Ecological Service Value Research Articles

Stone-walled terraces restoration: conserving biodiversity and promoting economic functions of farmlands in Lebanon

Dry stone-walled terraces are peculiar features of Mediterranean farmland, representing typical examples of social-ecological systems combining ecological functionality and ecosystem services provision. In the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (Lebanon) a program of restoration of abandoned terraces applying Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) principles is ongoing from 2016, combined with biodiversity monitoring activities. This study illustrates preliminary results of the plant monitoring, with the aim to (1) draft a checklist of the plants found in the terraces, (2) compare plant diversity and evaluate consistency of species assemblages observed among 3 different terrace managements (abandoned, restored and intensively-cultivated) and (3) compare ecological and ecosystem service value of the plant communities in the 3 types of terraces. Overall, 332 species were observed, with significantly higher diversity found in abandoned and restored terraces compared to intensively farmed terraces. Similarly, species assemblages of restored terraces were closely related to abandoned and distantly related to intensively-managed terraces. According to the study, restored terraces provide the same ecological value and ecosystem services functions as abandoned terraces, significantly higher than intensively-managed terraces. This study showcases the effectiveness of FLR programmes in restoring economic and social functions of terraced Mediterranean farmland while maintaining ecological functionality.

Evaluation and Change Analysis of Ecosystem Service Value of China's Northeast Tiger-Leopard National Park Based on Big Data Land Use Change.

The aim of the construction of Northeast Tiger-Leopard National Park is to protect the integrity of endangered wild animals and natural resources. There is a close relationship between land use and ecosystem service value. Improving the quality of ecological environment is the demand of ecological civilization construction. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate and analyze the ecosystem service value of Tiger and Leopard Park, which is particularly based on big data land use change. Firstly, using ArcGIS software as the support, we have discussed the impact of the dynamic trend of land use change, transfer matrix, and sensitivity coefficient on ecosystem services in different periods of Tiger and Leopard Park. Secondly, we constructed an evaluation model based on the ecological service value method, which is primarily based on geographical conditions and surface coverage. We have completed the value evaluation and change analysis of ecosystem service in Tiger and Leopard Park by analyzing the generation process of ecosystem service data and information characteristics, as well as the ecosystem classification standard of Tiger and Leopard Park and equivalent factor of ecosystem service value per unit area. Simulation experiments show that the method proposed in this paper can reflect the service value of the ecosystem of the Tiger and Leopard Park, lay the foundation for the construction of ecotourism, and promote the green and sustainable development of the regional ecosystem of the Tiger and Leopard Park.

Valuasi Ekonomi Kawasan Karst Desa Jatijajar Kecamatan Ayah Kabupaten Kebumen

Jatijajar Village which is included in the Gombong karst area in accordance with the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Decree No. 3043 K / 40 / MEM / 2014 and confirmed by the Kebumen Regency Regional Regulation No. 23 of 2012 concerning RTRW of Kebumen Regency for 2011 - 2013. Karst is a landscape of the karstification process of carbonate rock (CaCO3) which is deposited after passing through the available geological space and time. Karst has a distinctive hydrological condition due to the dissolution of carbonate rock due to the physical properties of limestone which is easily soluble and has secondary porosity so that it cannot store water for a long time. Rainwater that flushes the karst area directly falls to the bottom of the water-saturated zone and then flows through cracks and large passageways (caves) such as canals to springs exit points or is directly dumped into the sea, only a small amount flows on the surface. Until now, it has the potential value of environmental services (environmental services) and ecological services both in the karst area itself and in the non-karst area which is used as a buffer zone. The underground river system that is formed in the karst area provides benefits to the environment around the karst area and even the community as a provider of clean water needs that are perennial / flowing throughout the season. Characteristics of natural resources in the Karst Gombong area of Jatijajar Village have resource characteristics in the form of direct use, namely from the existence of a water hydrological system from the karst area which consists of the value of water resource utilization which is used to meet household needs, the value of water resources for lowland rice farming, and Water Resources from underground rivers in the karst area are 15 springs. The total economic value of the potential use of existing resources in the Gombong Karst Gombong area of Jatijajar Village is IDR 87,616,789,519 in one year. The magnitude of this value is the value of natural and environmental resources from the direct use of the availability of natural resources to the community. These values will be lost if the karst area is damaged either from mining activities or changes in environmental functions. In fact, this value will be a value that must be spent by the community in order to compensate for the loss of potential natural resources in the karst area

