Provision Of Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Agro-Silvo-Pastoral Heritage Conservation and Valorization—A Comparative Analysis of the Chinese Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems and of the Italian Register of Historical Rural Landscapes

Agricultural heritage systems are receiving increasing attention due to their multifunctional role, their capability to provide ecosystem services, and for representing sustainable development models for rural areas. At the international level, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched in 2002 the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Program to identify and safeguard traditional agro-silvo-pastoral systems that are the result of the adaptation of rural communities to the surrounding environments. Following this approach, similar national programs have been developed, among which the Italian National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes and the China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS) initiative stand out. This research compares the China-NIAHS initiative and the Italian Register of Historical Rural Landscapes, highlighting similarities and differences and identifying strengths and weaknesses, to contribute to the development of proper tools for the conservation and valorization of agricultural heritage systems. Both initiatives were established in 2012 and share similar aims and inscription criteria, including historical and current significance, knowledge system and social structure, economic and productive framework, and causes of vulnerability. The main differences are related to the delimitation of the boundaries of the proposed sites and to the inscription process; in addition, while for the Italian National Register spatial analyses of land-use changes and landscape structure are mandatory according to a precise methodology, for the China-NIAHS no specific landscape analyses are required. The main critical issues are the lack of public participation and the lack of a monitoring plan after the inscription. The absence of monitoring is also the main vulnerability of the FAO GIAHS Programme. This research can offer important information for different stakeholders at the international, national, and local levels dealing with agricultural heritage conservation and valorization. In particular, it highlights the need of developing a multidisciplinary monitoring system with a standard methodology based on different indicators that can contribute to maximizing the impact of these initiatives. This research also provides useful information for the countries that are interested in developing a national initiative for agricultural heritage systems’ identification and valorization/conservation or for countries that intend to improve their national programs.

Optimizing cultivated land under non-grain expansion in rural China: unveiling the spatial dynamics of trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services

ABSTRACT Non-grain expansion in rural China has affected the stability of cultivated land structure and the sustainability of ecosystem services (ESs). Delving into the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of ES interactions is essential for refined and differentiated cultivated land management practices. Taking Tongxiang City as an example, this study mapped the variations of four ESs of cultivated land from 2000–2020, identified their socio-ecological drivers, explored the spatial non-stationarity characteristics of trade-off/synergy among different ESs, and proposed a zoning control framework for cultivated land. The results indicated that (1) food supply (FS) and habitat quality (HQ) decreased by 40.40% and 1.27%, respectively, while carbon sequestration (CS) and soil conservation (SC) increased by 8.5% and 26.21%, respectively. Areas of decreased ES were mainly concentrated in the southwest, while areas of increased ES supply were dispersed. (2) CS-SC and CS-FS ES pairs exhibited obvious trade-offs, with concave trade-offs dominating between 2000 and 2010, and convex trade-offs prevailing from 2010 to 2020. These ES trade-offs were mainly distributed in the southeast and northern regions. HQ-CS and FS-SC presented significant synergies, predominantly characterized by linear synergy and situated in the northern and central areas. (3) The spatial differentiation of ESs was mostly explained by landscape configuration drivers. (4) Different cultivated land zones were delineated based on the spatial non-stationarity of trade-offs/synergies and ES advantage areas. This study contributes to our understanding of the changes in ESs resulting from non-grain expansion and offers valuable guidance for implementing differentiated measures for cultivated land zoning and management.

