Comprehensive Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Changes in ecosystem services supply–demand and key drivers in Jiangsu Province, China, from 2000 to 2020

AbstractHuman activities and regional land development have considerably contributed to the degradation of ecosystems and the growing contradiction between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) in Jiangsu Province, China. However, few studies have applied a comprehensive approach to elucidate the patterns and evolutionary characteristics of ESs over long periods. This study investigated the spatial–temporal evolution of the supply, demand, and supply–demand relationships of six individual ESs and comprehensive ESs in Jiangsu Province from 2000 to 2020. It revealed the key drivers of the changes in comprehensive ecosystem services supply–demand relationship (CESSD) using a geo‐detector model and a geographically and temporally weighted regression model to address the shortcomings of previous studies. The results showed that at the provincial level, the CESSD presented a surplus while the supply–demand state tended to be imbalanced. At the 1‐km2 grid scale, the spatial heterogeneity of CESSD was obvious, with surplus supply–demand zones primarily distributed in the Taihu Lake watershed, hilly areas, riverside zones, the watershed from Hongze Lake to Gaoyou Lake, and the eastern coastal zone, while deficit supply–demand zones were mainly clustered in areas with concentrated and contiguous construction land. From 2000 to 2020, the area of deficit in CESSD increased from 626 to 3257 km2 and the degree of deficit gradually deepened, with socioeconomic factors having the greatest influence on changes in CESSD. Our findings reveal the balance/imbalance between human society and natural ecology in Jiangsu Province and highlight the need for effective management of regional ecosystems.

Coupling eco-environmental quality and ecosystem services to delineate priority ecological reserves—A case study in the Yellow River Basin

Priority ecological reserves (PER) aim to protect areas with significant ecological value and crucial ecological functions, optimizing resource allocation to maximize the benefits of ecological conservation. However, most previous studies have considered only ecosystem services (ESs) in delineating PER, neglecting eco-environmental quality (EEQ). This study used the Remote Sensing-based Ecological Index (RSEI) to represent EEQ and combined it with ESs to delineate PER at the county scale in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Additionally, it employed Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression to identify the driving factors influencing the ESs and EEQ of PER. The results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, both RSEI and the Comprehensive ESs (CES) in the YRB exhibited a fluctuating upward trend; (2) Three types of PER were extracted, with ESs reserve mainly distributed in the upstream region, EEQ reserve primarily in the middle and lower reaches, and integrated ecological reserve mainly in the midstream region, all dominated by vegetation land-use types; (3) Within the extracted PER, RSEI was mainly influenced by soil, aspect, population (pop), PM2.5, temperature (tmp), and potential evapotranspiration (pet), while CES was affected by soil, pop, PM2.5, slope, tmp, precipitation, and pet. To enhance the EEQ and ESs of the YRB, it was recommended to incorporate at least 105,379 km2 into the existing protected areas in the YRB. These areas should be subdivided based on their ecological status, with specific management measures for different types of PER. This study provides recommendations for environmental protection and land planning in the YRB, actively responding to current policies on high-quality development and ecological environmental protection in the YRB.

Study on the Dynamic Change of Land Use in Megacities and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Modeling Prediction

Under the background of rapid urbanization, strengthening the research on the response and dynamic mechanism of ecosystem services to land use is conducive to the optimization of land space and ecological restoration and governance in megacities. Using Hefei City as a case study, we examined specific ecosystem services and analyzed how water yield, habitat quality, carbon storage, and soil conservation changed over time from 2000 to 2020. We utilized spatial information technthe value of ecosystem services per unit

Navigating Land Conservation, Utilization, and Market Solutions: Insights from the Lanyang River Watershed, Taiwan

