Assessment Of Ecosystem Services Research Articles

A social-ecological approach for identifying and mapping ecosystem service trade-offs and conservation priorities in peri-urban areas.

Considering both ecological and social dimensions in the assessment of ecosystem services (ESs) can facilitate acceptable and inclusive management strategies, especially in peri-urban areas characterized by intricate human-ecosystem interactions. A limited body of research, however, has mapped the plural values of ESs and their different types of trade-offs in such areas. This research aimed to execute an interdisciplinary analysis of the biophysical and social values of ESs in peri-urban Shanghai, China, through a social-ecological approach that integrates spatial biophysical assessment with participatory mapping. Trade-off analysis in both ES types and ES valuations were then conducted, and multicriteria decision-making was applied for conservation. Our results reveal that trade-off intensities were lower within the social values compared to the biophysical values. Within both value dimensions, relatively stronger trade-offs were found between food production and other ESs. Areas with both high biophysical and social values were infrequently observed across ESs. Based on the characteristics of diverse values, our study identified priority conservation areas and provided management implications. We argue that adopting the integrated social-ecological perspective in sustainable environmental management contributes to the realization of harmonious coexistence between people and nature in peri-urban areas.

Assessing ecosystem services of mountain lakes

From global to local scales, human-induced environmental changes can impact mountain lakes by, for example, altering species composition, trophic state, and thermal dynamics, thereby affecting ecosystem functions and processes. However, the consequences of these changes on ecosystem services (ES) of mountain lakes are unclear due to a lack of integrative assessments. Therefore, this dissertation adopts an interdisciplinary ES perspective to improve insight into human interactions with mountain lakes and the potential social and ecological impacts of anthropogenic pressures on them. Stakeholder consultations highlighted the importance of regulating, cultural, and provisioning ES of natural mountain lakes, emphasizing habitat, aesthetics, recreation, education and research, and surface water, with nature-based experiences as being a key aspect of human interaction with mountain lakes. Multiple indicators were proposed to quantify potential supply of these ES, revealing variations among case study lakes in the European Alps. These results informed an integrative valuation approach and exposure assessment to anthropogenic pressures, suggesting that ES by mountain lakes are sensitive to climate change-related and human use pressures. Overall, the findings advance a social-ecological understanding of mountain lakes and indicate towards the need for adaptive lake management to maintain ES under potential anthropogenic pressure.

Analyzing the Worldwide Wetland Parks Research: A Spectral-Cluster Algorithm Latent Semantic Index Approach

This study reviews worldwide wetland park research from 1996 to 2022. A bibliometric analysis is conducted on 591 wetland park studies indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The study utilizes CiteSpace and VOSviewer tools to visualize and explore influential research focuses, themes, directions, and countries. The citation burst indicates that from 1996 to 2022, research on wetland parks transited from exploring basic community structures to complex ecosystem service assessments and the formulation of management strategies. Furthermore, over the past three years, wetland park research has seen a significant surge in studies investigating water quality, ecosystem services, and spatiotemporal analysis. Notably, the three most frequent keywords in research on wetland parks were China, South Africa, and biodiversity. These keywords reflect regions that enhance biodiversity via wetland parks. The spectral-clustering algorithm identifies carbon sequestration as a research focus, highlighting the vital role of wetlands in the carbon cycle. Most authors work in developed countries’ institutions, but some are from developing countries like China, South Africa, and India. The findings suggest that economic development is crucial in wetland park construction and significantly influences related research. Developed countries may offer more PhD positions to developing countries’ researchers in the field and raise their awareness about wetland conservation. Given the holistic requirements of wetlands, this research recommends that educators should adopt an interdisciplinary approach in the future when nurturing wetland staff. Additionally, the study maps out the primary areas of interest in wetland park research, including environmental science, ecological economics, forestry, wetlands, tourism, and management. New artificial intelligence and digital technologies should be developed for wetland park research. This study fills a research gap: quantitative and visualized knowledge-mapping and bibliometrics on wetland parks are scarce. Additionally, no previous study has explored the relationship between wetland park research and the economic development of countries.