Resilient trees for urban environments: The importance of intraspecific variation

Societal Impact StatementTrees in urban environments provide us with shade, heat mitigation, flood abatement, noise and pollution reduction, pollination, beauty, and much more. However, many of these benefits are strongly connected to tree size and vitality, with larger, healthier trees providing ecosystem services more effectively, which means that selecting the right tree for site and function is crucial in order to gain all benefits from our urban trees.SummaryTrees play a major role in the Earth's biogeochemical processes, influencing soil production, hydrological, nutrient and carbon cycles, and the global climate. They store about 50% of the world's terrestrial carbon stocks, and provide habitats for a wide range of other species, supporting at least half of the Earth's known terrestrial plants and animals. Trees are not only found in forests and other natural ecosystems, but also in urban environments. Most of the human population is concentrated in cities, towns and villages, so urban trees are critical to meet on‐going and future social, economic and environmental challenges. However, many urban tree populations are strongly challenged by a changing climate, outbreaks of pests and pathogens and an urban development with increasingly dense cities and a high proportion of impermeable surface materials. The importance of intraspecific variation needs to be better acknowledged in this context, since poor matching of trees and the local climate and growing conditions can lead to extensive loss of valuable trees. By using the right genetic plant material for the challenging urban environments, a more resilient tree population with a greater diversity and higher capacity for delivering ecosystem services can be gained. Here, we wish to discuss the need to consider intraspecific variation when planning resilient tree populations for urban environments and how seed banks and botanical garden play important roles in efforts to improve the matching of genetic plant material for future environmental challenges. Strategies to enrich urban tree diversity and increase resilience are outlined.

Effects of landscape position on perennial biomass and food crop performance in buffer areas

AbstractDue to the environmental consequences of annual‐dominated cropping systems, there is an increasing need to identify agronomic strategies that incorporate perennial crops. One strategy for increasing perennial cover is through the targeted use of annually harvested perennial food and bioproduct crops in buffer strips, which has the potential to create new revenue streams for farmers and substantially mitigate agricultural nutrient pollution from conventional cropping systems. As buffers are typically installed on marginal land, it is critical to understand how landscape position influences the success of perennial crops. The objectives of this study were to determine the relatively early influence of landscape position on the productivity of a variety of perennial crops and their subsequent soil nutrients and soil water storing capabilities. In this experiment, nine perennial (alfalfa, alsike clover, indiangrass, switchgrass, big bluestem, prairie cordgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, high‐diversity polyculture, low‐diversity polyculture) and two annual (corn, soybean) crops were planted across two landscape positions (hillslope and deposition). Plant biomass, plant tissue nitrogen, soil moisture, and soil NO3‐N and NH4‐N were measured and compared at two different locations in Minnesota. Overall, the polyculture mixes, and to some extent intermediate wheatgrass, performed the best with respect to biomass production while also providing ecosystem services across most soil by landscape position combinations tested in this study. However, there were some important findings specific to each soil and landscape position combination, mainly oriented toward biomass production. We also observed temporal patterns in soil moisture and depth‐related patterns in soil N reductions. This study presents an opportunity to optimize the use of perennial crops on marginal agricultural lands for improved environmental and economic benefit.

Quantifying co-extinctions and ecosystem service vulnerability in coastal ecosystems experiencing climate warming.

Climate change is negatively impacting ecosystems and their contributions to human well-being, known as ecosystem services. Previous research has mainly focused on the direct effects of climate change on species and ecosystem services, leaving a gap in understanding the indirect impacts resulting from changes in species interactions within complex ecosystems. This knowledge gap is significant because the loss of a species in a food web can lead to additional species losses or "co-extinctions," particularly when the species most impacted by climate change are also the species that play critical roles in food web persistence or provide ecosystem services. Here, we present a framework to investigate the relationships among species vulnerability to climate change, their roles within the food web, their contributions to ecosystem services, and the overall persistence of these systems and services in the face of climate-induced species losses. To do this, we assess the robustness of food webs and their associated ecosystem services to climate-driven species extinctions in eight empirical rocky intertidal food webs. Across food webs, we find that highly connected species are not the most vulnerable to climate change. However, we find species that directly provide ecosystem services are more vulnerable to climate change and more connected than species that do not directly provide services, which results in ecosystem service provision collapsing before food webs. Overall, we find that food webs are more robust to climate change than the ecosystem services they provide and show that combining species roles in food webs and services with their vulnerability to climate change offer predictions about the impacts of co-extinctions for future food web and ecosystem service persistence. However, these conclusions are limited by data availability and quality, underscoring the need for more comprehensive data collection on linking species roles in interaction networks and their vulnerabilities to climate change.