In the current fraught relationship between nature and human society, land conservation and utilization have spawned intensive conflicts that require mediation. The present study explores this issue of coordination between nature and society in a fragile watershed located in northeastern Taiwan: the Lanyang River Watershed. Land zoning in this area has been historically classified and legally implemented, and additional development is constrained by an application review process. Currently, additional land utilization is still in demand in sensitive areas of this watershed, such as for mining and tilling. Due to the geographically, geologically, and climatically fragile characteristics of the watershed, the hillside residents have benefited from the conservation of nature with comprehensive ecosystem services but are at the forefront of the loss of life and property caused by forest ecosystem degradation. They are one of the key local resource users and main stakeholders. Applying the contingent valuation method to survey the hillside residents, the present study assessed the economic value they receive from the comprehensive ecosystem services offered by the natural forest ecosystems. Their opinions are explored using a survey on their awareness of ecosystem damage, their opinions on damage compensation, and on the feasible compensation channels for damage. As the study results ascertained the high value of the comprehensive ecosystem services continuously delivered by the conserved forest ecosystem, the study affirmed that conservation in the area classified and zoned as sensitive is an economic beneficial policy. With a high regard for ecosystem services and awareness of the impact of degradation and of the general agreement for the feasibility of channels of damage compensation, the continuity of conservation for these comprehensive ecosystem services is the preferred strategy for the local hillside residents. To emphasize this further, the opinions of the local community at the intersection of nature and society, where there is a delineated land zoning framework, strongly favor conservation over intensive resource exploitation and agricultural expansion, making further development an unfavorable strategy.

Ecological risk assessment and influencing factors in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area based on supply and demand bundles of ecosystem services

In the context of rapid urbanization, metropolitan areas are facing the risk of supply-demand mismatches among ecosystem services. Investigating the patterns, relationships, and driving factors of multiple supply-demand risks is of great significance to support the efficient management of regional ecological risks. We quantified the single/comprehensive supply-demand risk rates of six ecosystem services in Wuhan Metropolitan Area at the township scale in 2000, 2010, and 2020. By applying the self-organizing feature map network and optimal parameter geo-detector, we identified supply-demand risks bundles of ecosystem services and influencing factors of comprehensive risks. The results showed significant spatial variations in the supply-demand risks of typical ecosystem services from 2000 to 2020. The supply-demand risk associated with grain production, water yield, carbon sequestration, and green space recreation increased, while soil conservation and water purification risks decreased. The comprehensive ecosystem services supply-demand risk increased from 0.41 to 0.45, indicating a 'core area increase and periphery decrease' trend. Throughout the study period, the area exhibited bundles of comprehensive extremely high-risk bundles (B1), comprehensive high-risk bundles (B2), water purification high-risk bundles (B3), and grain production-soil conservation risk bundles (B4). The transition of risk types from B3 to B2 and from B2 to B1 suggested an increase in the combination and intensity of supply-demand risk. Vegetation cover, nighttime light index, and population density were the main driving factors for spatial variations in comprehensive supply-demand risk. Ecologi-cal risk assessment based on ecosystem services supply-demand bundles could provide an effective and reliable way to regulate multiple regional risk issues.

Spatiotemporal Heterogeneous Responses of Ecosystem Services to Landscape Patterns in Urban–Suburban Areas

