Management Of Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Attribution of upstream-downstream transitive natural and human imprint on watershed ecosystem services variations

Local and associated regional factors commonly drive changes in ecosystem services (ES). Yet, some current studies focus on considering local drivers based on statistical methods, which may ignore the impacts of drivers in associated regions such as upstream-downstream, and consequently lead to deviation in attribution analysis and management of variations in local ES. To overcome this challenge, this study proposes an attribution analysis method of changes in ecosystem services based on emergy and partial differentiation equation (PDE), and applies it at River Basin scale to quantitively measure cross-regional causation. Taking the Yellow River Basin (YRB), China, as a case, this study identifies and assesses the specific contribution of drivers to the variations in ES from 2000 to 2020. The results show that the ES in the entire YRB increased 30%, and the ES in the upper, middle and lower reaches increased 30%, 36% and 3% respectively. All the assessed ecosystem services increased in the past two decades, among which three services including air purification (182%), climate regulation (145%) and water purification (79%) have the largest increase ratio. Natural drivers R (such as evapotranspiration, precipitation, etc.), human drivers S (land use change), significance driver τ (the significance degree of human attention to ES improvement) commonly and disproportionately drive the ES dynamics. The contribution ratios of the three above drivers to the increase in ES are 0.7:8:1, 1:9:0.8, 0.2:7:1.6 and (−7):11:4 for the entire basin, the upper, middle and lower reaches respectively. The decrease in upstream water use results in midstream lake and wetland ES increase 1.44E+18 and 7.49E+17sej during 2000–2020, accounting for 55% and 97% of lake and wetland ES in 2020 respectively, which decrease the decline ratio of midstream lake and wetland ES caused by midstream local land use transfer from water bodies to built-up land or agricultural land. This is a significant method development of the proposed attribution method to quantitatively solving causation in upstream-midstream-downstream of a River Basin. Meanwhile, this study can provide guidance for collaborative and integrated management and conservation of ecosystem services in the upper, middle and lower reaches of watersheds or other related regions.

Ecosystem services balance and its influencing factors detection in China: A case study in Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomerations

Rapid urbanization in China’s urban agglomerations has severely disrupted the relationship between supply and demand for ecosystem services (ESs). Exploring the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of ESs balance and its driving mechanisms is crucial for the high-quality development of urban agglomerations. However, few studies have explored the pattern of ESs balance and its driving mechanisms at multiple scales in urban agglomerations, which constrains the formulation of regional ecological protection and land use policies. In this study, we attempted to characterize the ESs balance pattern and its spatio-temporal variation from 2000 to 2020 at multiple scales in the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomerations (CCUA), using ESs matrix and hotspot analysis tools. We then introduced the optimal parametric geographic detector to detect the formation mechanism of the spatial differentiation pattern of ESs balance. The results show that the overall ESs supply index for CCUA was greater than the demand index. The ESs were in short supply in Chengdu and Chongqing. The pattern of ESs balance had significant scale dependence. The hot spots of the ESs balance index were mainly in the western, southern, and eastern mountainous regions, while the cold spots were concentrated in urban areas of Chengdu and Chongqing, with significant differences in characteristics at different scales. The spatial distribution of the ESs balance was mainly affected by the forest land proportion, slope, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), elevation, cultivated land proportion, and temperature. The interaction of natural, land use, and socio-economic factors significantly enhanced the spatial differentiation of ESs balance. The interaction of different types of factors highlights the importance of topography, NDVI, cultivated land, forest land, and population. The results of this study can provide scientific references for the sustainable management of ESs and the construction of ecological civilization in CCUA.