Spatiotemporal distribution and driving forces of ecological service value in the Chinese section of the “Silk Road Economic Belt”

Understanding the spatial distribution characteristics and drivers of ecological service value (ESV) in the six northwestern provinces, which are the main components of the Chinese section of the “Silk Road Economic Belt”, is crucial to the sustainable social and economic development of the six northwestern provinces and the countries along the economic belt and informs regional environmental protection policies. Based on the land use data of the six northwestern provinces from 2000 to 2018, the spatial distribution of ESV was determined using the modified equivalent factor method to calculate their ecological service values, and the Geodetector was used to determine the main factors affecting the distribution of ESV. The results show that (1) the total number of ESV in the six northwestern provinces is increasing year by year. (2) The spatial distribution of ESV in the six northwestern provinces varied significantly. (3) The single-factor drivers affecting the spatial distribution of ESV were normalized vegetation index (NDVI) and precipitation, and the multi-factor interactions were NDVI ∩ temperature and NDVI ∩ precipitation, with the above factors contributing most to the spatial distribution of ESV in the six northwestern provinces. Based on the results of the study, it is possible to provide a scientific basis for ecological protection and optimal land management, as well as to propose an applicable methodology for assessing regional ESV for similar regions.

Spatiotemporal Differentiation and Balance Pattern of Ecosystem Service Supply and Demand in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Analyzing the supply and demand of ecosystem services and the regional balance pattern is an important basis for improving the ecological management level. Taking the Yangtze River economic belt as the study area, the spatiotemporal characteristics and balance pattern of ecosystem service supply and demand are quantitatively revealed based on equivalent factors, supply and demand balance modeling and quantile regression. The results show that: (1) the ecosystem services value in the research area experienced a change process of “increase–decrease–increase” from 2000 to 2020. The ecological service value of cultivated land and grassland presented a continuous decline, with decreases of 20.446 billion and 4.53 billion yuan, respectively, in the past 20 years, with reduction rates of −4.82% and −3.98%, respectively. (2) The demand for ecosystem services showed an unbalanced and phased growth trend. The total demand for ecosystem services showed heterogeneity and agglomeration effects in space. High demand and higher demand areas are mainly distributed in the regions with relatively developed population and economy, including Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, “Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan” urban agglomeration, Poyang Lake Plain, Jianghan Plain and Chengdu Plain. (3) The overall pattern of the supply–demand balance of ecosystem services has changed little; however, there have also been significant changes in certain areas in individual years.

Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Ecological Efficiency and Ecosystem Service Value of Agricultural Land in China

In-depth analysis of spatial and temporal variations in the ecological efficiency of agricultural land has important theoretical and practical significance in achieving the efficient utilization of agricultural land, the coordinated development of natural resources and the environment, and the formulation of sustainable agricultural development policies. By including carbon emissions and pollution as undesired output indicators of agricultural land use, and introducing ecological service values as output indicators, an SBM-Undesirable model which can not only avoid the deviation caused by the difference of radial and angular selection, but also reflect the essence of efficiency evaluation, was used to estimate the ecological efficiency of agricultural land in 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China from 2004 to 2017. Spatial and temporal differences were then analyzed. The results show that (1) The ecological efficiency of agricultural land in China decreased overall from 2004 to 2017. (2) The eco-efficiency of agricultural land was highest in the eastern provinces, lowest in the central provinces, and moderate in the western provinces. (3) Among the input indicators, the input redundancy rates of agricultural land, chemical fertilizer input and agricultural film input were too high. (4) China’s agricultural land use has not evolved towards harmonious development of the environment and economy. Due to the excessive use of chemical fertilizers, agricultural films and other factors that cause pollution, there has been a one-sided increase in the economic output of agricultural land, and improvements in ecological value have been inhibited. Based on the research results, feasible suggestions are put forward to improve the ecological efficiency of agricultural land in China.

