Investigating Ecosystem Service Trade-Offs/Synergies and Their Influencing Factors in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China

Impacts of landscape patterns on habitat quality in coal resource-exhausted cities: Spatial-temporal dynamics and non-stationary scale effects

Coal resource-based cities were once pillars of significant economic and social development, but after resource exhaustion, these cities are at a critical crossroads and need to transition towards sustainable development and ecological urban renewal. The unique landscape patterns of these cities are associated with extensive coal mining, and their dynamic changes are intrinsically linked to habitat quality. However, this relationship has not been fully explored in existing research. Additionally, the spatial-temporal dynamics and non-stationary scale effects of landscape patterns on habitat quality are often overlooked. This study selects Jiawang, a typical coal resource-exhausted city in eastern China, as a case study. We focus on the ecological transition period from 2000 to 2020. Based on land cover data, the study quantitatively describes the spatiotemporal evolution of landscape patterns and habitat quality. A novel multiscale geographically and temporally weighted regression (MGTWR) model is used to analyze and quantify the complex effects of landscape patterns on habitat quality at different spatiotemporal scales. The study further elucidates the dynamic interaction between landscape patterns and habitat quality, emphasizing key non-stationary scale effects. The findings provide insights for strategic ecosystem management and spatial planning, offering a blueprint for the sustainable transformation of coal resource-exhausted cities.

Spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the influence of landscape patterns on trade-offs/synergies among ecosystem services: a case study of the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi

Exploring the role of landscape patterns in the trade-offs/synergies among ecosystem services (ESs) is helpful for understanding ES generation and transmission processes and is of great significance for multiple ES management. However, few studies have addressed the potential spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the influence of landscape patterns on trade-offs/synergies among ESs. This study assessed the landscape patterns and five typical ESs (water retention (WR), food supply (FS), habitat quality (HQ), soil retention (SR), and landscape aesthetics (LA)) on the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi and used the revised trade-off/synergy degree indicator to measure trade-offs/synergies among ESs. The multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model was constructed to determine the spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the influence of landscape patterns on the trade-offs/synergies. The results showed that (1) from 2000 to 2010, the increase in cultivated land and the decrease in forestland and grassland increased landscape diversity and decreased landscape heterogeneity and fragmentation. During 2010-2020, the change range decreased, the spatial distribution was homogeneous, and the landscape diversity and fragmentation in the northwestern area increased significantly. (2) The supply of the five ESs continued to increase from 2000 to 2020. During 2000-2010, FS-SR, FS-LA and SR-LA were dominated by synergies. From 2010 to 2020, the proportion of trade-off units in all relationships increased, and HQ-FS, HQ-SR and HQ-LA were dominated by trade-offs. (3) Landscape patterns had complex impacts on trade-offs/synergies, and the same landscape variable could have the opposite impact on specific trade-offs/synergies in different periods and areas. The results of this study will inform managers in developing regional sustainable ecosystem management strategies and advocating for more research to address ecological issues from a spatial-temporal perspective.

Multiscale ecosystem service synergies/trade-offs and their driving mechanisms in the Han River Basin, China: implications for watershed management

The synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services (ESs) and their driving mechanisms are hot topics in ecology and geography research. In recent years, the Han River Basin (HRB) has been continuously impacted by high-intensity urban sprawl and the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, which have posed severe threats to the ecology and regional stability along the route. It is thus critical to study the ES synergies/trade-offs and their driving mechanisms. Based on the InVEST model and the value coefficient method, four vital types of ESs in the HRB, i.e., carbon sequestration (CS), food supply (FS), net primary productivity (NPP), and water yield (WY), were evaluated at town, county, and sub-watershed scales. Then, the Pearson correlation analysis was adopted to quantify the interrelationship among different ESs. Finally, the ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographical detector model (GDM) were applied to reveal the driving mechanisms of the ES synergies/trade-offs. The results showed that (1) apart from NPP, which increased at a rate of 7.54 gC·m^-2·a^-1 during 2000-2018, the other three types of ESs in the HRB deteriorated, with WY almost halving. (2) While CS, FS, and WY tended to exhibit high synergistic relationships, NPP showed mostly trade-off relationships, and the evaluation scale did not affect those main relationships. (3) Precipitation is the strongest driving force for the ES synergies/trade-offs in the HRB, and natural factors are generally more influential than socioeconomic factors on the ES synergies/trade-offs. This study warns of the deteriorating ecological condition of the HRB and provides empirical evidence for the synergistic enhancement of regional ESs and the optimization of ecological management policies.

Generalized Additive Model Reveals Nonlinear Trade-Offs/Synergies between Relationships of Ecosystem Services for Mountainous Areas of Southwest China

Ecosystem services (ESs) are an essential link between ecosystems and human well-being, and trade-offs/synergies happen in ESs at different temporal and spatial scales. It is crucial to explore patterns of trade-offs/synergies among ESs, and their nonlinear relationships with changes in ESs. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate five ESs in 2000 and 2018: namely, water yield, food production, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat quality in mountainous regions of Southwest China. The mean values of the five ESs increased by 365.8 m3/ha, 13.92 t/hm2, 497.09 TgC/yr2, 138.48 t/km2, and 0.002, respectively. Using spatial statistics and analysis, an ES trade-off synergy model (ESTD) was constructed for the five ESs change values. Overall, soil conservation has a trade-off with all five ESs, except habitat quality; this trade-off is increasing slightly. Water yield is in synergy with all ESs except soil conservation, with decreasing synergy; habitat quality is in synergy with all ESs except food production, with increasing synergy. Finally, the nonlinear relationship between the value of the change in the ES and ESTD was analyzed using a generalized additive model. Changes in water yield showed the greatest impact on ESTD except for food production, wherein changes in all three ESs had minimal impacts on ESTD. Food production dominates its trade-offs/synergies relationship with soil conservation; carbon sequestration is the dominant player in its trade-offs/synergies relationship with soil conservation. Habitat quality has a secondary position of influence, except in the trade-offs/synergies involving food production. By exploring the drivers of trade-offs/synergies among ESs, this study can provide guidance for the effective implementation of policies related to ecological protection and restoration.