A Refined Supply‐Demand Framework to Quantify Variability in Ecosystem Services Related to Surface Water in Support of Sustainable Development Goals

AbstractAs water‐related ecosystem services (WRES) encounter unprecedented threats with climate change and human activities, it is important to understand the impact of variations in the supply and demand for WRES on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Previous studies commonly overlooked water quality and water‐use sectors when using comprehensive supply‐demand index (SDIcom), defined as the difference between water supply and demand, leading to challenges in applying WRES estimation to SDGs assessment. We constructed a refined supply‐demand framework for WRES, categorizing the water supply by water quality and the water demand by sectors. It allows the calculation of refined supply‐demand index (SDIref), addressing the limitations of SDIcom. Our findings demonstrate that SDIref could be effectively employed to assess SDGs and rectify the overestimation of SDIcom in the case study in Xinjiang. The supply‐demand relationship of water resources indicates surpluses in domestic and industrial water use and deficits in agricultural and ecological water use, with the latter worsening. SDIref is projected to be higher in the scenario with SSP2‐4.5 and high growth rate of irrigation efficiency. Our study suggested informed decisions based on SDG‐specific targets to either maintain or enhance SDG progress scores. The proposed refined supply‐demand framework of WRES established a quantitative link between WRES and human well‐being, providing applicable insights for other ecosystem service assessments in other regions.

The use of EUNIS habitat classification to assess ecosystem services capacity: the case of Mamak district (Ankara, Türkiye)

Objective: The ecosystem services (ES) term is defined as all of the products, services, and benefits provided by ecosystems on earth to human beings and other living entities. In order to determine the ES capacity and integrating such data into management plans is a key element for nature conservation and sustainable land-use planning. Hence, a study was conducted, and the objective of this study was to determine the ES capacity of Mamak district (Ankara, Turkey) with an evaluation approach based on expert opinions using EUNIS habitat data. Material and Methods: Besides raw scores obtained from experts with the evaluation approach based on expert opinions, the areal ES capacity (AESC) indices for each EUNIS habitat type were calculated, and maps were developed accordingly. Results: The results obtained from this study showed that; (1) with raw scores, ES capacities of habitat types are very diverse for each ES type, (2) with AESC indices, almost all ES capacity class are same for each habitat type. Conclusion: As a conclusion, it can be stated that the use of EUNIS habitat maps is applicable to assess ES capacities in such studies if and when the presence of such habitat data.

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.

Accounting for uncertainty in marine ecosystem service predictions for spatial prioritisation

AbstractAimSpatial assessments of Ecosystem Services (ES) are increasingly used in environmental management, but rarely provide information on the prediction accuracy. Uncertainty estimates are essential to provide confidence in the quality and credibility of ES assessments for informed decision making. In marine environments, the need for uncertainty assessments for ES is unparalleled as they are data scarce, poorly (spatially) defined, with complex interconnectivity of seascapes. This study illustrates the uncertainty associated with a principle‐based method for ES modelling by accounting for model variability, data coverage and uncertainty in thresholds and parameters.LocationTauranga, New Zealand.MethodsA sensitivity analysis was applied on ES models for marine bivalves (Austrovenus stutchburyi and Paphies australis) and their contribution to Food provision, Water quality regulation, Nitrogen removal and Sediment stabilisation. ES estimates from the sensitivity analysis were compared against baseline ES predictions. Spatial uncertainty patterns were analysed for individual ES through bi‐plots and multiple ES through spatial prioritisation using Zonation.ResultsOur study showed spatially explicit differences in uncertainty patterns for ES and between species. Food provision had highest maximum uncertainty (>5 points) but also the largest area of high ES and high certainty conditions. Zonation analysis conducted on baseline and conservative ES values showed overall robust outcomes of top 30% area, but important nuances through shifts in top 5% and 10% areas that allowed for a consistently better representation of ES when accounting for uncertainty.Main ConclusionsThe spatial prioritisation in combination with the ES uncertainty biplots provide tools for spatial planning of individual and multiple ES to focus on area of highest value with highest certainty and can thereby help reduce risk and aid decision‐making at acceptable confidence levels. This type of information is urgently needed in marine ES assessments and their management, but likewise extends to other environments to improve transparency.

