Spatiotemporal Changes of Ecosystem Service Value Determined by National Land Space Pattern Change: A Case Study of Fengdu County in The Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China

Abstract

Exploring the spatiotemporal change characteristics of ecosystem service value (ESV) under the influence of national land space pattern (NLSP) changes is of great significance for promoting the rational use of land resources and the optimization of ecosystems. In this study, Fengdu County in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area was selected as a case study. We analyzed the changes in NLSP using land use data from 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018. Then, we used the equivalent factor method and exploratory spatial data analysis method to explore the spatiotemporal change characteristics of the ESV of Fengdu County. The results show that: (1) From 1990 to 2018, the changes in NLSP in Fengdu County generally manifested in the transformation of agricultural space into urban space and ecological space; (2) The spatiotemporal change of ESV is a process that positively responds to the increase in ecological space and negatively responds to the expansion of urban space. From 1990 to 2018, the total ESV of Fengdu County showed a trend of continuous growth, with a total increase of CNY 11.10 × 108, and the change rate was 9.33%. The ESV gain area is mainly located along the Yangtze River and the southernmost part of the county, and the loss area is mainly located near the south bank of the Yangtze River; (3) ESV and its changes in Fengdu County have a significant positive spatial autocorrelation. The cold and hot spots of ESV change are mainly distributed along the Yangtze River and to the south of the Yangtze River. Therefore, it is suggested to integrate ESV as an important indicator into the decision-making of national land space planning. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the intensive use of urban space and protect the important ecological space from decreasing. Our study results provide useful insights for the development of regional NLS management and environmental protection policies. However, it is worth noting that the results of this paper are more applicable to areas where the terrain is dominated by mountains.

Optimization of Land Use Based on the Source and Sink Landscape of Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Fengdu County in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China

“…ESV is an important indicator to measure ES supply capacity [51]. Referring to the research of Zhang et al [52], we investigated land use type and the ESV per unit area as the bases to identify the source and sink landscape of ESs in the study area. The results show that paddy fields, dry land, forest, grassland, water, and unused land are source landscapes, whereas urban land and rural residential areas are sink landscapes (SLs).…”

“…The relationship between these optimization processes indicates that the optimization of the areas of land use types is determined by the spatial constraint of the spatial land use optimization, whereas the spatial land use optimization is determined by the quantity constraint imposed by the optimization of land use type area [55] (Figure 3). The areal proportion of various source and sink landscapes directly determines the total regional ESV [52,56]. Therefore, to optimize land use for ESs, and according to the areas of various land use types, regional land resources need to be allocated to land use types with higher ESVs per unit area under constraint conditions.…”

“…Ecological benefits are measured by the ESV per unit area of different land types, and the specific coefficients are determined according to the findings of Zhang et al [52] (Table 2). Economic benefits are measured by the economic output per unit area of different land use types (Table 2).…”

“…Various ecological elements, including mountains, water, forestland, lakes, and grass, are integrated in the TGRA, and the natural background conditions are good. However, due to the very large natural and artificial disturbances associated with the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, and the rapid urbanization and industrialization that began when Chongqing became a municipality in 1997, the original ecosystem structure and functions of the TGRA have been seriously negatively affected, and a series of ecological and environmental problems have followed, such as forest vegetation degradation, water capacity decline, and frequent geological disasters [52]. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen the territorial spatial management in the region and build a strong ecological security barrier.…”

Research on Mediating Mechanisms and the Impact on Food Provision Services in Poor Areas from the Perspective of Stakeholders

“…Humans are constantly changing ecosystems to obtain more ecosystem services [ 1 , 2 ] and production materials [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]; among these outputs, food provision services not only support human survival and reproduction [ 6 , 7 ], but also provide basic material conditions for social and economic development [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. However, the quantity of food provision services acquired by humans is not only affected by natural conditions, because stakeholders also have an obvious influence on the quantity and structure of food provision services [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”