With the acceleration of urbanization, the ecosystem around cities is facing severe challenges. The drastic changes in the landscape pattern, especially in urban–suburban areas, are usually regarded as one of the main drivers. However, the spatiotemporal heterogeneous impacts of landscape patterns on the ecosystem services in this region remain unclear. To address this issue, we propose a novel framework integrating the InVEST-based ecosystem service assessment and spatiotemporal weighted regression (STWR)-based analysis of the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in urban–suburban areas, and apply it to the empirical study of Fuzhou City from 2000 to 2020. It first utilized the InVEST model to build a comprehensive ecosystem service index (CES) from five aspects (i.e., habitat quality, carbon storage, water yield, soil retention, and water purification capacity). Then, four landscape pattern indices (LPIs) (i.e., patch density (PD), area-weighted mean fractal dimension (FRAC_AM), splitting (SPLIT), and Shannon’s diversity (SHDI) index) were selected to build the STWR model. We compared and analyzed the differences in the spatial coefficient surfaces and significance tests generated by the STWR model in urban, urban–suburban, and rural areas. Results show that the following: (1) The CES in Fuzhou shows an upward trend from the urban area to the urban–suburban and rural areas, with significant gradient differences. (2) Compared with other areas, the LPIs in urban–suburban areas show more fragmentation, discreteness, and diversity, indicating more socioeconomic activities. (3) Although LPIs’ impacts on CES change over time (increasing from 2005 to 2010 and 2020 but decreasing in 2015), their effects are relatively low in urban–suburban areas, significantly lower than in urban areas. (4) Interestingly, the LPI coefficients near the urban–suburban boundary seem more significant. (5) This framework can effectively reveal the spatiotemporal heterogeneous relationships between various LPIs and CES, thus guiding concrete policies and measures that support decision-making for improving the ecosystem services surrounding cities through shaping landscape patterns.

The spatiotemporal changes and trade-off synergistic effects of ecosystem services in the Jianghan Plain of China under different scenarios

Disturbance from human activities has intensified the evolution of ecosystem structure in the Jianghan Plain of China, leading to intensified conflicts between ecosystem services. It is essential to clarify the trade-off synergies between ecosystem services in the Jianghan Plain of China to better coordinate the economic and social development and ecological protection of the region. Based on historical data and scenario predictions using the GeoSOS-FLUS model, the InVEST model was applied to five key ecosystem services: Carbon storage, crop production, habitat quality, soil conservation and water yield from 2000 to 2020. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the trade-off synergies between different ecosystem services in space and time. The results showed that arable land and water land areas are the most important land types in the Jianghan Plain of China. From 2000 to 2020, the increase in build-up land and water land areas was accompanied by a decrease in arable land, forest land and unused land, and an increase in forest land. The natural development scenario in 2035 continues this trend except forest land reduction, while the ecological protection scenario reverses this trend. From 2000 to 2020, crop production, water yield, and soil conservation increased in the Jianghan Plain of China, while carbon storage and habitat quality declined significantly, showing a spatial distribution pattern of higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. The comprehensive ecosystem services simulated in 2035 showed a downward trend compared with 2020, and the ecological protection scenario has the smallest decrease. There is an overall synergistic relationship between the five ecosystem services in the Jianghan Plain of China, and the strongest synergistic relationship is between soil conservation and water yield. The spatiotemporal relationship between the ecosystems in the Jianghan Plain of China is dynamic and requires sustainable management. Thus, it is necessary to rationally utilize land resources and enhance the ecological functions of the area to minimize trade-offs based on scientific land and spatial planning to maximize synergy.

Trends and Prospects of Ecodesign in Urban Landscape Design in the Context of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract This study accurately assessed the overall ecological landscape condition of the city through the environmental landscape pattern index, and specifically explored the NP, LSI, and PD indices of construction land, cultivated land, forest land, grassland, water, and other land. Adopting advanced artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies, this paper successfully constructs a 3D visualization scene of the urban landscape, which provides a vivid and intuitive perspective for urban planning. Further, based on the planning and design framework of urban landscape ecosystem, this paper clarifies the ecological evaluation elements and landscape design indexes, and uses VR technology to optimize the design of environmental aspects of urban streets. By establishing an optimization strategy database, this paper conducts an in-depth correlation analysis between the optimization scheme’s design indicators and evaluation factors. Comparing the comprehensive ecosystem service area before and after optimization, the results show that applying VR technology in ecological landscape design is highly effective. The integrated ecosystem service area before and after optimization increased from 7611.72m² to 8039.51m², of which the integrated ecosystem service area of “general” grade increased by 324.03m², showing the best effect of ecological optimization. The research in this paper provides scientific basis and technical support for ecological landscape design and new ideas and methods for future urban environmental planning and construction.