Spatio-temporal variation of ecosystem services and the response to urbanization: Evidence based on Shandong province of China

Rapid urbanization has brought about continuous urban expansion, which has put enormous pressure on ecosystems. In this paper, we take both temporal and spatial dimensions into account to discuss the interaction between various ecological services (ESs) and urbanization in Shandong Province based on data at different scales. We utilize the InVEST model for quantifying ESs indicators. Pearson correlation analysis and geographically weighted regression were used to investigate the relationship with the four urbanization indicators. The results of the study indicate that with the development of urbanization, the regulating and supporting services of land in Shandong province show an upward trend. In contrast, the supply services show a downward trend. There is a significant correlation between ESs and urbanization (p < 0.05). Regarding sub-indicators, water yield (WY) increases with urbanization, and carbon sequestration (CS)/grain providing (GP)/habitat quality (HQ) are negatively correlated with the four urbanization indicators. Geographically weighted regressions show that the results fit well only when we choose counties as the study scale, and there is a clear tendency of aggregation. In summary, this paper clarifies the spatio-temporal variation of ESs and the response to urbanization, which provides an effective reference for ecosystem management in Shandong Province. This paper suggests that the government should formulate targeted policies for ecosystem service management in different regions and make appropriate dynamic adjustments to the spatial scale of policy formulation.

Linking social-ecological management and ecosystem service bundles: Lessons from a peri-urban agriculture landscape

Peri-urban ecosystems especially peri-urban agriculture play an important part in multiple dimensions of both rural and urban sustainability and resilience. Yet such ecosystems on which diverse services depend are not given the commensurate concerns like city themes, and thus the lack of understanding about the interdependence characteristic within ES variation and the driving mechanism of socio-environmental factors limits effective ecological policymaking and urban-rural planning. In this study, we provided a framework revealing the complicated relationship of ecosystem services in a peri-urban area in southern Shanghai, China which is dominated by agricultural landscapes. Our findings stem from a combination of mapping quantification, statistical approaches and GIS-based techniques. The results showed that the provisioning services show trade-offs to some extent with regulating and cultural services. Six distinct ecosystem service bundles are identified and they are shaped by numerous site-specific characteristics which foster the orientation of ecosystem service management toward multifunctionality. We concluded that the spatially explicit information with GIS-based trade-off analysis is an efficient way to uncover the complicated relationships among various ecosystem services. The optimization of land cover forms and landscape characteristics is required for the sustainable management of agricultural landscapes. Ecosystem service bundles incorporating landscape features and differentiated perceptions of local residents provide rich evidence for the formulation of sustainable cultural land management strategies. They should be regarded as an indispensable element in developing both city and rural planning and multifunctional management.

Drivers of PES effectiveness: Some evidence from a quantitative meta-analysis

Payments for Environmental or Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes have become a popular tool to address environmental degradation and to promote sustainable management of ecosystem services. We use meta-regression analysis on a sample of 110 individual studies to investigate the determinants of the environmental effectiveness, defined as the probability to increase environmental services (ES) provision, of about 149 PES-schemes implemented worldwide. We find that increased effectiveness of PES schemes is strongly associated with periodical third-party monitoring, generic reference design and to a lesser extent results-based payments. We further study the determinants of PES additionality, defined as direct changes in ES provision induced by the PES scheme, compared to a baseline without PES, on a smaller sample of 41 studies from which we could obtain the necessary data. The results confirm the role of certain design variables, such as monitoring type, and raise a potential trade-off between enrolment and additionality in the assessment of PES effectiveness.

Multiscale Analysis of the Effects of Landscape Pattern on the Trade-Offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in Southern Zhejiang Province, China

Identifying the trade-offs and synergies (TOSs) of ecosystem services (ESs) and their responses to landscape patterns at various scales, especially in mountainous areas, could benefit the strategies of ES management and landscape optimization. In this study, the southern Zhejiang Province, a hilly region in eastern China, was chosen as the study area. Five ESs, including food production (FP), carbon sequestration (CS), flood mitigation (FM), water conservation (WC), and soil retention (SR) in 2020 were quantified. The TOSs of these ESs were identified at four spatial scales (i.e., grid, watershed, town, and county scales) through Pearson correlation analysis and the spatial overlay method. The effects of landscape patterns on the TOSs of ESs were analyzed by applying a logistic regression model. Results showed that FP and other ESs were trade-offs, while the other ES pairs were synergies. Spatial overlay results showed that weak synergies increased significantly, while strong synergies decreased significantly with the increase of the scale. The direction of the influence of landscape pattern on TOSs did not change, but the magnitudes of the impacts were scale-dependent. Landscape composition (i.e., cropland%, forest%, construction land%) had more significant effects on the trade-offs of ESs than spatial configuration (i.e., LSI, PD, COHE, and SHDI). The magnitudes of impact of landscape composition were strengthened at larger scales, while the effects of landscape configuration on the TOSs of ESs became complex as the scale changed. The results of this study could contribute to understanding how landscape patterns affect TOSs across scales, which will promote the hierarchical governance of ESs in mountainous areas.