Validation of a new gamma ray soil bulk density sensor

AbstractSoil compaction and soil bulk density are key soil properties affecting soil health and soil ecosystem services like crop production, water retention and purification and carbon sequestration. The standard method for soil bulk density measurements using Kopecky rings is very labour intensive, time consuming and leaves notable damage to the field. Accurate data on bulk density are therefore scarce. To enable large‐scale data collection, we tested a new portable gamma ray sensor (RhoC) for in situ field and dry bulk density measurements up to 1 m depth. In this first validation study, measurements with the RhoC‐sensor were compared with classic ring sampling. Measurements were made in two agricultural fields in the Netherlands (a sandy clay loam and a sandy soil), with large variation in subsoil compaction. At 10 locations within each field, three soil density profiles were made. Each profile comprised six depth measurements (every 10 cm from 10 to 60 cm depth) using the RhoC‐sensor and Kopecky rings, resulting in 30 pairwise profiles and 180 measurements in total per field. At an average soil density of 1.5 g/cm3, the relative uncertainty was 9% for the Kopecky rings and 15% for the RhoC‐sensor. Because the RhoC‐sensor is easy and quick to use, the higher relative uncertainty can easily be compensated for by making additional measurements per location. In conclusion, the RhoC‐sensor allows a reliable quantitative in situ assessment of both field and dry bulk density. This provides the much‐needed possibility for rapid and accurate assessment of soil compaction. The acquisition of this data supports the calculation of soil organic carbon stocks and is indispensable for (national) soil monitoring, to assess soil health and to inform sustainable land management practices for sustained or improved soil health and provision of soil ecosystem services, such as requested in the proposed EU Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience.

Examining The Role of Soil in Promoting Sustainable Development and Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Soil is a critical component of terrestrial ecosystems, playing an invaluable role in supporting plant growth, regulating water and nutrient cycles, filtering pollutants, and providing habitat for soil organisms. However, increasing pressures from human activities, including intensive agriculture, deforestation, urbanization, and climate change are degrading soils across the world. Therefore, sustainable management of soil resources is imperative to ensure continued provisioning of ecosystem services, promote sustainable development outcomes, and help us to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper reviews literature across multiple disciplines to examine the vital links between soil and realization of the SDGs. Soil properties influence productivity and food security, water availability and quality, climate regulation through carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, and human health. Degraded soils undermine these ecosystem services, exacerbating poverty, hunger, and inequality. Research shows ecosystem-based approaches that prioritize soil health, including conservation agriculture, agroecology, and regenerative systems, can sustainably intensify agriculture while restoring multi-functionality. Additionally, nature-based solutions utilizing plant-soil interactions for restoration have demonstrated cost-effectiveness. Achieving land degradation neutrality is now an explicit target under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), emphasizing the need to scale soil-focused initiatives within the SDG framework. Therefore, protecting and restoring global soil assets can serve as a nexus in policy frameworks to simultaneously advance progress across multiple SDGs.

Using spatial aggregation of soil multifunctionality maps to support uncertainty‐aware planning decisions