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AS THE OBJECT OF INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION

The concept of ecosystem services embodies an ideological framework, serves as a subject for fundamental research, provides methodological groundwork for applied projects, offers a practical approach to natural resource management, acts as a platform for international governmental and non-governmental collaboration, and serves as a means of knowledge production. The article presents the results of a systematic literature analysis focused on identifying key research trends in the field of ecosystem services that need further attention and development. It also highlights promising directions for transdisciplinary collaboration in the implementation and management of ecosystem services. Research methods involved iterative information retrieval, analysis of scientific papers, and review of contemporary methodological approaches. Based on the processed sources, seven comprehensive research directions of ecosystem services and twenty branches were identified. Ecosystem services are characterized as boundary objects. The main findings point to the need for integration of scientific disciplines, involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, and consolidation of development perspectives across various fields to achieve a compromise between ecosystem services utilization and conservation. The role of boundary organizations in achieving these goals is emphasized. An insufficient integration between social and ecological disciplines in Ukrainian science is identified along with probable reasons for this situation. The conclusions underscore the importance of a transdisciplinary approach to ecosystem services research. Future research prospects include expanding collaboration between researchers and practitioners, as well as refining methodological approaches for comprehensive ecosystem services study.

Assessing the coupling coordination dynamics between land use intensity and ecosystem services in Shanxi's coalfields, China

The land use and cover changes (LUCC) caused by strong coal-mining activities and ecological restoration practices have seriously interfered with the ecosystem services (ESs) in the mining area. However, little attention has been paid to how to explore and improve the coordinated relationship between LUCC and ESs in mining areas. This study investigated the crucial relationship between ESs and land use intensity (LUI) in coal-mining areas, emphasizing the significance of understanding this interdependence for balanced human–land system development. Employing a coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, this research examined the evolving relationship across various reclamation stages of coalfields in Shanxi, China, spanning from 1986 to 2020. Additionally, stepwise and geographically weighted regressions were utilized to investigate the primary factors influencing CCD and their respective impacts. Notably, the comprehensive ecosystem service index (CESI) exhibited an upward trend between 1986 and 2020, whereas the LUI initially increased and subsequently declined during the reclamation stages. Moreover, the CCD between the LUI and CESI gradually evolved from mildly maladjusted to reluctant coordination throughout the various reclamation stages, gradually improved over time. Geographically, the region exhibited a coordinated level gradually expanded. Precipitation, slope, coal mining intensity, and industrial output emerged as primary CCD influencers. Coal mining intensity exerted negative impacts, whereas the impact of industrial output was minimal. Based on our findings, we recommend the timely and judicious reclamation of coalfields, taking into consideration the land's bearing capacity.

Incorporating ecosystem services into functional zoning and adaptive management of natural protected areas as case study of the Shennongjia region in China

Against the background of global climate change and anthropogenic interference, studying the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of ecosystem services in important ecological function regions and rationally dividing the functional zones will help to promote the construction of the natural protected areas system dominated by national parks. The Shennongjia Region is an important candidate for China's national parks and one of the key pilots. Integrating the InVEST model, Getis-Ord Gi* index, hotspot analysis, GeoDetector and K-means clustering algorithm, we measured five ecosystem services interactions and delineate the functional zones. The results show that the spatial and temporal evolution of various ecosystem services in the Shennongjia Region between 2000 and 2020 was significant. All ecosystem services showed a decreasing and then increasing trend, except for carbon storage, which slowly declined. The ecological status of the region is in the process of polarization, with the local environment showed a trend of continuous deterioration. Water yield-habitat quality and carbon storage-water purification showed synergistic relationships; soil conservation showed trade-offs with water yield, carbon storage and water purification over a wide spatial range. The interaction between land surface temperature and vegetation cover was the most significant dominant factor. Hot spots for the comprehensive ecosystem services index were mainly located in the central and southern parts of the Shennongjia region and four types of ecosystem service functional zones were identified accordingly. This study is of great significance for maximizing the benefits of ecosystem service functions, the efficient allocation of environmental resources and the rational formulation of management policies in natural protected areas.

