, with their corresponding modified ESVs coefficients. The results revealed that, the proportions of grassland, forestland and shrubland declined by 58.5 %, 48.15 % and 33.48 %, respectively, from 1992 to 2022. Simultaneously, the highest rate of expansions of waterbodies (34 times), farmland and settlement threefold as well as bareland (60.2 %) from 1992 to 2022 was noticed. As a result, decreasing trends were experienced in the total ESVs of the district from US$33.6 million in 1992 to US$27.79 million in 2022, and are anticipated to further decline to US$25.94 million in 2052. The ESVs of forestland, shrubland and grassland shrank from 53.1 %, 40 % and 2.78 % in 1992 to 33.28 %, 33.16 % and 1.4 % in 2022 these changes are anticipated to continue for the next three decades, except trend for the increase in grassland ecosystem service value. Therefore, the government should redesign effective land management strategies to alleviate the negative consequences of LULC changes, facilitate payment for ecosystem services, and design ecotourism to boost the income of residents for major land use management-based production systems to increase the ESV in the district.

Multi-scenario simulation and evaluation of the impacts of land use change on ecosystem service values in the Chishui River Basin of Guizhou Province, China

Changes in land-use patterns are the main driving factors of ecosystem service values (ESVs). The quantitative evaluation of ESVs is significant for the sustainable development of ecologically fragile areas. In this study, the Chishui River Basin (CRB) in China was selected as the study region, and an intensity map (IM) was used to analyze the transformation of land use/land cover (LULC). The modified equivalent coefficient value method was used to evaluate the ESVs based on the 2000, 2010, and 2020 land use datasets. The spatial and temporal distributions of ESV and its response to changes in LULC were analyzed using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistical method and Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Moreover, spatial and temporal changes in LULC and ESV over the next 30 years in the four development scenarios were simulated using the Markov-PLUS model. The following results were obtained: 1) The farmland and forestland were the dominant LULC categories, and that the LULC pattern dramatically changed in the study area; 2) the total ESV of the CRB decreased significantly from 23.21 billion yuan in 2000 to 22.29 billion yuan in 2020; and 3) the ecological conservation scenario significantly promoted the total ESV, and the town development scenario was more conducive to the urbanization process. Therefore, although the ESV of the CRB showed a decreasing to slowly increasing trend in the context of a series of ecological restoration measures, scientific ecological protection and development policies must be continuously implemented to achieve harmony between ecological service improvement and urbanization development. Our results provide important information for making land-use decisions and facilitating sustainable development in ecologically protected basins.

Land-Use Transitions Impact the Ecosystem Services Value in a Coastal Region by Coupling the Geo-Informatic Tupu and Benefit-Transfer Method: The Case of Ningde City, China

Exploring the mechanisms and processes of land-use transitions (LUTs) and their impact on ecosystem services can effectively elucidate the intricate interactions between human and natural systems, which is pivotal for advancing the sustainable development of regional economies and enhancing ecological environments. However, the existing literature lacks comprehensive analysis regarding the spatial and temporal evolution of LUTs, with insufficient integration of the “spatial pattern” and “time process”. Moreover, traditional assessments of the ecosystem services value (ESV) often overlook their negative costs. To address these gaps, this study first utilized the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud platform and employed the random forest algorithm to conduct supervised classification on Landsat remote-sensing images from the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 within the research area, thereby obtaining land-use data for three distinct periods. And then, we investigated the geographic features of LUTs and their ecological effects in the Ningde City of China from 2000 to 2020. The geo-informatic Tupu model and a newly revised method of benefit transfer were primarily employed for this purpose. The findings indicate the following: (1) Over the study period, the land-use structure of Ningde City predominantly comprised cultivated land and forest land, with continuous decreases in both types and a concurrent increase in built-up land. (2) Significant disparities exist in the spatial distribution of Tupu units, notably with “forest land → cultivated land” and “cultivated land → built-up land” as crucial units influencing ESV changes. (3) The ESV in Ningde City decreased from CNY 1105.54 × 108 to CNY 1020.47 × 108 over 2000–2020, while the ecosystem dis-services value exhibited an opposing trend, rising from CNY 12.68 × 108 to CNY 20.39 × 108. (4) The net ESV in Ningde City showed a decline over the same period, indicating a certain vulnerability in the city’s ecological system structure. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the influence of land-use patterns on ESV, offering valuable insights for regional ecological–environment management and land-use policy formulation, thereby fostering sustainable development in ecological, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions. Furthermore, the results serve as a reference for evaluating net ecosystem services value in other countries/regions.