AbstractTo ensure soil preservation, it is essential to incorporate the soil's ability to provide ecosystem services into the spatial planning process. For well‐informed planning decisions, stakeholders need spatially explicit information on the state of the soils and the functions they fulfil, with sufficient spatial resolution and quantified uncertainty. It has been shown that Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) products can provide such information. However, in some cases, fine spatial resolution coupled with high levels of uncertainty may lead stakeholders to overlook the inherent uncertainties in the information. Spatial aggregation of DSM products opens up a promising avenue for obtaining maps that are more tailored to the users' scales of decision making while facilitating uncertainty communication. In this perspective, we propose a new spatial aggregation approach relying on spatially constrained agglomerative clustering (AC). The spatial aggregation approach is applied to a 25‐m‐resolution soil potential multifunctionality index (SPMI) map developed for the coastal plain of the Occitanie Region. This DSM product was increasingly aggregated to obtain SPMI maps of different resolutions displaying two distinct areal metrics: proportions of area above a given threshold of SPMI, and mean SPMI. Each map was evaluated through a set of indicators selected for their potential impact on user decision making: mean spatial resolution, overall predicted uncertainty, quantity of information and mean within‐unit variability. The maps were compared with respect to these indicators to other maps obtained with alternative aggregation methods employed in DSM literature (maps aggregated according to some administrative units and QuadMaps). We show that all the tested aggregation methods produced a substantial decrease of the map uncertainty with moderate loss of spatial resolution. However, only AC preserved the fine spatial pattern of the initial DSM product while enabling fine tuning of the uncertainty displayed to end‐users. We show that AC can simplify the identification of extensive regions characterized by low uncertainty without losing information regarding soil multifunctionality, thereby facilitating and enhancing the efficiency of planning decisions.

Looking back at the causes of 25-year crop yield stagnation in Europe

Across the world, but especially in Europe, staple crop yields have been stagnating since the mid-1990s, when breakpoints appeared in wheat, maize, and barley yield evolution. We look back here at recent evidence about the most likely causes for crop yield stagnation. If crop yields had followed the 1950-1990 trend in Europe, they would now be 20% higher than in the 1990s, when they started stagnating. Climate change reasonably explains one third of the difference. Recent research shows that increased crop diversity sustains crop yields more effectively than monoculture, but there is to date no estimate in the literature by how much. Finally, the literature suggests that the provision of ecosystem services could help break up crop yield stagnation but to an extent that is not yet quantified.

Evaluation of the Contribution of Cemeteries to Urban Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Edirne

Although green spaces in cities play a critical role in providing ecosystem services, cemeteries are often consideredan overlooked part of urban green spaces. However, in recent years, these areas have come to the forefront due totheir potential to provide a range of important ecosystem services such as conservation of biological diversity,habitat provision, air quality regulation, carbon storage, and water management. This study aims to concretelydetermine the contribution of four cemeteries -Acıçeşme, Buçuktepe, Bademlik and Karaağaç- located within thecentral district boundaries of Edirne, to urban ecosystem services. Using the i-Tree Canopy model, the land coverdistribution, air pollution impacts, and carbon sequestration/storage amounts of these cemeteries were analysed.The results indicate that Buçuktepe cemetery provides the highest ecosystem services due to its large area and densetree canopy. It is estimated that the 64.2% tree canopy cover in Buçuktepe Cemetery removes 365.44 kg of gasesand particulate matter from the air annually, sequesters 16.02 tonnes of carbon and stores 402.21 tonnes of carbon.These results show that cemeteries make a significant contribution to regulating ecosystem services in urban areas.The study highlights the potential for transforming cemeteries into multifunctional landscapes that contribute tourban ecosystem services.

Influence of Land Use and Land Cover on the Quality of Surface Waters and Natural Wetlands in the Miranda River Watershed, Brazilian Pantanal

Water quality assessment stands as a fundamental step in water resource management. In addition to substances and organisms present in the water, land use and land cover are two factors also affecting water quality. This study analyzed the correlation and influence between water quality and land use and land cover in the Miranda River Basin (MRB) and the natural wetlands in the Pantanal Biome. Using a watershed-wide approach, results suggested that water quality management policies can be considered in terms of sub-basins (smaller planning units). The Water Quality Index (WQI) was considered GOOD or EXCELLENT throughout the MRB. It was observed that the natural wetlands have the capacity to contribute to improving the WQI, with reductions in thermotolerant coliforms and turbidity; however, high values were found for thermotolerant coliforms, a temporal increasing trend of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and a reduction in dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus. Conversely, in these flooded areas, trends of a decrease in dissolved oxygen and an increase in BOD levels were found. Natural wetlands play important hydrological and ecological roles in water quality, storing, removing, and cycling nutrients. They are highly relevant areas for defining watershed management and conservation strategies, environmental protection, and providing ecosystem services.

