Search Results (78)

The supply–demand relationship of flood regulation services (FRS) plays a vital role in mitigating urban flooding. Yet, existing studies still fall short in the comprehensiveness of FRS indicators, the accuracy of assessment scope, and the fine-scale analysis needed to delineate spatial supply–demand features and precisely identify critical areas. Using Xiamen Island as a case study, we first quantify ecosystem-based FRS supply with the InVEST model and assess socioeconomic FRS demand under the H-E-V framework; second, we perform parcel-level supply–demand matching to identify spatial patterns and typologies; then, we diagnose FRS status via the coupling–coordination degree model (CCDM); and finally, we delineate flood-risk hotspots through priority-intervention grading. The results indicate that (1) higher FRS supply clusters in the south, southwest, and northeast, whereas demand is markedly higher in the central–northern sector, yielding an overall pattern of “pronounced mismatch in the central and north, with relatively sufficient supply along the periphery.” (2) Low supply–high demand zones exhibit the highest flood risk and contain higher proportions of industrial, transportation, and residential land. (3) These low supply–high demand zones are further subdivided into five priority-intervention levels, for which we propose tiered, differentiated risk-management strategies. Collectively, the findings clarify supply–demand mechanisms and mismatch characteristics, providing decision support for urban flood safety and sustainable development. Full article

Systematic biodiversity and ecosystem service (ES) conservation is vital for ecological sustainability and human well-being. This study combines MaxEnt, Zonation, InVEST, and MSPA models to identify Conservation Priority Areas (CPAs) in the Wujiang River Basin (WJRB), integrating biodiversity hotspots, ESs, and landscape connectivity. Results reveal CPAs span 1.13 × 10⁴ km² (primarily downstream), but existing natural reserves (NRs) cover only 24.86% of these critical zones, leaving over 75% unprotected in this region. Current NRs occupy 0.62 × 10⁴ km², with 5.82% of the basin (mainly upstream) available for targeted expansion. Spatial analysis reveals mismatches, such as some NRs protecting low-value ecological areas, resulting in imbalanced coverage. Expanding NRs across the board is less effective than adjusting protection scope or management strategies in areas of spatial mismatch, based on identified CPAs. This can involve establishing new reserves and appropriately relaxing land-use restrictions to allow compatible activities within them. New conservation planning should prioritize large, interconnected CPA regions to enhance landscape coherence. Simultaneously, integrating ecological compensation mechanisms can align protection goals with local livelihood improvements, fostering community engagement. This approach addresses critical gaps and enhances conservation efficiency by strategically directing resources toward high-value, vulnerable ecosystems. The methodology offers a replicable framework for balancing ecological preservation and human needs in river basin management. Full article

To reveal the cross-scale trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services (ESs) in resource-based cities, this study took Xingtai City, Hebei Province, as a case. Six ESs—water yield (WY), soil retention (SDR), habitat quality (HQ), urban cooling (UC), net primary productivity (NPP), and PM_2.5 removal—were quantified at the 1 km grid, township, and county scales. Using Spearman correlation, geographically weighted regression (GWR), and the XGBoost-SHAP framework, we analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution of the ecosystem service supply–demand ratio (ESDR) from 2000 to 2020 and identified the dominant driving mechanisms. The results indicate the following: (1) The mean ESDR in Xingtai decreased sharply from 0.14 in 2000 to 0.008 in 2020, a decline of 94.3%, showing a pronounced “high in the western mountains–low in the eastern plains” gradient pattern and an increasingly severe supply–demand imbalance. (2) Synergistic relationships dominated among the six ESs, accounting for over 80%. Strong synergies were observed between supply-related services such as WY–SDR and HQ–NPP, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.65 to 0.88, whereas weak trade-offs (<20%) occurred between UC and PM₂.₅ removal in urbanized areas, which diminished with coarser spatial scales. (3) Population density (Pop), elevation (DEM), cropland proportion (Crop), and vegetation index (NDVI) were identified as the key driving factors, with a combined contribution of 71.4%. NDVI exhibited the strongest positive effect on ecosystem service supply (mean SHAP value = 0.24), while Pop and built-up land proportion showed significant negative effects once exceeding the thresholds of 400 persons/km² and 35%, respectively, indicating nonlinear and threshold-dependent responses. This study quantitatively reveals the spatiotemporal synergy patterns and complex driving mechanisms of ecosystem services in resource-based cities, providing scientific evidence for differentiated ecological restoration and multi-scale governance, and offering essential insights for enhancing regional sustainability. Full article