Vegetation Classification and Evaluation of Yancheng Coastal Wetlands Based on Random Forest Algorithm from Sentinel-2 Images

The identification of wetland vegetation is essential for environmental protection and management as well as for monitoring wetlands’ health and assessing ecosystem services. However, some limitations on vegetation classification may be related to remote sensing technology, confusion between plant species, and challenges related to inadequate data accuracy. In this paper, vegetation classification in the Yancheng Coastal Wetlands is studied and evaluated from Sentinel-2 images based on a random forest algorithm. Based on consistent time series from remote sensing observations, the characteristic patterns of the Yancheng Coastal Wetlands were better captured. Firstly, the spectral features, vegetation indices, and phenological characteristics were extracted from remote sensing images, and classification products were obtained by constructing a dense time series using a dataset based on Sentinel-2 images in Google Earth Engine (GEE). Then, remote sensing classification products based on the random forest machine learning algorithm were obtained, with an overall accuracy of 95.64% and kappa coefficient of 0.94. Four indicators (POP, SOS, NDVIre, and B12) were the main contributors to the importance of the weight analysis for all features. Comparative experiments were conducted with different classification features. The results show that the method proposed in this paper has better classification.

Linking network ecology and ecosystem services to benefit people

Abstract Ecosystems are rapidly degraded by anthropogenic pressures, affecting the provision of ecosystem services. Therefore, it is increasingly important that we can quantify and manage ecosystem services to maintain human well‐being. Many ecosystem services are underpinned by ecosystem functions and processes that are driven by interspecific ecological interactions. Humans then benefit from ecosystem services through socio‐ecological interactions. Therefore, interaction network approaches can provide a unique understanding of ecosystem service flows. In this paper, we assess the current interface between network ecology and ecosystem services, before exploring how work linking these two fields could be enhanced. We emphasise the value of network approaches and explore network methods to improve the assessment and management of ecosystem services. Within this, we highlight the role of local and indigenous knowledge in operationalising network approaches in a useful ecosystem service context. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Assessment of supply-demand relationships considering the interregional flow of ecosystem services.

Accurate assessment of ecosystem service (ES) supply, demand, and flow is essential for identifying and enhancing the ES supply-demand relationship and promoting regional sustainable development. Based on the InVEST model, supply-demand ratio, coupling coordination analysis, breakpoint and field strength model, and GIS spatial analysis method, we evaluated the supply and demand of water yield, food supply, carbon storage, and soil conservation service in the Loess Plateau in 2000 and 2020 and analyzed the supply-demand relationship before and after considering the interregional ecosystem service flow (ESF). The results showed that (1) from 2000 to 2020, the supply and demand of the four types of ESs in the Loess Plateau increased. Before considering ESF, the surplus degree in water yield, food supply, and soil conservation increased, and carbon storage decreased. In most counties, the coupling coordination between the supply and demand of the soil conservation is mostly extreme incoordination and moderate incoordination, and other types of ESs are mostly reluctant coordination and moderate incoordination. The degree of incoordination in water yield and soil conservation have eased, while food supply and carbon storage have strengthened. For the comprehensive supply-demand relationship of ES, the degree of surplus and coordination increased, with most counties were in a state of surplus and coordination. (2) Water yield and soil conservation services flow primarily to the western and northwestern portions of the Loess Plateau, with a decrease in the number of flow paths but an increase in the total flow rate for the former and a decrease in flow paths and total flow rate for the latter. The food supply and carbon storage flow in all directions and the total flow rate increases, with a significant increase in the number of flow paths for carbon storage. (3) After considering ESF, the supply-demand relationship of each type of ES and the comprehensive ES supply-demand relationship are changed, in which the degree of surplus and coordination of deficit counties are significantly improved, and some counties even become surplus or improve the level of coordination. After considering ESF, the supply-demand ratio changes even more relative to the degree of coupling coordination. This study is of great significance for identifying the cross-regional transfer pattern of ES, understanding in-depth the dynamic supply-demand relationship of ES, and mitigating the mismatch between supply and demand of ES. It provides a scientific and objective theoretical basis for promoting regional sustainable development.