Multi-Scenario Simulation and Trade-Off Analysis of Ecological Service Value in the Manas River Basin Based on Land Use Optimization in China.

Rapid socio-economic development has had a significant impact on land use/cover (LULC) changes, which bring great pressure to the ecological environment. LULC changes affect ecosystem services by altering the structure and function of ecosystems. It is of great significance to reveal the internal relationship between LULC changes and ecosystem service value (ESV) for the protection and restoration of ecological environments. In this study, based on the spatial and temporal evolution of ecological service values in the Manas River basin from 1980 to 2020 and considering ecological and economic benefits, we coupled the gray multi-objective optimization model (GMOP) and patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model (GMOP–PLUS model) to optimize the LULC structure under three scenarios (a natural development scenario, ND; ecological priority development scenario, (EPD); and balanced ecological and economic development scenario, EED) in 2030, and analyzed the trade-offs and synergies in the relationships among the four services. We found that from 1980 to 2020, farmland and construction land expanded 2017.90 km2 and 254.27 km2, respectively, whereas the areas of grassland and unused land decreased by 1617.38 km2 and 755.86 km2, respectively. By 2030, the trend of LULC changes will be stable under the ND scenario, the area of ecological land will increase by 327.42 km2 under the EPD scenario, and the area of construction land will increase most under the EED scenario, reaching 65.01 km2. From 1980 to 2020, the ESV exhibited an upward trend in the basin. In 2030, the ESV will increase by 7.18%, 6.54%, and 6.04% under the EPD, EED, and ND scenarios, respectively. The clustering of the four services is obvious in the desert area and around the water system with “low–low synergy” and “high–high synergy”; the plain area and mountainous area are mainly “high–low trade-off” and “low–high trade-off” relationships. This paper provides a scientific reference for coordinating economic development and ecological protection in the basin. It also provides a new technical approach to address the planning of land resources in the basin.

Optimizing County-Level Land-Use Structure Method: Case Study of W County, China.

Planning has a direct impact on the formation of China’s land-use structure. In order to better play its role, China has proposed Multiple Planning Integration. As a part of reform for promoting ecological progress, it should have the concept of ecological progress, as well as the formation of land-use structure. Based on these, we focused on China’s land at the county level and developed a method to optimize its land-use structure catering to Multiple Planning Integration and ecological progress, using W County as a case study. This method mainly comprises three parts: calculating the demand area; calculating the carrying capacity; and optimizing the land-use structure. Models are constructed based on the ecological footprint theory. We found that setting unified targets as the link to integrating plans can effectively form the optimal land-use structure at county-level in the manner of “targets set—area determined”. There are three ways to integrate the concept of ecological progress into the optimization process. First, unified targets should be set for both ecological protection and socio-economic development, and priority should be given to the implementation of ecological protection; that is, in the process of optimization, the land area for the ecological redline of a county needs to be initially determined. Second, when optimizing the land-use structure, we should consider the carrying capacity of county-level land, in relation to demand related to the implementation of socio-economic development. Third, ecological balance should be ensured by comparing demands and the carrying capacities and maximizing the ecological service values of the land, which are important principles for determining the land-use structure. Our research provides a reference for optimizing land-use structure at the county level in China.

Optimization of Ecological Water Replenishment Scheme Based on the Interval Fuzzy Two-Stage Stochastic Programming Method: Boluo Lake National Nature Reserve, Jilin Province, China.

In this paper, a fuzzy mathematical programming method is introduced on the basis of the interval two-stage stochastic programming (ITSP) optimisation model for the wetland ecological water replenishment scheme in Boluo Lake National Nature Reserve. The minimum ecological water supply is taken as the objective function, and the lake bubble water diversion capacity, lake bubble water supply capacity, water diversion sequence, ecological service value, and minimum capacity of the wetland water supply are taken as constraints. The ecological water replenishment schemes of five lakes in the Boluo Lake National Nature Reserve are optimised at the levels of low flow years, normal flow years, and high flow years, and an optimised model for the wetland ecological water replenishment scheme in Boluo Lake National Nature Reserve based on the interval fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming (IFTSP) method is constructed. The model fully considers the waste of water resources and the protection of migratory bird habitat and makes rational allocation of water resources to make full use of flood resources. The IFTSP model proposed herein fully considers the fuzzy and uncertain characteristics of the planning area in the lake bubble area of Boluo Lake National Nature Reserve and improves the decision-making efficiency of decision-makers by providing technical support for smooth implementation of the ecological water replenishment project in nature reserves. The model can also be used as a theoretical guide for ecological recharge projects in other regions of the world.