Non-linear effects of multi-dimensional urbanization on ecosystem services in mega-urban agglomerations and its threshold identification

The rapid urbanization process of urban agglomerations had complex and non-linear effects on various ecosystem services (ESs), particularly within mega-urban agglomerations. Previous studies have focused on the non-linear impacts of urbanization on comprehensive ESs within single urban agglomerations. However, research on the non-linear relationship between multi-dimensional urbanization and different ES types across entire mega-urban agglomerations and the identification of impact thresholds remains limited. This lack of investigation has considerably hampered the formulation of targeted policies for urbanization development and ecological management. Addressing these research gaps, this study takes a holistic approach by taking the BTH-UA, PRD-UA, and YRD-UA as a whole and employs a threshold regression model to measure the non-linear impacts of multi-dimensional urbanization on different ES types, along with identifying critical thresholds. The results are as follows: In terms of temporal evolution, urbanization has progressed most rapidly in the YRD-UA and PRD-UA, contributing to varying degrees of ES decline. In contrast, despite the relatively low urbanization level in the BTH-UA, ESs are on the rise. Spatially, mega-urban agglomerations exhibited a “core-periphery” pattern in both urbanization and ESs distribution. High urbanization levels were found clustered in core regions, while elevated ESs levels were prevalent in the peripheries, indicating significant spatial disparities. The effects of both population urbanization (PU) and land urbanization (LU) on carbon storage (CS) exhibited an inverted U-shaped curve with thresholds of 272 people/km2 and 1.063%, respectively. The effect of LU on food production (FP) had a U-shaped curve with a threshold of 0.704%. The findings indicate that the impacts of PU and LU on ESs exhibit more complex characteristics in urbanization systems. The results of the study underscore the significance of regulating population density and urban expansion intensity to improve ESs within mega-urban agglomerations. This research offers valuable support for policy formulation and sustainable development planning in these large urban clusters.

Deciphering the impact of wind erosion on ecosystem services: An integrated framework for assessment and spatiotemporal analysis in arid regions

Wind erosion, a crucial disruptor of ecosystem health and stability, especially in arid regions, remains unincorporated in extensively utilized ecosystem services (ESs) quantification models such as InVEST. This neglect results in a gap: the profound influence of wind erosion on ESs remains largely underexplored and unquantified. Moreover, current models predominantly concentrate on individual ESs, thus bypassing the necessary comprehensive evaluation of various ESs' developmental status. To address this gap, we propose a systematic framework based on the Distance between Indices of Simulation and Observation (DISO), which integrates the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) and key modules of the InVEST model to derive a Comprehensive Ecosystem Services Assessment Index (CESAI) for arid regions. We evaluated five ESs, including water yield, soil retention, sand fixation (measured by wind erosion), carbon storage, and habitat quality. To further investigate the influence of each ES on the comprehensive assessment, we employed a suite of statistical methods, including independent samples t-tests and a generalized additive model (GAM), to elucidate the complex relationships and significant effects of wind erosion on the CESAI. The results of the t-tests and GAM highlighted the significant influence of wind erosion, which demonstrated the highest edf-value (2.000) and the highest F-value (1039.6, p < 0.001). Spatiotemporal dynamics show that ES functionality in Uzbekistan has deteriorated from 1992 to 2020, a trend starkly exemplified by the severe harm inflicted by the Aral Sea crisis. Drawing upon the DISO concept, we have innovatively designed a framework that steers the CESAI index, a comprehensive instrument for evaluating ESs. Beyond providing a holistic perspective on ESs assessments, this framework also deciphers the multifaceted interplay within ecosystems through statistical dissection of each service's influence. Collectively, our findings deepen the understanding of ESs dynamics, shedding light on the crucial role of wind erosion within arid ecosystem service assessments.