A multiscale perspective on how much wetland restoration is needed to achieve targets for ecosystem services

Percentage-based targets for conservation and restoration provide a compelling narrative for enhancing nature and human wellbeing. However, evidence is still lacking for what these percentage targets should be, especially for improving multiple ecosystem services. Furthermore, restoration targets can be challenging to implement across decision-making scales. We explored these challenges in the Ruamahanga Basin in the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, where ∼98% of wetlands have been drained. We created restoration scenarios that increase the percentage area of wetland restored at two spatial scales: first, across the entire Ruamahanga Basin, and second, using subcatchments delineated from the contributing areas of individual historical wetlands. These scales allow us to adopt the decision-making perspective of basin-scale managers/planners as well as groups/individuals restoring single wetlands. At each scale, we estimate gains and losses towards plausible targets for nitrogen and phosphorus retention, carbon storage, and agricultural productivity using the high-resolution, ecosystem service modelling tool, LUCI. At the basin scale, ecosystem service changes were incremental, showing linear trends through to full wetland restoration. We found no percentage value at which restoration did not add benefits for nutrient retention and carbon storage and no percentage value at which restoration did not detract from agricultural productivity. Within subcatchments, gains in phosphorus retention were achieved across all restoration percentages. Nitrogen retention targets were mostly met when the percentage of wetlands restored exceeded 60%. Contrasting outcomes at two different scales showed that most of the variability in ecosystem service outcomes is found at fine spatial scales, rather than at the basin scale, which has implications for choice of policy mechanisms and spatially-targeted management of ecosystem services.

Spatiotemporal Changes in the Watershed Ecosystem Services Supply and Demand Relationships in the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Clarifying the spatiotemporal changes in the supply and demand relationship of ecosystem services (ESs) is essential for optimizing ESs management. However, several studies have reported the ESs supply and demand risk in complex mountainous areas. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the spatiotemporal variation in ESs supply, demand, and their trade-off and synergy, including water yield, soil conservation, and food provision in the Bailongjiang watershed (BLJW) in western China. The results showed that the total supply and demand of water-yield and soil-conservation services rose with a surplus from 2002 to 2018, except for food provision. A high value characterizes the water-yield and soil-conservation supply in the south, but there are low values in the east BLJW. The spatial distribution of water and food supply–demand featured a high demand in the subareas with population aggregation. Soil-conservation demand is high in the northwest and south of Wudu. The dominant spatial matching type of supply and demand in water yield was a high supply with a low demand. Soil conservation was associated with a low supply and low demand, and food provision with a high supply and increased demand. A synergy existed between water yield and soil conservation. Trade-offs existed between water yield, food provision, and soil conservation. The spatial distribution of trade-off intensity showed distinctive patterns. The supply–demand ratio of WY and SC decreased with the increasing trade-off intensity. This study comprehensively considers ES and supply–demand conflicts, thus providing a new perspective and approach for enhancing ecosystem services and high-quality regional development.

Mapping linkages between ecosystem services and agricultural and landscape management using structural topic modeling of scientific literature

This paper provides a systematic overview of existing literature on the interdependence between terrestrial Ecosystem Services (ES) and agricultural landscape management. To this end, we constructed a structured methodological approach that future researchers and other stakeholders may use to explore potential gaps for potential avenues for research. The framework starts with a constructed bibliometric dataset comprising 2478 paper abstracts (and associated metadata) published between 2010 and 2019 that contain references to specific ES classes and case study location references worldwide. Next, the dataset was used to construct a Structural Topic Model (STM), which features marginal effect estimation of metadata covariates on topic prevalence and topic prevalence correlation. The estimated topic graph structure is then used for community detection of interconnected topics via cluster identification, which allowed us to determine the current structure of the academic discourse on the interaction between terrestrial ES and agricultural landscape management. We expect this novel approach to enable identification of research priorities, prioritization of project portfolios for our field of interest, and reusable methodological guidelines that can be employed to target other fields of knowledge similarly.