ЦЕНА ПРИРОДЫ: ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКАЯ ОЦЕНКА ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ РЕСУРСОВ И ЕЕ РОЛЬ В УСТОЙЧИВОМ РАЗВИТИИ

The article is devoted to the assessment of environmental resources and their role in sustainable development. In the modern world, awareness of the importance of nature conservation and sustainable use of its resources is becoming increasingly relevant. The features of the economic assessment of natural resources and ecosystem services are considered, as well as the principles and methods of determining their value are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the problems related to the need to integrate the economic assessment of nature into decision-making processes at the level of public policy and business. The importance of taking into account the ecological value of natural resources and ecosystem services in economic models and management practices is emphasized. It is concluded that it is necessary to develop mechanisms that contribute to a more accurate and objective assessment of the value of nature and its consideration in sustainable development.

Assessment of Coastal Cultural Ecosystem Services and Well-Being for Integrating Stakeholder Values into Coastal Planning

Assessment of Coastal Cultural Ecosystem Services and Well-Being for Integrating Stakeholder Values into Coastal Planning

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.

Assessment of Ecosystem Services Provided by Macrophytes in Southern Baltic and Southern Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons.

The ecological importance of macrophytes is well known and reflected in nature protection law, for example, as a key biological quality element. However, the socio-economic role, such as the impact of macrophyte presence on recreational activities, is often overlooked. The purpose of this study was to assess the human benefits (or ecosystem services) provided by macrophytes. We developed a list of 25 macrophyte ecosystem services and 79 assessment indicators based on expert knowledge and literature data. First, hypothetical scenarios of coastal lagoons were developed to assess the impact of different ecological states (i.e., macrophyte coverage) and management measures (i.e., fisheries) on the ecosystem service provision. Scenario assessments were carried out by stakeholder workshops and literature search. Second, the ecosystem service potential of submerged and emergent macrophyte habitats were assessed by macrophyte experts and literature data. Results showed that cultural services are most important in terms of the overall actual provision of ecosystem services (scenario assessment) but also showing highest potential of the hypothetical ecosystem service provision (habitat assessment). Highest overall potential is shown for reeds and tall forb communities (83 out of maximum 125), followed by seagrass beds (71) and seaweed communities (61). Our ecosystem service assessment approaches (i.e., scenario and habitat-based) using socio-cultural data (i.e., stakeholders and experts-based) and biophysical data (i.e., indicators-based) can serve as supportive tools for coastal management and policy implementation visualizing the benefits of macrophytes to humans.

Assessment of Ecosystem Services and Exploration of Trade-Offs and Synergistic Relationships in Arid Areas: A Case Study of the Kriya River Basin in Xinjiang, China

This research focuses on the Kriya River Basin and analyzes the spatiotemporal variability of ecosystem services (ESs) and their trade-offs and synergies, which are vital for regional ecosystem conservation and socio-economic sustainability. Utilizing land use data from 1990 to 2020 and predictive models for 2030 (PLUS for land use and InVEST for ESs), the study assesses four key ESs: water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), habitat quality (HQ), and carbon storage (CS). The findings indicate that land use changes from 1990 to 2020 have significantly impacted these services. WY showed a negative trend because of a reduction in precipitation, while increased grasslands enhanced SC, HQ, and CS. Projections for 2030 suggest increases in WY and SC, with increases of 10.27 × 108 m3 in WY and 0.216 × 108 t in SC, but slight decreases in HQ and CS due to urban land expansion. Therefore, land types that provide important ESs should be protected in future planning, and the expansion of construction land should be controlled in order to realize the goal of ecological conservation. Our study also reveals that while WY and CS share a subtle trade-off, they both synergize with SC and HQ. Strong synergies exist between SC and HQ as well as between SC and CS, indicating lesser concerns for trade-offs in future planning. This research provides valuable data support and scientific insight for sustainable development and ecological governance policies in the watershed.