Assessing the Value of Ecosystem Services From an Indigenous Estate: Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area, Australia

The value of ecological systems to human well-being and the economy is often not estimated in contemporary economic and policy decision making processes. Estimating non-marketable and marketable values of ecosystem services from Indigenous managed land provides significant information about the role that the natural environment plays in maintaining the well-being of people. This research investigates the value of ecosystem services from an Indigenous Protected Area, the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area—an estate managed by Indigenous people in northern Australia. It provides valuable insights for policy makers, land managers, and future development programs while informing the importance of managing Indigenous lands for the local and wider public benefits. Additionally, applying the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework and the standard ecological economic valuation techniques, this study presents ‘realistic’ values of marketable and non-marketable ecosystem services identified from the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area. The total value of ecosystem services was estimated at $32.6 million per year, which are largely non-marketable (such as climate and water regulation) and these values flow to the local and wider public. This research further argues that investing in managing Indigenous estates helps in reducing welfare costs for the Australian Government worth, in the case of the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area, $8 million per year. Overall, the value of ecosystem services and cost savings demonstrate the real benefits that Indigenous people obtain for working on their land, termed as “Country.” In addition, Indigenous land management delivers offsite ecological, social, and cultural ecosystem services (value estimated at $29 million per year for the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area) which are typically ignored in policy decision making regarding Indigenous matters in Australia. This study highlights the importance of land managed by Indigenous people in Australia and worldwide to comprehend the real value of benefits and suggests developing appropriate stewardship arrangements to support people’s efforts.

Feasibility study on the estimation of the living vegetation volume of individual street trees using terrestrial laser scanning

As an important part of urban greening, the canopy of street trees has ecological benefits, such as oxygen production, noise reduction, and dust reduction. The living vegetation volume (LVV) can reflect the spatial structure of the canopy intuitively and enables the estimation of the ecological service value of street trees. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has shown excellent performance for providing three-dimensional data of individual trees with high precision, enabling the accurate quantification of the LVV. In this study, we divided the LVV into the total living vegetation volume (tLVV) and the effective living vegetation volume (eLVV); the latter does not include branches. The eLVV of 40 ginkgo trees separated in two roads in Nanjing was calculated from TLS data. A novel method named LAIM for accurate eLVV calculation based on point cloud data was proposed. The point cloud data of individual tree was segmented along the Z-axis and image processing methods were used. With this, eLVV of each tree was obtained. The results were compared with data obtained from a clustered point cloud generated using convex hulls. The Bland-Altman analysis was used to investigate the consistency of the two methods. Furthermore, we used correlation analysis and all-subsets regression to choose the variables, and the eLVV was fitted using six models. Finally, we evaluated O2 production, CO2 and SO2 absorption by the street trees based on eLVV, the ecological benefits of street trees were quantified. The results showed the following: (1) The number of layers and the dilation size of the point cloud were crucial parameters in the LAIM. (2) For ginkgo trees, the mean difference between the eLVV obtained from the LAIM and the convex hull method was − 0.53–0.19 m3, indicating that the results were highly consistent for the two methods. (3) The eLVV fitting performance was better for the exponential function model (R2 =0.8523, RMSE=0.6838 m3) and linear model (R2 =0.8361, RMSE=0.7224 m3). The tree height and crown width significantly affected the eLVV estimation. (4) The evaluation about ecological benefits of Zhaoyang Road was better than Cuizhu Road. The quantified ecological benefits were conducive to road ecological evaluation. This study quantified the eLVV of individual trees using TLS, highlighting the importance of live vegetation in urban greening. The results can provide technical support for estimating the ecological service value of urban street trees.