Identifying the Coupling Coordination Relationship between Urbanization and Ecosystem Services Supply–Demand and Its Driving Forces: Case Study in Shaanxi Province, China

Exploring the relationship and driving forces between supply–demand of ecosystem services (ESs) and urbanization can help solve the environmental problems and promote regional sustainable development. This study analyzed the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of supply–demand of ESs and comprehensive urbanization level (CUL) in Shaanxi Province from 2010 to 2019 and assessed the coupling relationship between ecosystem service supply–demand ratio (ESSDR) and CUL using the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model. Random forests and geographically weighted regression methods were utilized to characterize the contribution and spatial distribution of the drivers of CCD. The results showed that: (1) except for habitat quality, the ESSDR of the other three types of services as well as the comprehensive services showed a decreasing trend, CUL exhibited increasing trend; (2) Although CCD was generally increasing, a significant portion (78.51%) of regions still remained uncoordinated, with relatively better coordination shown around the Guanzhong urban agglomeration, which has a higher urbanization level; (3) The CCD in Shaanxi Province was primarily influenced by local financial income, the secondary industry, and temperature forces. In regions with high and increasing CCD, the tertiary industry was the decisive force. In other areas, there were significant spatial variations in the driving forces. These findings provide a coupled and coordinated perspective for urban ecological management, which can provide scientific reference and practical guidance for cities with different development modes.

Identification and Prioritization of Thermal Environment Regulation Hotspots in Chengdu

Temperature condition in urban areas has a substantial impact on the well-being and safety of both urban residents and the ecosystems. Green spaces are crucial for mitigating urban heat impacts, and hence, their balanced supply and demand is essential. Due to rapid urbanization, Chengdu has had a significant increase in population, which has had an impact on the dynamic changes in its green space environment, making it a suitable case for our study. This study employs the high-temperature vulnerability framework to classify urban green spaces as entities that regulate the thermal environment. This classification is based on the analysis of ecosystem service supply and demand. The approach creates an assessment framework for managing the balance between the need for and availability of thermal environment regulation in urban green spaces. The study utilizes matching and a priority index to identify places in Chengdu where there are imbalances between supply and demand for services. Our findings suggest: (1) The demand for regulating the thermal environment in Chengdu’s green spaces is defined by three indices: thermal exposure, thermal sensitivity, and thermal adaptability. High-demand areas account for a relatively small proportion and exhibit a pattern of “global diffusion and local concentration”. (2) The supply capacity in Chengdu is determined by both the size of green spaces and the surface temperature. High-supply capacity areas are mainly located in the southeastern part of the city, and their distribution pattern is similar to that of green spaces. (3) The level of correspondence between the supply and demand in Chengdu varies significantly and can be classified into three categories: “insufficient supply and high demand”, “insufficient supply and low demand”, and “abundant supply and low demand”. Out of these, 32 units are located in the area with a shortage of supply, while 6 units are in the area with a significant imbalance of low supply and high demand. (4) The green space thermal environment regulation in Chengdu is categorized into four priority intervention levels: priority I, II, III, and IV zones. The priority IV zone, which has a high intervention priority level, consists of two units primarily located in the Inner Ring Qingyang, Inner Ring Jinjiang, Cuijiadian, Caotang, and Donghu, which are deemed crucial for needing prioritized regulation.

Rubber-Based Agroforestry Systems Associated with Food Crops: A Solution for Sustainable Rubber and Food Production?