Multi-Scenario Land Use Optimization Simulation and Ecosystem Service Value Estimation Based on Fine-Scale Land Survey Data

Land optimization simulation and ecosystem service value (ESV) estimation can better serve land managers in decision-making. However, land survey data are seldom used in existing studies, and land optimization constraints fail to fully consider land planning control, and the optimization at the provincial scale is not fine enough, which leads to a disconnection between academic research and land management. We coupled ESV, gray multi-objective optimization (GMOP), and patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) models based on authoritative data on land management to project land use and ESV change under natural development (ND), rapid economic development (RED), ecological land protection (ELP), and sustainable development (SD) scenarios in 2030. The results show that construction land expanded dramatically (by 97.96% from 2000 to 2020), which encroached on grassland and cropland. This trend will continue in the BAU scenario. Construction land, woodland, and cropland are the main types of land used for expansion, while grassland and unused land, which lack strict use control, are the main land outflow categories. From 2000 to 2030, the total amount of ESV increases steadily and slightly. The spatial distribution of ESV is significantly aggregated and the agglomeration is increasing. The policy direction and land planning are important reasons for land use changes. The land use scenarios we set up can play an important role in preventing the uncontrolled expansion of construction land, mitigating the phenomenon of ecological construction, i.e., “governance while destruction”, and promoting food security. This study provides a new approach for provincial large-scale land optimization and ESV estimation based on land survey data and provides technical support for achieving sustainable land development.

Dynamic simulation and projection of ESV changes in arid regions caused by urban growth under climate change scenarios.

Spatial simulation and projection of ecosystem services value (ESV) changes caused by urban growth are important for sustainable development in arid regions. We developed a new model of cellular automata based grasshopper optimization algorithm (named GOA-CA) for simulating urban growth patterns and assessing the impacts of urban growth on ESV changes under climate change scenarios. The results show that GOA-CA yielded overall accuracy exceeding 98%, and FOM for 2010 and 2020 were 43.2% and 38.1%, respectively, indicating the effectiveness of the model. The prairie lost the highest economic ESVs (192 million USD) and the coniferous yielded the largest economic ESV increase (292 million USD) during 2000-2020. Using climate change scenarios as urban future land use demands, we projected three scenarios of the urban growth of Urumqi for 2050 and their impacts on ESV. Our model can be easily applied to simulating urban development, analyzing its impact on ESV and projecting future scenarios in global arid regions.

Assessing the impact of Land use changes on ecosystem services in the Alledighe rangeland, Ethiopia

Understanding the ecological, social, and economic values of protected areas, as well as assessing the services they provide to both humans and the environment is crucial for informing conservation policies and sustainable land management practices. Using the benefits transfer method, changes in ecosystem service values (ESVs) resulting from spatiotemporal land use dynamics were evaluated in the Alledighe Wildlife Reserve (AWR) spanning from 1998 to 2016. Five distinct habitat types, namely grassland, bushland, woodland, riverine forest, and highland forest, were identified across the landscape. The ESVs were estimated using regional and global ESV values. A decline in the extent of grassland, woodland, and riverine forests by 9.9%, 2.4%, and 1.5%, respectively, was observed while bushland and highland forests increased by 10.6% and 3.3%, respectively. The AWR experienced a loss of roughly 145 km2 of grassland habitat. Based on regional and global ESVs, total ESVs in the study area decreased by 28.18% from approximately US$ 180 million to approximately US$ 129 million, and by 40.85% from approximately US$ 496 million to approximately US$ 293 million. As per individual ESV assessment, the total ESV decreased by 41% from around US$ 374.5 million to US$ 264.8 million. Provisioning service declined by 41.6% from US$ 100 million to US$ 70.6 million. Regulating service declined by 42.5% from US$ 242.4 million to US$ 170 million. Supporting service declined by 67% from US$ 5.3 million to US$ 3.2 million, and cultural service decreased by 27.8% from US$ 26.7 million to US$ 20.8 million. The larger ESV change was contributed by the expansion of forestland and bushland across previously grassland-dominated areas. The results of this study could render the value of the rangeland more visible in the decision-making process, as well as provide valuable input for future planning and management interventions of the AWR's pristine rangeland, thereby enhancing ecosystem services and the livelihoods of the surrounding communities.

Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Ecosystem Services Value in Mwanza City, Tanzania

Ecosystem services are vital services that support life and are the basis for human socio-economic progress. However, changes in land use and land cover (LULC) brought about by urban expansion degrade them. Thus, analysing the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) change on ecosystem service values (ESVs) is crucial for understanding and informing resource policy decisions. This study aims to analyse the impact of land use and land cover changes on ecosystem service values in Mwanza City, Tanzania. To achieve that, the benefits transfer approach was employed to analyse the changes in ESV in response to LULC. We estimated and analysed changes in ESV using satellite image datasets from 1999, 2009, and 2019. The LULC classes that were identified are vegetated land, agricultural land, waterbodies, built-up area, and bareland. The results exhibit that Mwanza City experienced significant LULC changes. While vegetated land, agricultural land, and bareland decreased by 49%, 15%, and 36%, respectively, the built-up area and water bodies increased by 568% and 48%, respectively, during the two decades. The total ESV decreased from 31.35 million US dollars to 26.3 million US dollars between 1999 and 2009 and to 23.96 million US dollars between 2009 and 2019. The waterbodies increased due to the increased volume of water in streams that expanded the floodplains, which resulted from surface runoff attributed to increased paved surfaces as more land was converted into a built-up environment upstream. The built-up area and bareland contributed nothing to ESV. However, the built-up area was the driving force behind the reduction of ESV in other LULC classes, as it was encroaching on them. The study concludes that the decrease in ESV reflects the degradation of ecosystem services due to the change in LULC. Hence, it is recommended that sustainable management of ecosystems be adhered for the proper functioning of the earth’s life-support system.

Changes in total and per-capital ecosystem service value in response to land-use land-cover dynamics in north-central Ethiopia

Ecosystems provide a wide range of services crucial for human well-being and decision-making processes at various levels. This study analyzed the major land cover types of north-central Ethiopia and their impact on total and per-capita ecosystem service value (ESV). The ESV was estimated using the benefit-transfer method along the established global and local coefficient values for the periods 1973, 1986, 2001, 2016, and 2024. The findings show that agricultural lands continued to expand at a rate of 563.4 ha year−1, at the expense of forests and grasslands. As a result, the total ESV of the study area declined from $101.4 to $61.03 million and $60.08–$43.69 million, respectively. The ESV per capita was also diminished by $152.4 (37.7%) and $257 (40.6%), respectively. However, land-cover improvement during the period 2001–2016 enhanced the total and per capita ESV in the study area. Therefore, potential future research may be required to develop a valid approach for assessing the robustness and sensitivity of value coefficients for the valuation of the ESV at the landscape level.

Assessing and predicting changes of ecosystem service values in response to land use/land cover dynamics in Ibb City, Yemen: a three-decade analysis and future outlook

ABSTRACT Assessing ecosystem services values (ESV) within land use/land cover (LULC) changes is crucial for promoting human well-being and sustainable development of regional ecosystems. Yet, the spatial relationship between LULC changes and ecosystem services is still unclear in Yemen. This study aimed to assess the impacts of LULC changes on ESV in Ibb City, over three decades (1990–2020), and to predict the ESV changes in 2050. The hybrid land use classification technique for classifying Landsat images, the CA-Markov model for LULC prediction, and the benefit transfer method (BTM) for assessment ESV were employed. Our findings revealed that there was a continuous increase in built-up areas and barren land, with a decrease in cultivated land and grassland, which are predicted to continue for the next 30 years. Consequently, the total ESV has decreased from US$ 68.5 × 106 in 1990 to US$ 65.2 × 106 in 2020 and is expected to further reduce to US$ 61.2 × 106 by 2050, reflecting the impact of urban expansion and socio-economic activities on ESV. The study provides insights for future ESV monitoring, which will contribute to the formulation of effective land-use strategies for more sustainable ecosystem services, particularly in rapidly urbanizing data-limited regions.