Confirmatory Analysis of the Effect of Socioeconomic Factors on Ecosystem Service Value Variation Based on the Structural Equation Model—A Case Study in Sichuan Province

Understanding the regional distribution characteristics of ecological service values (ESV) and their driving factors can provide background information and scientific basis for regional environmental protection policy. This paper adopted the revised equivalent factor method to calculate the ESV of Sichuan province in 2015 and 2020, and the spatial distribution and variation characteristics of the ESV were identified accordingly. Then, the structural equation model (SEM) was used to explore the effects of socioeconomic factors on ESVs in Sichuan Province. The results show that the ESV in Sichuan Province increased by 2521.45 million USD during the period, an increase of approximately 0.67%. The western area had higher ESV values compared to the eastern area, with eastern Sichuan showing a downward trend and the cities in western Sichuan showing an upward trend. The factors of population, affluence, and science and technology can indirectly affect ESV through affecting land use and cover, and this indirect effect is stronger than the direct effect on regional ESV. Among them, the effect of population is the strongest, followed by affluence, and science and technology is the weakest. The result of this paper also suggests that it is necessary to propose differentiated ecological protection policies in eastern and western Sichuan Province to achieve the coordinated development of society, economy, and environment.

Ecological Service Value Tradeoffs: An Ecological Water Replenishment Model for the Jilin Momoge National Nature Reserve, China.

Wetlands as an important ecosystem type have been damaged in recent years and restoration of wetland ecosystem functions through ecological water replenishment is one of the important ways. The present study involved the construction of a novel ecological water replenishment model for Jilin Momoge National Nature Reserve (JMNNR) using the interval two-stage stochastic programming (ITSP) method. Breaking down traditional economic models that often sacrifice environmental benefits, the model aims to replenish the ecological water in JMNNR, allocate the ecological water resources scientifically, restore the wetland function of the reserve, improve the functional area of the reserve, enhance the net carbon sequestration capacity of the reserve, and complete the reconstruction of the ecosystem, while considering the ecological service value (ESV) of the reserve to achieve a joint increase in the ecological and economic benefits. The ITSP model constructed in the present study overcame the limitation that the original project recommendation was a single recommended value, and the results are presented in the form of intervals to improve flexibility in decision making to allow the individuals responsible for under-taking decisions to bring focused adjustments according to the actual decision-making conditions and increase the selectivity of the decision-making scheme. The present report discusses the construction of an ITSP model for the ecological water replenishment of JMNNR in an attempt to effectively improve both economic benefits and ecosystem restoration of the reserve, achieve the reconstruction of the JMNNR ecosystem, and provide a selective decision space for the key decision-makers to formulate and optimize the project operation and the management plan. The use of the ITSP model as a pre-procedural basis for the implementation of the project and the simulation of the effects of the implementation of the project can effectively avoid the decision limitations that exist when carrying out the project directly. The ITSP model constructed in this paper can also be used as a theoretical guide for water replenishment projects in different areas of the world, and the model parameters can be reasonably adjusted to achieve better results when used according to the actual local conditions.

Quantitative remote sensing of forest ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa's urban landscapes: a review.

A dearth of information on urban ecosystem services in the past decades has led to little consolidation of such information for informed planning, decision-making and policy development in sub-Saharan African cities. However, the increasing recognition of the value of urban ecological processes and services as well as their contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation has recently become an area of great research interest. Specifically, the emerging geospatial analytical approaches like remote sensing have led to an increase in the number of studies that seek to quantify and map urban ecosystem services at varying scales. Hence, this study sought to review the current remote sensing trends, challenges and prospects in quantifying urban ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa cities. Literature shows that consistent modelling and understanding of urban ecosystem services using remotely sensed approaches began in the 1990s, with an average of five publications per year after around 2010. This is mainly attributed to the approach's ability to provide fast, accurate and repeated spatial information necessary for optimal and timely quantification and mapping of urban ecosystem services. Although commercially available high spatial resolution sensors (e.g. the Worldview series, Quickbird and RapidEye) with higher spatial and spectral properties have been valuable in providing highly accurate and reliable data for quantification of urban ecosystem services, their adoption has been limited by high image acquisition cost and small spatial coverage that limits regional assessment. Thus, the newly launched sensors that provide freely and readily available data (i.e. Landsat 8 and 9 OLI, Sentinel-2) are increasingly becoming popular. These sensors provide data with improved spatial and spectral properties, hence valuable for past, current and future urban ecosystem service assessment, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the study provides guidance for future studies to continuously assess urban ecosystem services in order to achieve the objectives of Kyoto Protocol and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD +) of promoting climate-resilient and sustainable cities, especially in developing world.