The sustainable development of resource-based cities faces challenges due to the imbalance between ecosystem service supply and demand. This study examines Xingtai, a typical resource-based city located in northern China, using ecosystem service bundle theory to analyze the supply–demand relationships of six ecosystem services—water yield, soil retention, habitat quality, urban cooling, PM_2.5 removal, and carbon sequestration—from 2000 to 2020. Based on the ratio of supply–demand, we identify ecosystem service bundles and explore their driving factors using redundancy analysis (RDA) and the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model. Results show a clear “mountain–plain” supply gradient, with high supply in the western Taihang Mountains and low supply in urbanized eastern plains. Demand follows a “center-high, periphery-low” pattern, with urban centers showing higher demand for urban cooling and PM_2.5 removal. A severe supply–demand imbalance exists: soil retention, PM_2.5 removal, habitat quality, and carbon sequestration are undersupplied in urbanized areas, while water yield and urban cooling are oversupplied in the western mountains. Natural factors (precipitation and temperature) shape western mountain supply, while human activities (GDP and nighttime light) drive demand polarization in the east. GTWR results reveal that urban GDP growth and land expansion intensify demand, while stable supply in mountain areas relies on precipitation and forest cover. This study provides scientific support for the sustainable development of resource-based cities. Full article

Spatial mismatches between ecosystem services and human demands pose critical challenges for sustainable land use in ecologically fragile regions. Rapid urbanization intensifies land-use conflicts in ecologically fragile regions, threatening ecosystem services and habitat sustainability. This study addresses this challenge by quantifying spatial mismatches between landscape resource functions (LRFs: natural, traditional, and humanistic) and service demands (LSFs, e.g., catering and public facilities) in Xinxian County, in China’s Dabie Mountains, using multi-source data (DEM, POI big data, and remote sensing) and spatial analysis (nearest neighbor indices, kernel density, and multi-ring buffers). The results reveal that concentrated natural LRFs in high-elevation single-core clusters exhibit low dispersion, thus increasing vulnerability to land conversion, while agglomerated LSFs in urban cores exacerbate ecosystem service inequalities. Crucially, service deficits beyond 3 km buffers and the fragmentation of traditional agricultural zones indicate potential erosion of regulating services, as inferred from spatial mismatches (e.g., soil retention and water regulation), and cultural resilience. These spatial mismatches act as proxies for habitat risks, in which humanistic landscape expansion competes with ecological corridors, amplifying fragmentation. To mitigate risks, we propose (1) enhancing connectivity for natural resource corridors to stabilize regulating services, (2) reallocating LSFs to peri-urban buffers to reduce pressure on critical habitats, and (3) integrating ecosystem service trade-offs into landscape planning. This framework provides an actionable pathway for balancing development and habitat conservation in mountainous regions undergoing land-use transitions. Full article

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) represent fundamental expressions of human-environment interactions. A comprehensive assessment of CES supply and demand offers a robust scientific foundation for optimizing the transformation of ecosystem service values to improve human well-being. This study integrates multi-source datasets and employs Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modeling with the ArcGIS platform to analyze the spatial distribution of CES supply and demand in Hunan Province, a typical mountain tourism regions in China. Furthermore, geographical detector methods were used to identify and quantify the driving factors influencing these spatial patterns. The findings reveal that: (1) Both CES supply and demand demonstrate pronounced spatial heterogeneity. High-demand areas are predominantly concentrated around prominent scenic locations, forming a “multi-core, clustered” pattern, whereas high-supply areas are primarily located in urban centers, water systems, and mountainous regions, exhibiting a gradient decline along transportation corridors and river networks. (2) According to the CES supply-demand pattern, Hunan Province can be classified into demand, coordination, and enhancement zones. Coordination zones dominate (45–70%), followed by demand zones (20–30%), while enhancement zones account for the smallest proportion (5–20%). (3) Urbanization intensity and land use emerged as the primary drivers of CES supply-demand alignment, followed by vegetation cover, distance to water bodies, and population density. (4) The explanatory power of two-factor interactions across all eight CES categories surpasses that of any individual factor, highlighting the critical role of synergistic multi-factorial influences in shaping the spatial pattern of CES. This study provides a systematic analysis of the categories and driving factors underlying the spatial alignment between CES supply and demand in Hunan Province. The findings offer a scientific foundation for the preservation of ecological and cultural values and the optimization of spatial patterns in mountain tourist areas, while also serving as a valuable reference for the large-scale quantitative assessment of cultural ecosystem services. Full article

