Trade-offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Service Bundles in the Luan River Basin, China

Abstract

The relationships between multiple ecosystem services are essential for effective ecosystem management and decision-making. In this study, the Luan River Basin, which is a critical component of the water conservation and ecological environment support area in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China, was evaluated for its carbon storage, water yield, soil conservation, water retention, habitat quality, and food supply from 1990 to 2020. Ecosystem service bundles were identified using clustering methods that considered trade-offs and synergies, and the spatiotemporal variations of each bundle type were examined. The results indicated that carbon storage, water yield, soil conservation, water retention, and habitat quality increased after reaching their lowest values in 2000–2005, while food supply showed a significant decline after 2005. Most ecosystem services, except for food supply, were significantly positively correlated with each other, indicating the presence of synergies between them. Based on the ecosystem service value and the area proportion of synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services, three ecosystem service bundles were identified as "Ecological conservation synergy type," "Food supply trade-off type," and "Ecological balance type." The interconversion between these types of bundles depended on natural background conditions, ecological protection policies, and the degree of agricultural economic development. These findings suggest that ecosystem management in the Luan River Basin should be tailored to specific measures based on the different ecosystem service bundles.