Beyond land use planning and ecosystem services assessment with the conservation use potential framework: A study in the Upper Rio das Velhas basin, Brazil

Human actions can damage the ecosystems and affect the services depending on them, with ample detrimental consequences. In earlier studies, the Conservation Use Potential (PCU) framework proved useful in assessing the capacity for aquifer recharge, suitable land uses and resistance to erosion at the river basin scale. On the other hand, the joint analysis of PCU and land uses allowed identifying the adequacy of current uses in relation to suitability (natural uses) in various basins. This was especially useful from the management perspective in basins with environmental conflicts, where current uses differed from suitability, because the PCU indicated how and where the conflicts should be mitigated. Besides the use as management tool, the PCU has potential to shed light over environmental issues such as ecosystem services, but that was not tempted so far. The aim of this work was therefore to bridge that knowledge gap and frame the PCU's application from the standpoint of Ecosystem Services (ES) assessment. We demonstrated how the PCU could be used to improve provision (recharge), support (sustainable agriculture) and regulation (resistance to erosion) services in a specific basin with land use conflicts (the Upper Rio das Velhas basin, located in Minas Gerais, Brazil), through the planning of suitable uses. It was noted that the studied basin is mostly composed of Very Low, Low and Medium potentials. These classes occur because steep slopes, fragile soils and lithologies with high denudation potential and low nutrient supply dominate in the basin. On the other hand, urban sprawl has a negative impact on all ES, while maintaining agricultural areas with appropriate management can effectively regulate erosion. As per the current results, the premise of using the PCU as joint management-environmental tool was fully accomplished, and is recommended a basis for public policy design and implementation in Brazil and elsewhere.

Urbanization effects on the food-water-energy nexus within ecosystem services: A case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration in China

This research centers on the necessity for synchronized management of natural resources in urban agglomerations. This study utilizes the ecosystem services theory to analyze the interplay between land use and the Food-Water-Energy (F-W-E) nexus in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (B-T-H) region from 2000 to 2030. Assessment of ecosystem services is conducted using InVEST models, which include Habitat Quality (HQ), Water Yield (WY), Carbon Sequestration (CS), Soil Retention (SDR), and Food Production (FP). The findings indicate an annual increase in construction land with a concurrent notable decrease in cultivated land. Furthermore, HQ, CS, and per capita FP show an annual decline until 2020, which is expected to continue until 2030. Conversely, WY and SDR have been growing annually, albeit projected to decline by 2030. Spearman coefficient analysis uncovers synergies between HQ and CS, SDR and CS, and SDR and HQ, alongside trade-offs between CS and WY and HQ and WY. Trade-offs are also observed between FP and SDR, CS, and HQ. Applying K-means clustering analysis facilitates county-based spatial planning for the F-W-E system, providing crucial insights and suggestions for sustainable resource management.