Understanding how climate change may reshape species distributions and affect the associated ecosystem services is critical for sustainable agricultural planning. In this study, we integrated dietary DNA metabarcoding with ensemble species distribution modeling to assess the current and future ecological roles of Miniopterus fuliginosus, a widespread insectivorous bat species in East Asia known for preying on nocturnal agricultural pests. Fecal samples were collected in 2023 from three biogeographically distinct regions of China—Central China (Henan Province) and Southwest China (Guizhou and Yunnan provinces). DNA metabarcoding based on COI gene amplification and Illumina sequencing revealed a consistent dietary dominance of Lepidoptera, particularly families comprising major agricultural pest species such as Noctuidae, Crambidae, and Geometridae. This trophic consistency suggests that M. fuliginosus functions as a moth-specialized generalist predator. Species distribution models were constructed using occurrence records from field surveys, the literature, and the GBIF database, integrating multiple algorithms (GLM, GBM, MaxEnt, RF, and FDA) within an ensemble modeling framework. Habitat suitability was then estimated under current climatic conditions and projected for future distributions under two contrasting climate scenarios (SSP1–2.6 and SSP5–8.5) for the 2050s and 2070s. While the total suitable area may remain stable or even expand, future projections indicate a progressive poleward shift in range centroids and a divergence in habitat structure. Specifically, SSP1–2.6 is associated with greater spatial cohesion (25.34–31.11%), whereas SSP5–8.5 leads to increased habitat fragmentation and isolation of suitable patches (27.12–33.28%). Overlaying the potential for pest control with habitat projections highlights emerging spatial mismatches between ecological function and climatic suitability, particularly under high-emission trajectories. Our findings underscore the importance of identifying ecological refugia and maintaining landscape connectivity to sustain bat-mediated pest control. This spatially explicit framework offers new insights for integrating biodiversity-based pest management into climate-resilient agricultural strategies. Full article

Assessing ecosystem service (ES) supply–demand relationships and identifying their driving forces are essential for ecological security and sustainable ecosystem development. Using ES supply–demand mismatches as a basis, this study characterized the spatiotemporal evolution of ES supply and demand from 2000 to 2023. Additionally, a SHAP-informed Stacking Bayesian optimization model was employed to identify key drivers of supply–demand imbalances. Building on this, threshold-aware spatial optimization of ecosystem service flows was performed using an improved minimum-cost algorithm within an NSGA-II multi-objective framework. The results showed that: (1) The YREB’s supply–demand balance (SDB) exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity. Water SDB declined with fluctuations, decreasing from 5.343 × 10¹¹ m³ to 4.433 × 10¹¹ m³, whereas carbon SDB shifted from a surplus (+1.514 × 10⁹ t) to a deficit (−1.673 × 10⁹ t) during the study period. Crop SDB rose from 1.361 × 10⁸ to 1.450 × 10⁸ t across the study period. (2) Nighttime light intensity (NLI) was the dominant factor for water SDB and carbon SDB, while cropland area was the key driver for crop SDB. (3) Over 2000–2023, water SDB flow increased from 8.5 × 10⁹ m³ to 1.43 × 10¹⁰ m³. Carbon SDB flows more than tripled from 9.576 × 10⁷ tons to 2.89 × 10⁸ tons. Crop SDB flow increased nearly twelvefold over 2000–2023, from 3.3 × 10⁵ t to 3.93 × 10⁶ t. The findings provide scientific support for coordinating ecological conservation and high-quality development across the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Full article

Resource-based cities, characterized by a prolonged dependence on resource extraction and persistent urban expansion, frequently exhibit significant imbalances between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs). Understanding how various types of resource-based cities respond to urbanization in terms of ESs supply–demand relationships is crucial for advancing sustainable urban development. This study examines three representative resource-based cities in Sichuan Province—Nanchong (growing), Luzhou (declining), and Panzhihua (mature)—to analyze changes in six key ESs from 2000 to 2020, including soil retention, carbon sequestration, water yield, habitat quality, food production, and recreational services. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and random forest (RF) models were employed to evaluate the effects of gross domestic product (GDP) density, construction land proportion (CLP), and population (POP) density on the ecosystem service supply–demand ratio (ESDR), and to explore variations in sensitivity among these cities. The results demonstrate that (1) ESs’ supply–demand patterns differ significantly among the three city types. Nanchong exhibited a declining supply and increasing demand for regulating services; Luzhou displayed improvements in its water yield and recreational services but persistent degradation of habitat quality; and Panzhihua achieved notable gains in carbon sequestration and habitat quality. (2) Urbanization generally reduced the ESDR across all three cities. However, the GDP density positively influenced the ESDR in Nanchong, while the CLP and the POP density exerted widespread negative effects. In Luzhou, the ESDR was primarily constrained by the CLP, whereas in Panzhihua, both the CLP and the POP density significantly reduced the ratio. (3) The sensitivity analysis revealed distinct response patterns: Nanchong was most sensitive to CLP, Luzhou responded most strongly to GDP density, and Panzhihua was highly sensitive to both GDP density and POP density. These findings underscore the necessity of formulating city-type-specific development strategies—such as land restoration, population control, and industrial upgrading—tailored to different types of resource-based cities, in order to reconcile urbanization with ecosystem service dynamics, promote green transformation, and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Full article

