Evolution of Ecosystem Service Values and the Response to Landscape Pattern Change in the Huaihe River Eco-Economic Belt

Abstract

Land use change has serious impacts on the structure, function, and layout of the landscape pattern, which significantly affects ecosystem service values (ESVs). Based on land use data over a 10-year interval from 1980 to 2020, this study analyzed the evolution characteristics of ESV and landscape ecological security in the Huaihe River Eco-Economic Belt using the equivalent factor method (EFM) and landscape pattern indices. The results show that the following: (1) The ESV of the Huaihe River Eco-Economic Belt has increased by approximately 4% in the past 40 years, primarily characterized by increases in the values of services associated with the water environment (water supply, purifying environment, and hydrological regulation) and decreases in the values of services not associated with the water environment (food production, raw material production, gas conditioning, climate control, soil conservation, nutrient cycle maintenance, and biodiversity). (2) The landscape indices of landscape division index, edge density, marginal entropy, fractal dimension index, and Shannon’s diversity index have shown increasing trends, and human activities in the study area are more widespread and fragmented. (3) Landscape fragmentation significantly reduced the values of non-water services, but the increase in the values of water-related services masked the impact of landscape fragmentation on the total ESV. The EFM overestimated the ESV of the water environment, such as hydrological regulation in areas with a large expansion of the water area, which may introduce uncertainties in the results.

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“…The method characterizes the complexity and variability of different patch types within a landscape 36 . A higher value is indicative of greater patch richness or a more even distribution of patch areas 37 .…”