Stakeholders assessment of status and trends of ecosystem services in the Mekong Delta for improved management of multifunctional wetlands

Increased agriculture and aquaculture production in the Mekong Delta during the last two decades has improved farmers' income, national export earnings and reduced poverty, but has also impacted on the environment and ecosystem services (ES) of importance to peoples' livelihoods and well-being. Through group discussions, interviews and questionnaires, this study assesses stakeholders’ perceptions of the status and trends of ES in the Mekong Delta and how these have been influenced by agriculture development. 15 of 24 ES were assessed to be impacted negatively by agriculture intensification, and especially supporting and regulating ES (SRES). Only a few provisioning ES (PrES), related to farming, were assessed to be in a good and stable supply, because of human interventions to create favorable conditions for these ES. Among the ten highest ranked ES, eight belonged to PrES and two belonged to SRES. There was a positive correlation between rank and awareness of ES. The supply of most SRES was perceived to be in a low and declining status and assessed to be in a high need for improved management. Some ES, such as pest-control had been complemented with human-made substitutes, such as pesticides, which however sometimes weakened rather than strengthened the ES. Cultural ES (CES) were often ranked lower and of less management concern than the other groups of ES. It is concluded that future agriculture strategies need a more balanced management of ES for a long-term production of healthy food and increased resilience of the Mekong Delta to cope with future challenges, such as climate change and upstream dams.

Local stakeholders’ priorities and perceptions towards forest ecosystem services in the Red panda habitat region of Nepal

The Red panda (Ailurus fulgens) habitat has been providing several ecosystem services (ES) to the people; however, the differences in local stakeholders’ perceptions and preferences of these ecosystem services based on differences in their location, caste, gender, age, and engagement in CFUG are still understudied. This study was conducted using a telephone interview with 120 households from 28 Red panda habitat districts in the Himalayan range of Nepal. Respondents were asked to: (1) prioritize and rank the environmental (regulatory ES), economic (provisional ES), social, cultural, and spiritual importance of the Red panda habitat areas; (2) identify and prioritize the provisional ES; and (3) share their perceptions about the current state of the forest and biodiversity in comparison to the past decade to assess the change in Red panda habitat condition. Key findings include: (1) gender, caste, location, and involvement in community forest had a significant influence on people's perception and preference for ecosystem services (p < 0.05); (2) in overall, the environmental value of forests was significantly prioritized over the social, cultural, and economic values (p < 0.05); (3) provisional services such as fuelwood and fodder were significantly prioritized by Dalit and indigenous people and CFUG members, whereas timber was given the highest priority by the Brahmin and Chhetri caste groups (p < 0.05); and (4) forest cover, biodiversity, and forest condition have significantly improved in East Nepal over the past 10 years, while the reverse was true in West Nepal (p < 0.05). Information on the preferences of local communities could assist in planning, policymaking, and effective management of natural ecosystems and ecosystem services. More importantly, the findings provide a better understanding of the nature–human interactions in the Red panda region and indicate that people from marginalized groups (ethnic communities, Dalit, and women) still rely on forests (community forests in many cases), and any consideration in future policies should take this into account.

Differentiated factors drive the spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem services in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China