Agroforestry is often seen as a sustainable land-use system for agricultural production providing ecosystem services. Intercropping with food crops leads to equal or higher productivity than monoculture and results in food production for industry and subsistence. Low rubber price and low labor productivity in smallholdings have led to a dramatic conversion of rubber plantations to more profitable crops. The literature analysis performed in this paper aimed at better understanding the ins and outs that could make rubber-based agroforestry more attractive for farmers. A comprehensive search of references was conducted in March 2023 using several international databases and search engines. A Zotero library was set up consisting of 415 scientific references. Each reference was carefully read and tagged in several categories: cropping system, country, main tree species, intercrop type, intercrop product, level of product use, discipline of the study, research topic, and intercrop species. Of the 232 journal articles, 141 studies were carried out on rubber agroforestry. Since 2011, the number of studies per year has increased. Studies on rubber-based agroforestry systems are performed in most rubber-producing countries, in particular in Indonesia, Thailand, China, and Brazil. These studies focus more or less equally on perennials (forest species and fruit trees), annual intercrops, and mixed plantations. Of the 47 annual crops associated with rubber in the literature, 20 studies dealt with rice, maize, banana, and cassava. Agronomy is the main discipline in the literature followed by socio-economy and then ecology. Only four papers are devoted to plant physiology and breeding. The Discussion Section has attempted to analyze the evolution of rubber agroforestry research, progress in the selection of food crop varieties adapted to agroforestry systems, and to draw some recommendations for rubber-based agroforestry systems associated with food crops.

Biodiversity and Vegetation Succession in Vineyards, Moravia (Czech Republic)

Maintaining biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is a major challenge for environmental protection in Europe. Vineyards rely heavily on agrotechnical interventions such as herbicide use and tillage for weed control, which affect biodiversity and can lead to soil erosion and resistant weed populations. The fragmentation of agricultural landscapes affects biodiversity by altering community composition and often reducing plant population sizes and genetic diversity. However, it can also increase the abundance of certain species and enhance population resilience to environmental change. Vineyards can support high levels of biodiversity and provide ecosystem services due to their semi-natural habitat structure. This research evaluates vegetation biodiversity using phytosociological relevés in different vineyards. Our results show that species richness and biodiversity are significantly influenced by vineyard age and management type. This study highlights differences in the representation of plant functional groups, with perennial taxa in grassy inter-row contributing to anti-erosion functions and serving as food sources for pollinators. The root zone around vine trunks shows an increase in invasive species with vineyard age, posing a risk to the agroecosystem. Vineyards predominantly follow a ruderal ecological strategy, using nutrients and light efficiently, while tolerating management disturbances. Understanding these dynamics is critical for developing sustainable vineyard management practices that support biodiversity and ecological resilience, counteract the homogenization of agricultural landscapes, and promote the coexistence of viticulture and species-rich ecosystems.

Hydrodynamics of artificial and oyster-populated breakwaters: A laboratory study with scaled-down oyster castles under unidirectional flow

Oyster populations within the Chesapeake Bay have been drastically reduced over the last century mainly due to unregulated human activities and diseases. Regulations and restoration efforts have focused on restoring oyster populations while also considering their ability to provide ecosystem services, such as coastal protection and water quality improvement, among others. To promote oyster growth and the settlement of new populations, a recent technique adopted along the east coast of the US is the use of oyster castles (OCs). OCs have proven effective in recruiting and retaining oysters and in promoting both vertical growth and horizontal expansion of oyster habitats. OCs are widely used in coastal protection as greener alternative to common engineering solutions. We quantified hydrodynamic differences that occur around these OCs during their early stage (i.e. castles without oysters), and with fully developed oysters covering the surface of the castles through a series of laboratory experiments. The experiments were conducted in a recirculating Odell-Kovasznay type channel at the Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics Laboratory (EEL) at the University of Illinois. OCs (both with and without oysters) were 3D printed at 1:7 scale to fit the canal, and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used for 2D flow characterization. Data showed noticeable differences in flow acceleration atop the castles when covered with oysters, as well as an increase in the generation and distribution of turbulent kinetic energy atop and around the oyster-covered castles. Magnitudes and spatial distribution of Reynolds stresses were also affected by the presence of oysters in both submerged and near-emergent conditions. Challenges associated with the estimation of the drag coefficient for both gray and oyster-covered OCs highlighted the need for more data besides the centerline 2D PIV output. Further research involving the whole three-dimensional structure of the flow, in both unidirectional and oscillatory conditions, will allow us to provide relevant guidelines on the design and use of oyster-populated breakwaters as a viable nature-based solution for coastal protection within low-energy environments.