Spatial and temporal changes in ecosystem services value and analysis of driving factors in the Yangtze River Delta Region

Abstract Based on land use classification data for the Yangtze River Delta region in 2000, 2015, and 2020, this study aims to explore the spatial and temporal evolution of ecosystem services value (ESV) in the region. By analyzing the land use structure and its dynamic changes, an ESV model is constructed. Furthermore, the study utilizes a geodetector to analyze the driving factors of ESV in the Yangtze River Delta region. The findings are as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, arable land was the predominant land use type in the Yangtze River Delta region. (2) The ESV in the region showed an upward trend followed by a decline from 2000 to 2020. Regulating services and supporting services have always been the core functions of ecosystem services in the region, with hydrological regulation contributing the most. (3) From a spatial perspective, there were significant differences in the spatial distribution of AESV (aggregated ecosystem services value) in the Yangtze River Delta region. The AESV changes in various cities within the region were evident, with a decreasing trend observed in most cities. (4) The sensitivity index of each land use type was less than 1, with forest land exhibiting the highest sensitivity and having the greatest impact on ESV. (5) Geodetector analysis revealed that the AESV in the Yangtze River Delta region is influenced by a combination of regional natural factors, economic factors, and social factors, and the interaction among different driving forces significantly enhances the spatial heterogeneity of AESV in the region.

Ecosystem service valuation and multi-scenario simulation in the Ebinur Lake Basin using a coupled GMOP-PLUS model

The Ebinur Lake Basin is an ecologically sensitive area in an arid region. Investigating its land use and land cover (LULC) change and assessing and predicting its ecosystem service value (ESV) are of great importance for the stability of the basin's socioeconomic development and sustainable development of its ecological environment. Based on LULC data from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, we assessed the ESV of the Ebinur Lake Basin and coupled the grey multi-objective optimization model with the patch generation land use simulation model to predict ESV changes in 2035 under four scenarios: business-as-usual (BAU) development, rapid economic development (RED), ecological protection (ELP), and ecological–economic balance (EEB). The results show that from 1990 to 2020, the basin was dominated by grassland (51.23%) and unused land (27.6%), with a continuous decrease in unused land and an increase in cultivated land. In thirty years, the total ESV of the study area increased from 18.62 billion to 67.28 billion yuan, with regulation and support services being the dominant functions. By 2035, cultivated land increased while unused land decreased in all four scenarios compared with that in 2020. The total ESV in 2035 under the BAU, RED, ELP, and EEB scenarios was 68.83 billion, 64.47 billion, 67.99 billion, and 66.79 billion yuan, respectively. In the RED and EEB scenarios, ESV decreased by 2.81 billion and 0.49 billion yuan, respectively. In the BAU scenario, provisioning and regulation services increased by 6.05% and 2.93%, respectively. The ELP scenario, focusing on ecological and environmental protection, saw an increase in ESV for all services. This paper can assist policymakers in optimizing land use allocation and provide scientific support for the formulation of land use strategies and sustainable ecological and environmental development in the inland river basins of arid regions.

Assessing the value and sensitivity of ecosystem services based on land use in the middle and lower reaches of the Shiyang River

In response to increasing ecological and environmental challenges in arid areas, it is of great significance to investigate the ecosystem service value (ESV), accompanying the changes in ecological sensitivity for the protection of ecologically vulnerable areas. Our analysis seeks to elucidate the ESV and ecological sensitivity changes in the middle and lower reaches of the Shiyang River to determine the trends and influencing factors of ESV under changing land use patterns. The key findings include: (1) From 1995 to 2020, the ESV in the study area witnessed fluctuations, culminating in an overall decline of 1.249 × 108 yuan. (2) In 2020, sensitivity coefficients (CSs) for ESV were as follows: 0.4335 for grassland, 0.2586 for farmland, and 0.1170 for unused land within the study area. Furthermore, coefficients of improved cross-sensitivity (CICSs) for the reciprocal transformation of farmland, grassland, and unused land were 1.10, 1.18, and 1.54, respectively, indicating the pivotal role of the three land types in driving ESV fluctuations.