Exploring the driving factors of changing ecosystem services is critical for supply capacity maintaining and ecological management zoning. Xinjiang of Northwest China, is considered one of the most fragile ecological environment areas. However, studies on how ecosystem services’ driving forces respond to the environmental conditions of Xinjiang are still insufficient, especially in sub–regions with considerable spatial heterogeneity. Based on 106 counties across Xinjiang, we employed models of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) and Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) to quantify four essential ecosystem services (carbon storage, habitat quality, and sand fixation and water yield). Then, we investigated the spatial distribution of four ecosystem services and drivers at the county scale in 2020 by using multi–scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR). The results showed that the spatial distribution of ecosystem services is higher in the north and lower in the south, and hotspots and high–value ecosystem services areas were consistent. Precipitation, temperature, and fractional vegetation cover were the dominant factors influencing the four ecosystem services. Therefore, regulating climate and increasing vegetation will maximize the improvement of regional ecosystem services in Xinjiang. Significant differences exist in the counties of the type, intensity, and direction of ecosystem services drivers. The correlation between carbon storage, habitat quality and fractional vegetation cover was more robust stronger in the south. Water yield was more closely related to fractional vegetation cover in southern Xinjiang. Under different ecological and social conditions, the impact of driving forces on ecosystem services showed different changing trends. Three suggestions for improving ecosystem services management were proposed based on our results. The comparative analysis of the driving factors of county ecosystem services in this study will help to formulate differentiated ecological protection policies and promote a sustainable supply of ecosystem services in Xinjiang. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the long-term monitoring and evaluation of ecosystem services and the research on the interaction of multiple drivers.

Geographic variation in organic carbon storage by seagrass beds

AbstractSince seagrasses are efficient sinks for marine organic carbon, there is growing interest in incorporating seagrass protection and restoration into climate mitigation schemes, that is, offering credit for accumulated carbon to offset carbon dioxide emissions. However, patterns and drivers of organic carbon storage by seagrasses are not well resolved, especially at scales relevant to management decisions. Here, we quantified geographic variation in standing stocks of sedimentary organic carbon (Mg Corg ha−1) associated with seagrasses along the northern Florida Gulf Coast using field surveys and sediment cores. We measured plant biomass, organic carbon, and sediment composition in each core. Using a multivariate modeling approach, we evaluated the relative importance of ecological, physical, oceanographic, and seascape drivers, developing the first spatially explicit predictions of seagrass‐associated carbon stocks for this region. Applying model predictions to confirmed seagrass beds and potential recovery areas, we also estimated the carbon storage value of potential seagrass conservation and restoration as the resulting stock enhancement value per hectare of seagrass (Δ Mg Corg ha−1). We found that organic carbon stored by seagrass sediments varied considerably across this region, with stocks significantly increasing with seagrass cover, proximity to oyster reefs, and distance from river outlets, highlighting potential synergies for coordinated management. We also found that current seagrass beds could offer nearly double the carbon storage value of potential recovery areas, emphasizing the importance of conservation as well as restoration. Our results have important implications for management, restoration, and understanding biogeographic patterns of seagrass ecosystem services.

The Use of Ecosystem Services Model in Sustainable Coral Reefs Management: Some Legal Reflections

Coral reefs need strong management and protection efforts. However, public awareness and legal instruments concerning coral reefs are still insufficient. An ecosystem service model perspective is needed for the optimum management of that ecosystem. This study examined the relationship between ecosystem services management in international, national and local environmental laws and the coral reef ecosystem. An analytical descriptive qualitative method with the environmental services model and statutory regulation approaches was used. The researcher found a good relationship between the ecosystem services management in the international, national and local environmental laws and the policy planning concerning the sustainable development of the coral reef ecosystem. However, not all of the existing regulations support the environmental services model. It is because the regulatory framework is not complete, and existing norms do not support the efforts to improve people’s welfare.

Scenario Planning in Managing Ecosystem Services and Natural Resources

Florida is experiencing environmental challenges such as climate change, sea-level rise, and urbanization that make it difficult to develop management and policy actions to conserve our ecosystems and their goods and services, which are vital for human well being. Scenario planning is a useful tool to explore and cope with the uncertainties surrounding the future consequences of decisions, but it remains underused in Extension practices. This publication provides an overview of scenario planning and the conditions under which scenario planning can be useful. It explains how to construct and develop effective scenarios for decision making and provides illustrated, real-world examples across different scales. The goal is to introduce the concept of scenario planning to Extension and elaborate its potential to be incorporated into existing Extension programs to help develop robust, sustainable solutions to manage agriculture, ecosystem services, and natural resources in Florida.

