Multi-scale analysis of trade-off/synergistic effects of forest ecosystem services in the Funiu Mountain Region, China

Abstract

The trade-offs and synergies of forest ecosystem service are important research topics for several disciplines. The multi-scale analysis of service trade-offs and synergies assists in the implementation of more effective forest resource management. Based on multi-source data including forest distribution, topography, NDVI, meteorology and soil conditions, key forest ecosystem services, including total forest volume, carbon storage, water yield, soil retention and habitat quality were mapped and evaluated for the Funiu Mountain Region through integrated deployment of the CASA model, the InVEST3.2 model and the ArcGIS10.2 software. The characteristics of trade-offs and synergies among different ecosystem services were then mapped and considered across multiple spatial scales (i.e., by region, north and south slopes, vertical belt) using the spatial overlay analysis method. The main results are as follows: (1) Mean forest volume is 49.26 m 3 /ha, carbon density is 156.94 t/ha, water yield depth is 494.46 mm, the unit amount of soil retention is 955.4 t/ha, and the habitat quality index is 0.79. (2) The area of forests with good synergy is 28.79%, and the area of forests with poor synergy is 10.15%, while about 61.06% of forests show severe trade-offs and weak trade-offs. The overall benefits of forest ecosystem services in the study area are still low. In the future, bad synergy and severe trade-off areas should be the focus of forest resource management and efficiency regulation. (3) Synergy between ecosystem services is better for forest on south slope than that on north slope. Deciduous broad-leaved forest belt at moderate elevations on south slope in the mountains (SIII) has the highest synergies, while that at low elevations on north slope (NI) exhibits the lowest synergy levels.

Quantifying Co-Benefits and Trade-Offs between Forest Ecosystem Services in the Gan River Basin of South China

“…For these reasons, huge benefits would result from resolving environmental crises and improving the overall benefits of ecosystem services, by increasing the area devoted to natural forests in the GRB. Similar to existing research on plantation ecosystem services [5,46,53,54], trade-offs among ecosystem services in plantations in the GRB can be easily found for carbon storage and water yield, or volume accumulation and soil retention, and they result in soil erosion and water pollution problems. Therefore, plantation management should pay attention to upgrading the tending, logging and conservation engineering measures needed to increase the overall benefits of ecosystem services.…”

Impact of ecological restoration on ecosystem service trade‐offs: Insight from karst desertification control

“…It is difficult to achieve the superposition of different services on the pixel scale, because of the differences in indicators unit. Here, based on the study (Zhang et al, 2022a), we developed a process for overlaying indicators and performing trade‐off/synergy. The details are as follows:…”

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

“…Therefore, the supply capacities of the CS, SR, FM, and WC were relatively low, resulting in prominent strong trade-offs. In order to alleviate the strong trade-off among these services, policy makers should strengthen the management of secondary forests and plantation forests at the town scale, promote mixed coniferous and broadleaved forests to replace pure forests, and improve the supply capacity of CS, SR, and WC [29]. Nevertheless, at the 3000-m grid scale, construction land% had the strongest impact on high synergies of ESs.…”

“…Other studies indicated that ES synergies were enhanced as the scale increased [27,28]. Such a difference mainly stems from the unconformity of ecological conditions and processes at different scales or the spatial mismatch between the supply and demand of ESs [29]. In general, local residents pay more attention to provision services they can directly enjoy, such as food supply, while decision-makers attach more importance to regulating services (e.g., water conservation, flood mitigation, etc.)…”

“…To measure the relationships of different ESs, researchers used spatial overlay analysis by setting some explicit manners, and they can visually show the spatial patterns of TOSs [39]. For example, Zhang et al (2022) evaluated the TOSs of forest ecosystem services by using spatial overlay analysis, which helps to weigh management decisions corresponding to specific spatial locations, so as to implement forest resource management more effectively [29]. Wang et al (2022) demonstrated that TOSs showed obvious spatial differentiation, which depended on the impact of urban development and terrain conditions [40].…”