Land‐Use Change and its Effects in Charchan Oasis, Xinjiang, China

Abstract

Changes in land use and land cover are known to impact ecosystem services and functions. In this study, land use characteristics were combined with global and China‐specific ecosystem coefficients to quantify land‐use and ecosystem service changes in Charchan Oasis. Results indicated that: (i) the total values of ecosystem services in Charchan Oasis were increased 8·4 M$ from 1972 to 2013; (ii) the aggregated ecosystem service values for water bodies, grasslands, forest lands, and barren lands were 98·90% of the total value for all land types; (iii) waste treatment, soil formation, biodiversity protection, and water supply were ecological functions with the highest service values, contributing approximately 65% of the total service values; and (iv) ecosystem service values estimated in this study were inelastic with respect to the value coefficients, therefore, the estimation results were believable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The role of human activity in decreasing ecologically sound land use in China

“…Xie et al () have come to similar conclusions, based on land use data derived from Thematic Mapper/Enhanced Thematic Mapper (TM/ETM + ) remote sensing images at a national scale in China. Similarly, several studies showed that land use had a major influence on the ecosystem service value and, particularly, converting farmland into forests determined the entire ecosystem structure and functions (Abulizi et al, ; Chuai et al, ; J. J. Zhang et al, ). Improvements and restoration of the ecosystem are one of the sustainable development goal targets related to Chinese ecological civilization construction.…”

“…These include studies on Spanish drylands with respect to the relationship between human activities and ecosystem services (Quintas‐Soriano, Castro, Castro, & Garcia‐Llorente, ); degraded Mediterranean rangelands, considering grazing regulations and reforestation (Papanastasis et al, ); African Savanna woodlands (Kalema, Witkowski, Erasmus, & Mwavu, ); and a case study in the Czech Republic on ecosystem sustainability (Frelichova & Fanta, ). Various studies have been carried out in China, such as in a mining ecosystem, regarding the local economy in response to land use (J. J. Zhang, Fu, Zeng, Geng, & Hassani, ); in a coastal region, regarding ecological land management (Chuai et al, ); and in an oasis region (Abulizi et al, ). In addition, Xie, Zhang, Zhang, Xiao, and Lu () have measured the ecosystem service values of different land use types at the national scale in China.…”

“…Various studies have been carried out in China, such as in a mining ecosystem, regarding the local economy in response to land use (J. J. Zhang, Fu, Zeng, Geng, & Hassani, 2013); in a coastal region, regarding ecological land management (Chuai et al, 2016); and in an oasis region (Abulizi et al, 2017). In addition, Xie, Zhang, Zhang, Xiao, and Lu (2015) have measured the ecosystem service values of different land use types at the national scale in China.…”

“…Annual change in grassland degradation by abandonment in China for the period 1996-2015 [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] Annual change in farmland degradation by abandonment in China for the period 1996-2015 [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] Thematic Mapper/Enhanced Thematic Mapper (TM/ETM + ) remote sensing images at a national scale in China. Similarly, several studiesshowed that land use had a major influence on the ecosystem service value and, particularly, converting farmland into forests determined the entire ecosystem structure and functions(Abulizi et al, 2017;Chuai et al, 2016;J. J. Zhang et al, 2013).…”

Monitoring ecosystem service change in the City of Shenzhen by the use of high‐resolution remotely sensed imagery and deep learning

“…For instance, domestic garbage increased from 4.57 to 6.03 million tons, and domestic sewage increased dramatically from 640 to 1392 million tons from 2005 to 2017 (Human Settlements and Environment Commission of Shenzhen Municipality, ). Improper disposal of these wastes results in deterioration of the ecological environment and its services, and this trend is being intensified (Abulizi et al, ; Wang et al, ). According to the “China Sustainable Cities Report” (), the City of Shenzhen ranks 19 out of the 35 large‐ and medium‐sized cities in China in terms of the water pollutant discharge indicator and is 30th for the solid water discharge indicator.…”