Quantifying heterogeneity in ecohydrological partitioning in urban green spaces through the integration of empirical and modelling approaches

Urban green spaces (UGS) can help mitigate hydrological impacts of urbanisation and climate change through precipitation infiltration, evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. However, there is a need to understand how precipitation is partitioned by contrasting vegetation types in order to target UGS management for specific ecosystem services. We monitored, over one growing season, hydrometeorology, soil moisture, sapflux and isotopic variability of soil water under contrasting vegetation (evergreen shrub, evergreen conifer, grassland, larger and smaller deciduous trees), focussed around a 150-m transect of UGS in northern Scotland. We further used the data to develop a one-dimensional model, calibrated to soil moisture observations (KGE’s generally > 0.65), to estimate evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. Our results evidenced clear inter-site differences, with grassland soils experiencing rapid drying at the start of summer, resulting in more fractionated soil water isotopes. Contrastingly, the larger deciduous site saw gradual drying, whilst deeper sandy upslope soils beneath the evergreen shrub drained rapidly. Soils beneath the denser canopied evergreen conifer were overall least responsive to precipitation. Modelled ecohydrological fluxes showed similar diversity, with median evapotranspiration estimates increasing in the order grassland (193 mm) < evergreen shrub (214 mm) < larger deciduous tree (224 mm) < evergreen conifer tree (265 mm). The evergreen shrub had similar estimated median transpiration totals as the larger deciduous tree (155 mm and 128 mm, respectively), though timing of water uptake was different. Median groundwater recharge was greatest beneath grassland (232 mm) and lowest beneath the evergreen conifer (128 mm). The study showed how integrating observational data and simple modelling can quantify heterogeneities in ecohydrological partitioning and help guide UGS management.

Geomorphology, Land-Use, and Hemeroby of Foothills in Colombian Orinoquia: Classification and Correlation at a Regional Scale

In the management of ecosystem services, it is significant to relate land use with the physical characteristics of the terrain, which allows establishing the conditioning factors of human activities and planning their distribution. These analyzes are based on thematic cartography, usually generated with visual classifications of satellite images. Traditional mapping techniques involve limiting the timely availability of information by taking extended periods for interpretation and integration of multiple data sets. This article presents a methodology to overcome these difficulties, implements machine learning and cloud computing to generate timely thematic cartography and spatial analysis to support land use planning. The study area was delimited according to altitudinal levels that define braided and anastomosed river systems. Acquisition, processing, and classification of input data for modeling were performed on the Google Earth Engine platform. The spatial correlation between hemeroby and geomorphology was calculated with the odds ratio and its respective confidence interval. Maps of 27 geomorphological units, 11 types of land use, and six hemeroby levels are presented at a scale of 1:50,000. Confusion matrices of implemented classification models were also reported, allowed evaluating global, user’s, and producer’s accuracy. Correlations between relict of natural areas with the structural environment and urban infrastructure with alluvial fans stand out. The information generated by these procedures is essential for planning land use and prioritizing the maintenance of ecosystem services.

Right tree, right place for whom? Environmental justice and practices of urban forest assessment

ABSTRACT Ecosystem services from urban trees and other green amenities form the basis for sweeping urban greening initiatives that can paradoxically worsen socio-ecological inequalities in cities. Previous research demonstrating distributive injustices like gentrification arising from urban greening have led to new efforts to integrate an environmental justice lens into urban ecosystem service planning and management. However, data-driven practices of technocratic expertise, like those that draw on ecosystem service quantification and valuation, may themselves become sites where procedural injustice emerges. This paper examines procedural justice in urban tree canopy assessments, a genre of technical document prepared for expert audiences that typically describes the urban tree canopy through the lens of ecosystem service valuation. Drawing on 30 assessments from U.S. cities, our analysis highlights how assessments deploy a scalar politics of tree value that evades questions of greenspace equity and helps forge an expert consensus around market-oriented sustainability before a management plan is written. We show how forestry principles of “right tree, right place” combine with boundary work around tree risk to empower expert-led management and deprioritize civic involvement. While injustice can emerge through the practices of technocratic expertise that undergird management for ecosystem services, we caution against wholesale rejection of data-driven decision-making and point towards ways to selectively embrace data to enable new forms of civic involvement. We conclude by calling for urban forest assessments that shift the focus towards the relationships between trees and people along with a broader integration of procedural justice into processes of urban ecosystem service management. Highlights UTC assessments tend to prioritise the monetary value of trees and oversimplify tree risks and costs in ways that narrow management options to those that maximise total market value. Assessments rarely include environmental justice considerations and discuss tree risk in a manner that excludes communities from decision-making. Trade-offs between different ecosystem (dis)services could require a survey of resident preferences to ensure that ecosystem services are received as benefits and to ensure fairness.