Mapping the evolution patterns of urbanization, ecosystem service supply–demand, and human well-being: A tree-like landscape perspective

Ecosystem services (ESs) are closely related to human well-being (HWB). Recently, urbanization has increased worldwide, which has had a significant impact on the ecosystem service supply–demand (ESSD) and HWB. However, previous studies have primarily focused on the spatiotemporal pattern of ESSD and HWB, while ignoring their evolutionary pathways, especially in karst areas. We aimed to quantify the optimal trade-offs of ESSD under the constraints of urbanization and the nonlinear relationship between ESSD and HWB, further constructing a tree-like framework to explore the evolutionary pathways of urbanization, ESSD, and HWB from a landscape evolution perspective. We used the production possibility frontier (PPF) to quantify the optimal trade-offs of three ESSDs, the generalized additive model (GAM) to fit the nonlinear relationship between ESSD and HWB, and the geographic evolution tree model (Geotree) to construct the tree-like structure of urbanization levels, comprehensive ecosystem service supply–demand (CESD), and HWB. There is a trade-off between the deficit of carbon storage services (CS) and water yield services (WY), but a synergy between the deficit of WY and the surplus of FS. Further, there is a synergy between the deficit of CSs and the surplus of food supply services (FS). The response of HWB to the ESSD of CS is not obvious, but the response to the ESSD of WY and FS is obvious. Based on the Geotree model, the urbanization, CESD, and HWB present strong coupling relationships, which show the characteristics of clustering, stratified heterogeneity, and evolution.

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.

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.

Long-term returning agricultural residues increases soil microbe-nematode network complexity and ecosystem multifunctionality

The negative environmental impacts of chemical fertilizers have been recognized for a long time, and the returning of agricultural residues to the soil is considered a sustainable agricultural practice. However, few studies have focused on the ecological and economic benefits of returning agricultural residues to the soil simultaneously. Using a 16-year field experiment, we integrally evaluated and compared the ecological and economic benefits of six fertilization practices. The treatments included a no-fertilizer control, conventional chemical NPK fertilization, and partial substitutions of the NPK in chemical fertilizers with a low (30%) or high (60%) level of agricultural residues (straw or cattle manure). The amount of N, P and K inputs remained constant across all fertilization treatments, but the source of N, P and K differed. Ecological benefits were assessed through a study of ecosystem multifunctionality and through a co-occurrence network analysis of the soil micro-food web. Our results showed that applications of agricultural residues increased soil microbial biomass and diversity, soil co-occurrence network complexity, and ecosystem multifunctionality compared with the chemical fertilization alone. The high-level straw substitution treatment supported the greatest ecosystem multifunctionality and soil network complexity. Random Forest regression analysis revealed that soil microbial biomass and fungal diversity were important biological traits associated with ecosystem multifunctionality. The economic benefit was highest when cattle manure was returned to the soil, lowest when crop straw was returned to the soil, and intermediate with chemical fertilization alone. Therefore, the return of cattle manure to the soil provided comprehensive ecosystem services. Our findings increase the understanding of the relationships between economic and ecological effects of returning agricultural residues to the soil.

Multiscenario simulation of land use and land cover in the Zhundong mining area, Xinjiang, China

Mining is one kind of activities for human beings to get necessary mineral resources for survival, which also leads to disturbance and damage to local ecosystem. In this paper, the authors analyzed the characteristics of spatio-temporal changes in land use and land cover (LULC) and employed the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model to analyze the comprehensive ecosystem service (CES). Markov chain (MC) and patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) were used to assess the spatial distribution of LULC change based on two scenarios in 2030, providing a theoretical basis for restoration of eco-environmentin the Zhundong coalfield. The results indicate that the area with the foremost LULC is the conversion from other to grassland, grassland to other, and other to built-up land in the past 20 years. The value of CES declined from 0.5397 (2000) to 0.3937 (2010) over time and then continued to decline to 0.3449 (2020); the change was weaker in the 2010–2020 period than that in the 2000–2010 period. Spatially, the ecosystem degradation of the eastern part of the Jiangjunmiao mining area and the Xiheishan mining area was more serious, while the Wucaiwan mining area was improved, which is mainly due to the contribution of ecological restoration there. In the 2030 the business-as-usual (BUA) scenario, the area of built-up land expansion increases significantly by 95.2 km2, and the value of CES continues to decrease. In the 2030 the ecological development priority (EDP) scenario, the built-up land expansion continues to decrease to 58.32 km2, the area of grassland increases significantly to 18.64 km2, the value of CES continues to decrease, and the overall LULC structure is improved. Results will guide the type of green sustainable exploitation of the Zhundong mining area.