Reclamation and Ecological Service Value Evaluation of Coastal Wetlands Using Multispectral Satellite Imagery.

There are special locational value and natural resources in coastal wetlands. Studying their changes and evaluating their ecosystem service value (ESV) is beneficial for protecting the ecology of coastal wetlands and for maintaining sustainable human development. In this paper, the coastal wetland of Jiaozhou Bay is selected as the research area, an object-oriented method is used to extract shoreline and wetland information, and the coastal wetland reclamation process in Jiaozhou Bay is evaluated. The value equivalent method and market value method are used to evaluate the service value of wetland ecosystems from the perspective of ecological economics. The results show that the reclamation area of Jiaozhou Bay reached 75.2 km2 in 40 years, with nearly 23% of the bay area eroding. Reclamation engineering, estuary engineering, policy implementation and urbanization are the main factors affecting the changes in the Jiaozhou Bay wetland, and the main direction of wetland succession is natural wetlands→artificial wetlands→nonwetlands. Wetland reclamation in Jiaozhou Bay has led to the continuous extension of the coastline to the sea, especially during the 2005–2020 period, and the wetland area has declined in area by 116 km2. The changes in the wetland in the past 40 years have affected the changes in the ESV of Jiaozhou Bay, and there have been different synergistic/trade-off relationships in different periods. This research provides data to support the comprehensive ecological management of coastal areas, which is conducive to maximizing the utilization value of wetlands and promoting wetland protection.

An evaluation on farmland ecological service in Jianghan Plain, China --from farmers’ heterogeneous preference perspective

As one of the important ecosystems that guarantee human life, farmland ecological system contains huge ecological value, in addition to the economic value directly reflected by current market transactions. After selecting six attributes (farmland area, farmland fertility, irrigation water quality, air quality, biodiversity, and recreation value) representing farmland ecological service by using mixed logit model of choice modeling (CE). The study explored the farmland ecological service value and its spatial distribution in Jianghan Plain through the construction of a benefit transfer model. The results indicated that: (1) Farmers have shown obvious heterogeneous preference of the farmland ecological value. Among them, farmers show stronger preference for air quality and biodiversity of farmland than for fertility and air quality. (2) Based on the heterogeneity of farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP), farmland ecological value per unit area in the surveyed area was estimated to 2076.59 yuan/hm2. The analysis of the influence mechanism showed that the years of farming and the awareness of tillage technology passed the significance test at the level of 1% and those had a negative effect on their WTP. (3) The farmland ecological service value per unit area fluctuates within the range of 720.95–3370.39 yuan/hm2 among the 19 counties of Jianghan Plain, with a spatial increasing trend from west to east.

Evolution of landscape dynamics in the Yangtze River Delta from 2000 to 2020

Abstract Based on the 2000–2020 land cover data, the landscape dynamics and landscape pattern index are used to study the landscape pattern changes of the Yangtze River Delta. The results show that with the growth of built-in land area, the dominance of natural landscape in the Yangtze River Delta is gradually weakened. From the perspective of the overall landscape pattern, the degree of landscape fragmentation in this area is increasing, and the degree of landscape connectivity and aggregation are decreasing in varying degrees. The regional landscape is developing toward homogeneous distribution and increasing complexity. At the same time, from the perspective of classified landscape, the spatial distribution of various landscapes shows a strong correlation between climate and landform. Through comparative analysis, this study puts forward that the development of the Yangtze River Delta needs to pay attention to maintaining the integrity of the regional dominant landscape and paying attention to the diversity and connectivity of the natural landscape with high ecological service value.