Vulnerability assessment of hydrological ecosystem services under future climate and land use change dynamics

Hydrological Ecosystem Services (HESs), as an important part of ecosystem services, are those services that depend on hydrological processes. HESs vulnerability assessment at the watershed scale is used to explore highly vulnerable areas for management and protection measures. This study aimed at developing a method for HESs vulnerability assessment and achieve a quantitative integrated index under future climate and land use change scenarios. We focused on three regulating HESs, including water flow regulation, erosion regulation, and local climate regulation (LC). An integrated model of Markov chain and automatic cells was used to predict land use changes. Future climate data were estimated using the Climate Change Toolkit (CCT). The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was developed for HESs vulnerability assessment in the Taleghan Watershed in Iran. The model was calibrated by river discharge using the Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI-2) and the Parallel Processing option. The results show that sub-watersheds with higher precipitation (PCP) and lower evapotranspiration (ET) are more efficient in water flow and local climate regulation. However, sub-watersheds with lower PCP and higher ET are more vulnerable to erosion. Changes in water flow regulation services and local climate regulation were more consistent with climate changes, and conversely, changes in erosion and sediment regulation services had a very high level of compliance with land use changes. The method applied in this study can easily be adapted to other regions to identify areas with more vulnerability and less resilience in improving the water and soil structure and function in the watershed.

National tree species mapping using Sentinel-1/2 time series and German National Forest Inventory data

Spatially explicit and detailed information on tree species composition is critical for forest management, nature conservation and the assessment of forest ecosystem services. In many countries, forest attributes are monitored regularly through sample-based forest inventories. In combination with satellite imagery, data from such forest inventories have a great potential for developing large-area tree species maps. Here, the high temporal resolution of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 has been useful for extracting vegetation phenology, information that may also be valuable for improving forest tree species mapping.The objective of this study was to map the main tree species in Germany using combined Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time series, and to identify and address challenges related to the use of National Forest Inventory (NFI) data in remote sensing applications. We generated cloud free time series with 5-day intervals from Sentinel-2 imagery and combine those with monthly Sentinel-1 backscatter composites. Further, we incorporate information on topography, meteorology, and climate to account for environmental gradients. To use NFI data for training machine learning models, we address the following challenges: 1) link satellite pixels with variable radius NFI plots, for which the precise area is unknown, and 2) efficiently utilize mixed-species NFI plots for model training and validation. In the past, accuracies for pixel-level species maps were often estimated solely for homogeneous pure-species stands. In this study, we assess how well pixel-level maps generalize to mixed plot conditions.Our results show the potential of combined Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 time series with NFI data for tree species mapping in large, environmentally diverse landscapes. Classification accuracy in pure stands ranged between 72% and 97% (F1-score) for five dominant species, while mapping less frequent species remained challenging. When including mixed forest stands in the accuracy assessment, accuracy decreased by 4–14 percentage points for the most dominant species groups. Our study highlights the importance of including mixed-forest stands when training and validating tree species maps. Based on these results, we discuss potentials and remaining challenges for tree species mapping at the national level. Our findings allow to further improve national-level tree species mapping with medium to high resolution data and provide guidance for similar approaches in other countries where ground-based inventory data are available.

Enhancing Sustainability through Ecosystem Services Evaluation: A Case Study of the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System in Digang Village

The Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System, as a paradigm of traditional Chinese agricultural recycling models, represents a distinct ecosystem. This study focuses on the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System in Digang Village, Huzhou, as a typical case. The village serves as a core conservation base for the Huzhou Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System, hosting the Huzhou Agricultural Science and Technology Development Center’s Academician and Expert Workstation and the world’s only Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System Visitor Center. These facilities provide strategic guidance for the conservation, development, planning, and inheritance of the Huzhou Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System. Considering the unique environment and limitations in data acquisition, this study employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) to develop an ecosystem service assessment framework encompassing eight aspects and 29 factors assessing the provisioning, regulating, and cultural services of the Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System. The results indicate that the ecosystem services of the Digang Village Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System perform at a high level, with cultural services playing a significant role in the overall ecosystem services. The regulating services are relatively weak, highlighting deficiencies in mulberry land management, while the capacity of provisioning services is strong. These findings are crucial for understanding the value of ecosystem services in Digang Village’s Mulberry-Dyke and Fish-Pond System, identifying management shortcomings, and providing direction for future assessments and management. This study also offers a practical and effective assessment method for ecosystem service evaluation at smaller scales, where the targeted approach and the presence of significant ambiguity and uncertainty in data are prominent.