<span>Assessing the impact of land-use/land-cover change on provisioning ecosystem services in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle from 2000 to 2021</span>

Changes in land use/land cover (LULC) have a significant impact on the changes in ecosystem service values. This study aims to assess the impacts of LULC changes on provisioning ecosystem services (pES) in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle region (LXQ) from 2000 to 2021. Using Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI imagery, this study analyzes the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series using MODIS imagery to monitor and evaluate the impacts of LULC changes in the LXQ region. Additionally, interviews with farmers were conducted to estimate the ecosystem service values of different rice cultivation models. The research results in the creation of LULC maps for the LXQ in 2000 and 2021, with relatively high reliability, including overall accuracy (OA) of 83.18% (K = 0.772) and 94.26% (K = 0.9284), respectively. The main LULC change observed in the LXQ region from 2000 to 2021 is the conversion from wetlands to double-cropped rice and triple-cropped rice systems. The study identified an area of 54,667.722 ha (26.24%) where wetlands were converted to double-cropped rice, and an area of 36,779.633 ha (17.65%) where wetlands were converted to triple-cropped rice. Furthermore, the estimated ecosystem service values after the conversion from wetlands to triple-cropped rice were approximately 122,504,931 VND/ha/year, and for double-cropped rice, it was approximately 87,772,604.88 VND/ha/year. The research findings indicate that wetland agriculturalization, including double-cropped rice and triple-cropped rice, has affected the ecosystem service provision in the LXQ region. These research results provide significant considerations for future comprehensive valuation of ecosystem service values in the LXQ, Vietnamese MD.

Comparison of direct and indirect soil organic carbon prediction at farm field scale

To advance sustainable and resilient agricultural management policies, especially during land use changes, it is imperative to monitor, report, and verify soil organic carbon (SOC) content rigorously to inform its stock. However, conventional methods often entail challenging, time-consuming, and costly direct soil measurements. Integrating data from long-term experiments (LTEs) with freely available remote sensing (RS) techniques presents exciting prospects for assessing SOC temporal and spatial change. The objective of this study was to develop a low-cost, field-based statistical model that could be used as a decision-making aid to understand the temporal and spatial variation of SOC content in temperate farmland under different land use and management. A ten-year dataset from the North Wyke Farm Platform, a 20-field, LTE system established in southwestern England in 2010, was used as a case study in conjunction with an RS dataset. Linear, additive and mixed regression models were compared for predicting SOC content based upon combinations of environmental variables that are freely accessible (termed open) and those that require direct measurement or farmer questionnaires (termed closed). These included an RS-derived Ecosystem Services Provision Index (ESPI), topography (slope, aspect), weather (temperature, precipitation), soil (soil units, total nitrogen [TN], pH), and field management practices. Additive models (specifically Generalised Additive Models (GAMs)) were found to be the most effective at predicting space-time SOC variability. When the combined open and closed factors (excluding TN) were considered, significant predictors of SOC were: management related to ploughing being the most important predictor, soil unit (class), aspect, and temperature (GAM fit with a normalised RMSE = 9.1%, equivalent to 0.4% of SOC content). The relative strength of the best-fitting GAM with open data only, which included ESPI, aspect, and slope (normalised RMSE = 13.0%, equivalent to 0.6% of SOC content), suggested that this more practical and cost-effective model enables sufficiently accurate prediction of SOC.