Complex Ecosystem Impact of Rapid Expansion of Industrial and Mining Land on the Tibetan Plateau

The ecological security of the Tibetan Plateau is vital for sustainable development. In recent years, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation caused by industrial and mining activities have attracted wide attention. However, a synthesis assessment of the impacts of industrial and mining land (IML) on the ecosystem is currently lacking. In this study, based on the land cover data and normalized differential vegetation index, we used the landscape ecological index, Theil-Sen trend analysis and equivalent value factors method to evaluate the change in IML and its ecosystem impact on the TP. The results demonstrated that the area of IML expanded by 3.3 times (228.56%) during 1990–2020, and reached 968.95 km² in 2020. Within this area, the newly added, stable, and reduced areas were 842.71, 126.26, and 168.65 km², respectively. Simultaneously, IML expansion made the landscape more fragmented during 1990–2020. The number of patches, splitting index, and landscape shape index in 2020 increased by 3.59-, 2.70-, and 1.90-fold compared to those in 1990, respectively. Furthermore, the difference in the vegetation change between the IML and its 10 km buffer zone was significant. About 77.34% of the vegetation in the IML area showed a trend of decrease, while about 76.51% of the vegetation in the buffer zone of IML showed a trend of increase. In addition, the expansion of IML also reduced the total ecological services value by USD 6969.31 million (0.66%) from 1990 to 2020. However, the lowered value was USD 8649.50 million (0.82%) in the newly added IML. This study highlights the rapid expansion of IML and reveals the ecosystem structure, ecosystem quality, and ecosystem service impact on the TP, which helps guide ecosystem protection and the sustainable development of mining.

Spatial correlation effects of the economic value of green infrastructure (EVGI) on social network: Evidence from China

Green infrastructure (G.I.), defined as a network of natural and semi-natural areas, aims to achieve sustainable development. Previously studies mainly involved spatial planning at landscape scale but paid less consideration to the economic value of green infrastructure (EVGI). Here, an EVGI-SNA model that addresses the value of ecological services on the provincial scale from the economic perspective is described. Mahalanobis distance and social network analysis (SNA) are combined and introduced to construct the spatial correlation network (from 2004 to 2019) of EVGI for 31 provinces of China. The results indicated that the EVGI varied significantly among the 31 provinces during the sample period. The economic value in most provinces in the eastern region was much lower than that in the west. The spatial correlation network density of EVGI was 0.4462, and the overall network density was high, with obvious spatial correlation. Tibet, Xinjiang, Henan, Liaoning, Guangdong, and Inner Mongolia were located at the center of the network, and the point centrality and closeness centrality in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi were low. The spatial correlation network was divided into four blocks: net spillover, bidirectional spillover, primary benefit, and agent blocks. This study provides a characteristic example of how to establish G.I. networks with ecological economic value. It also provides a reference for G.I. planning in other developing countries or territories that are exposed to severe ecological destruction.

Spatial Patterns and Driving Factors of Rural Population Loss under Urban–Rural Integration Development: A Micro-Scale Study on the Village Level in a Hilly Region

Under the background of urban–rural integration, balanced development between urban and rural areas has been increasingly advocated. Rural population loss (RPL) is not only due to the laws of social and economic development but also the comprehensive action of natural, social, and economic factors. Taking 774 administrative villages in Laiyang County, which is in a hilly region, as our research area, we comprehensively used spatial analysis and geographic detectors to explore the spatial characteristics and driving factors of RPL, which was significantly correlated with rural planning. The research demonstrated that: (1) The rural population in Laiyang County generally had a low level of RPL (1.9%), but each village varied greatly. The village with the greatest RPL had a rate of 56%. The RPL between urban and rural areas, towns and streets, and villages and villages were unbalanced, and rural population flow mainly occurred between urban and rural areas. (2) RPL in Laiyang County was generally low in the central urban area and high in the northern and southern areas. Population loss presents agglomeration globally and high–low agglomeration locally. (3) The distance from village to county, elevation, cultivated land quantity, collective economic income, village area, and ecological service value were the key factors influencing RPL in Laiyang County. When comparing the dominant factors, the interaction between collective income and elevation was the strongest. Exploring the spatial characteristics and influencing factors of RPL provided us with ideas for the classified promotion of rural revitalization, preparation of rural development planning, and promotion of the integrated development of urban and rural areas.