Identification of Priority Implementation Areas and Configuration Types for Green Infrastructure Based on Ecosystem Service Demands in Metropolitan City.

During urbanization in developing countries, fragmentation of green infrastructure due to increasing populations and the expansion of construction land leads to an extremely serious imbalance between the supply and demand for urban ecosystem services. In this study, the central city of Zhengzhou, a central city in central China, was selected as the study area and the excessive demand for six ecosystem services, namely, air purification, flood regulation, heat regulation, hydrological regulation, CO2 sequestration and recreational services, was quantitatively evaluated. The entropy method was used to calculate the weights of various ecosystem services, and spatial overlay analysis was performed to obtain the comprehensive ecosystem service excessive demand. Finally, bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to explore the response of population density to comprehensive excessive demand for ESs. The results of this study indicate that: (1) The most prevalent need is for more CO2 regulation service throughout the study area. (2) Except for hydrological regulation service, the spatial distribution of the remaining highly excessive ecosystem service demands are mostly concentrated in old neighborhoods. (3) Of the six excessively demanded economic services, rainwater regulation obtained the greatest weight, reflecting the poor urban infrastructure configuration for countering the rapidly increasing threat of flooding caused by climate change in the city. (4) The comprehensive ecosystem service excessive demand results show that there are eight priority green infrastructure implementation blocks in the central city of Zhengzhou. (5) There were three agglomeration types between population density and comprehensive excessive demand for ESs: high-high type, low-high type and low-low type. The spatial distribution characteristics of population density and comprehensive ES demand are positively correlated. The results of this study could help to provide information for decision making when delineating the priority areas and types of green infrastructure implementation in developing cities.

Assessment of ecosystem services in new perspective: A comprehensive ecosystem service index (CESI) as a proxy to integrate multiple ecosystem services

A comprehensive understanding of multiple ecosystem services (ES) across the landscape is a key highlight of ecosystem management. There still remain a weakness to integrate multiple ESs for mirroring the capability of the ecosystems to deliver services in a broad perspective. Here, we proposed a comprehensive ecosystem services index (CESI) for integrating multiple ESs based on multiplicative method. Water supply service, carbon storage service and soil conservation service were assessed using multi-sources remote sensing datasets and InVEST models to build CESI. To examine the suitability and performance of CESI, we took the Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Greater Bay Areas (GBA) as a test region. Meanwhile, we applied two previous methods used commonly for assessing multiple ESs: i) cumulative method and ii) maximum value composite method to construct comparative indexes for evaluating the performance of CESI with the help of spatial autocorrelation method and regression analysis method from the spatial pattern and numerical distribution perspective. The results showed that the CESI was well applied in GBA and got rid of the limitation of single ES. The spatial pattern of CESI was observed a high-value clustering in central areas and a low-value clustering in outer regions. A comparison of CESI and comparative indexes were illustrated on the results of linear regression and spatial autocorrelation, which showed a good linear correlation between each method and a similar spatial pattern in a high-value clustering, but had subtle different in low-value clustering. Specifically, the performance of CESI in expressing the low-value clustering was better than other indexes which could indicate the multiplicative method benefits to manifest the lagging in the provision of ESs better than cumulative method and maximum value composite method. This study could pave a way for a new approach to evaluate the provision of multiple ESs from the socio-ecological systems with a comprehensive perspective.