Exploring the ecosystem services bundles and influencing drivers at different scales in southern Jiangxi, China

Located in the hilly and mountainous central area of the national ecological security strategic pattern (described as “two ecological barriers and three green belts”), southern Jiangxi is an important ecological barrier in southeast China and a pilot area for the national mountains-rivers-forests-farmlands-lakes-grasslands restoration projects. In recent years, the rapid economic development of the southern Jiangxi region and the rapid changes in land use, agricultural intensification, and population urbanization have severely tested this ecosystem on which people depend for their survival. Currently, studies of ecosystems and their interactions from a single spatial perspective have sprung up, but only a few studies have comprehensively analyzed different spatial scales to facilitate the sustainable development of regional ecosystems. Multi-scale studies should be carried out to quantitatively understand the relationship between ecosystem services (ESs) and socio-natural drivers, in an attempt to find a suitable scale to assess regional ESs or to achieve complementary advantages by combining multi-scales so as to conduct hierarchical management of ESs. Therefore, to better understand the interplay between ESs and to achieve the goals of sustainable development, we quantitatively analyzed the evolutionary patterns, trade-offs, and synergies of ESs. In our analysis, we also looked at bundling ESs and their drivers for seven ecosystem services at the township and watershed scales for 2000–2020 in southern Jiangxi. Crop production, meat production, water yield, carbon storage, soil retention, habitat quality, and forest recreation services were specifically quantified, and redundancy analysis was used to explore the influence degree of precipitation, temperature, elevation, slope, GDP, and population density on ESs. The results showed that most ESs have increased in southern Jiangxi, indicating spatial and temporal heterogeneity. The scale effect of trade-off and synergy showed that the spatial variation was similar, but the amplitude of variation was different. Compared with the watershed scale, the overall bundle of ESs in southern Jiangxi is better identified and clustered at the township scale. In addition, Cluster 4 at the township scale and Cluster 3 at the watershed scale can comprehensively identify high-value areas of ecosystem services in the study area. The rapid growth of GDP and population density caused by rapid urbanization were the main driving factors of the difference in ESs between the two scales in southern Jiangxi. Our results provide recommendations for governance and restoration of regional ecosystem services and support for conducting a comprehensive analysis of spatio-temporal evolutionary mechanisms and interactions of ecosystem services at different scales.

Crown and diameter structure of pure Pinus massoniana Lamb. forest in Hunan province, China.

Non-spatial structure of forest is an important aspect for harvesting regimes, silvicultural treatments, and ecosystem service provisions. In this pursuit, the present research envisaged the measurement of the crown and diameter structure of Pinus massoniana Lamb. Specifically, the forests were assessed with a range of nine cities in Hunan Province, China. The gradient boosting model was used to quantify the contribution of seven drivers of the diameter at breast height (DBH) diversity. Moreover, the relationship between the crown structure and DBH/tree height was explored using TSTRAT and path analysis. The Anderson-Darling test results indicated that DBH distributions of nine cities did not occur from the same population, the maturing diameter distribution was the main type among the cities. Slope direction was identified as the most impacted factor affecting the DBH diversity, followed by landform and stand density. The vertical stratification indicated a simple vertical structure, and the relationship between the DBH/tree height and crown structure changed in different stages, which reflected the competition mechanism and adaption strategy in the forest. Our study summarized the diameter and crown structure of pure P. massoniana forest in Hunan province, which can provide valuable information in the forest management, planning, and valuation of ecosystem services.