Detecting the effects of opencast mining on ecosystem services value in arid and semi-arid areas based on time-series remote sensing images and Google Earth Engine (GEE)

Ecosystem Services Value (ESV) are the various beneficial functions and products that natural ecosystems provide to humans, and are important indicators for evaluating ecosystem conditions and human well-being. Opencast mining is one of the human activities that severely damage the surface environment, but its long-term impact on ecosystem services lacks systematic assessment. This study takes the Ordos opencast mining area as an example, and calculates the value of ESV from 1990 to 2020 based on the Google Earth Engine platform. Mann-Kendall Tau-b with Sen’s Method (Sen + mk test) and Joinpoint regression model were used to analyzes its spatiotemporal variation characteristics. Further revealed the impacts of opencast mining on ESV as well as the trend of ESV changes. The results show that: (1) The dynamic ESV levels in the study area fluctuated considerably from 1990 to 2020 with an overall decreasing trend of 89.45%. (2) Among nine types ecosystem services, most of them were significantly different (p < 0.001) between mining areas and control areas, with biodiversity protection (BP), climate regulation (CR), gas regulation (GR), soil formation and retention (SFR), water supply (WS) and waste treatment (WT) showed a significant decrease between 1990 and 2020. (3) In the past 30 years, the ESV of the study area showed an overall improvement trend, where the improved area accounted for 48.45% of the total area of the study area. However, the degraded area also accounted for 21.28, and 17.19% of the area belonged to severe degradation. With 67% of the significantly degraded areas distributed within mining concessions. (4) The trend of ESV changes in the mining impact areas and the control area showed significant differences. The ESV of the control area increased continuously, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of 0.7(95%CI:0.50 ~ 0.9, P < 0.001) from 1990 to 2020; while the ESV of the mining impact areas first stabilized and then decreased significantly, with an AAPC of − 0.2(95%CI:− 0.3 ~ − 0.1,P < 0.001) from 1990 to 2020. This study provides scientific support for formulating ecosystem management, restoration plans, and payment for ecosystem service policies, which is conducive to achieving regional sustainable development and improving human well-being.

Estimation of the Ecosystem Service Value of the Yellow River Delta-Laizhou Bay Coastal Zone Considering Regional Differences and Social Development.

With economic and societal development, the ecological environment of the Yellow River Delta-Laizhou Bay coastal zone has been seriously damaged. Exploring the changes in land use and ecosystem service value (ESV) is essential to ecological construction of the region. The random forest classification method was used for land cover interpretation of the four periods of remote sensing images in the study area from 1990 to 2020. Newly calculated regional difference coefficients and social development coefficients were used to construct a dynamic ESV assessment model and to study its changes from overall and sea‒land gradient perspectives. The results showed that construction land, salt pans, aquaculture ponds, and inland water masses expanded rapidly, while cropland, tidal flats, and shallow waters shrank sharply over the past 30 years. The ESV in the study area has continued to decrease from 34.47 billion yuan in 1990 to 25.23 billion yuan in 2020, a total decrease of 9.23 billion yuan. This is mostly due to the encroachment of construction land, salt pans, and aquaculture ponds, and the flow of ecosystem services from high-value land cover types (tidal flats, herbaceous wetlands, and cropland) to medium- and low-value land cover types. Moreover, the land cover transfer and ESVs exhibited a decreasing trend from sea to land, with significant sea-land gradient differences. Land conversion is most common in the 0-15 km coastal zone, mainly from natural wetlands to artificial wetlands, where the ESV also decreases rapidly. Considering the regional differences and social development in this paper, the ESV of small-scale areas can be reasonably evaluated to explore the characteristics and causes of changes in land use and ESVs, which can provide an important reference for ecological protection and land use management in the region.