Optimizing zoning for ecological management in alpine region by combining ecosystem service supply and demand with ecosystem resilience

In order to enhance ecosystem stability and promote sustainable regional ecological, social, and economic development, it is crucial to explore the coupling relationship between ecosystem service supply and demand and the resilience of ecosystem, so as to propose scientific ecological management zones and strategies. Taking the vulnerable alpine ecosystem in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Gannan Prefecture) as the study area, this paper comprehensively utilized multi-source data, grid analysis, ecosystem service supply and demand estimation model, and coupled coordination model to analyze the spatio-temporal differentiation and coordination pattern of ecosystem service supply and demand in the study area from 2000 to 2020. With the assistance of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the ecosystem resilience index system was constructed to evaluate the regional ecological resilience. The results reveal the following: (1) In the past 20 years, the ecosystem service supply and resilience in Gannan Prefecture showed a fluctuating upward trend, and the demand continued to grow steadily. Their spatial differentiation were obvious, but the pattern remained stable. (2) There was a moderate incoordination indicated by the average coordination degree of the supply and demand coupling of ecosystem services, which rangeed between 0.3 and 0.4. (3) Gannan Prefecture was split into three ecological management zones, considering the spatial distribution of ecosystem service supply and demand, as well as resilience. Through system function monitoring and other measures, the ecological conservation zone will rely on its high resilience to support the restoration and self-sufficiency of the system, ensuring the stability and well-being of the ecosystem. The primary objectives of general protected zone includes environmental preservation, strict regulations, and the prevention of human intervention. To enhance their ecological background, key restoration zone must intensify the implementation of ecological restoration initiatives. To address the needs of the locals, strategies such as ecological compensation, optimizing the land use structure, and fostering the growth of environmentally friendly companies can be implemented simultaneously.

Coupling management ecosystem service supply-supply trade-offs and supply–demand trade-offs: Framework and practice

Ecosystem services (ESs) are the bridge between ecosystem and social system, and how to effectively manage different types of ES trade-offs is the key barrier to ensure that ecosystems provide sustainable benefits for human beings. The objective of this study is to propose a theoretical and methodological framework for the coupled management of ES supply-supply trade-offs and demand-demand trade-offs and to propose an ES trade-offs management scheme for the study area (Jiangxi Province) according to this framework. In this study, we evaluated the provision of ES and the intensity of two types of ES trade-offs in the study area through InVest model, and explored the driving mechanism of the two types of ES trade-offs through redundancy analysis. Finally, we proposed a land use structure in the study area that alleviates the intensity of both types of ES trade-offs through multi-objective nonlinear programming. The results showed that: (1) the water yield service supply in Jiangxi Province showed a pattern of high in the north and low in the south, and the carbon sequestration service supply showed a pattern of high in the south and low in the north. (2) The supply-supply trade-off intensity of two ES is generally low in the north and high in the south, and the supply–demand trade-off intensity of water yield service and carbon sequestration service is basically high in the densely populated area in the north of Jiangxi. (3) Forestland area, farmland area and water area are the supply–demand trade-off driving forces of water yield service and carbon sequestration service, grassland area is an independent driving force of carbon sequestration service, and farmland area and cultivated land area are the supply-supply trade-off driving forces. The study shows that in order to achieve the lowest supply-supply trade-off intensity and supply–demand trade-off intensity in Jiangxi Province at the same time, the forestland should reach at least 104470 km2, the water area should reach 12,900.7 km2, the farmland area should reach 281333.3 km2, and the grassland area should increase to 15,457.9 km2. The results are expected to provide a new perspective for ecosystem management research.