The growing mismatch between ecosystem service (ES) supply and demand underscores the importance of thoroughly understanding their spatiotemporal patterns and key drivers to promote ecological civilization and sustainable development at the regional level in China. This study investigates six key ES indicators across mainland China—habitat quality (HQ), carbon sequestration (CS), water yield (WY), sediment delivery ratio (SDR), food production (FP), and nutrient delivery ratio (NDR)—by integrating a suite of analytical approaches. These include a spatiotemporal analysis of trade-offs and synergies in supply, demand, and their ratios; self-organizing maps (SOM) for bundle identification; and interpretable machine learning models. While prior research studies have typically examined ES at a single spatial scale, focusing on supply-side bundles or associated drivers, they have often overlooked demand dynamics and cross-scale interactions. In contrast, this study integrates SOM and SHAP-based machine learning into a dual-scale framework (grid and city levels), enabling more precise identification of scale-dependent drivers and a deeper understanding of the complex interrelationships between ES supply, demand, and their spatial mismatches. The results reveal pronounced spatiotemporal heterogeneity in ES supply and demand at both grid and city scales. Overall, the supply services display a spatial pattern of higher values in the east and south, and lower values in the west and north. High-value areas for multiple demand services are concentrated in the densely populated eastern regions. The grid scale better captures spatial clustering, enhancing the detection of trade-offs and synergies. For instance, the correlation between HQ and NDR supply increased from 0.62 (grid scale) to 0.92 (city scale), while the correlation between HQ and SDR demand decreased from −0.03 to −0.58, indicating that upscaling may highlight broader synergistic or conflicting trends missed at finer resolutions. In the spatiotemporal interaction network of supply–demand ratios, CS, WY, FP, and NDR persistently show low values (below −0.5) in western and northern regions, indicating ongoing mismatches and uneven development. Driver analysis demonstrates scale-dependent effects: at the grid scale, HQ and FP are predominantly influenced by socioeconomic factors, SDR and WY by ecological variables, and CS and NDR by climatic conditions. At the city level, socioeconomic drivers dominate most services. Based on these findings, nine distinct supply–demand bundles were identified at both scales. The largest bundle at the grid scale (B3) occupies 29.1% of the study area, while the largest city-scale bundle (B8) covers 26.5%. This study deepens the understanding of trade-offs, synergies, and driving mechanisms of ecosystem services across multiple spatial scales; reveals scale-sensitive patterns of spatial mismatch; and provides scientific support for tiered ecological compensation, integrated regional planning, and sustainable development strategies. Full article

As a vital bridge linking human well-being with ecological processes, cultural ecosystem services (CESs) play a pivotal role in understanding the equilibrium of social–ecological systems. However, the spatial supply–demand relationships of CESs remain underexplored in rapidly urbanizing regions. This study establishes an integrated framework by synthesizing multi-source geospatial data, socioeconomic indicators, and the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model to investigate the spatial dynamics of CESs in Taiyuan City. Key findings include the following: (1) A pronounced spatial heterogeneity in CES supply distribution, exhibiting a core-to-periphery diminishing gradient, with inverse correlations observed among different CES categories. (2) Accessibility, topographic features, and fractional vegetation cover emerged as primary drivers of spatial supply differentiation, while climatic factors and elevation exerted non-negligible influences on this Loess Plateau urban system. (3) Four spatial mismatch patterns were identified through the supply–demand analysis: high supply–high demand (38.1%), low supply–low demand (37.2%), low supply–high demand (13.6%), and high supply–low demand (10.9%). The coupling coordination degree of CESs in Taiyuan City indicated moderate coordination, with severe imbalances observed in urban–rural transitional zones. This study reveals nonlinear interactions between natural landscapes and anthropogenic factors in shaping CES spatial distributions, particularly the trade-offs between esthetic value and transportation constraints. By integrating big data and spatial modeling, this research advances CES quantification methodologies and provides actionable insights for optimizing green infrastructure, prioritizing ecological restoration, and balancing urban–rural CES provision. These outcomes address methodological gaps in coupled social–ecological system research while informing practical spatial governance strategies. Full article

The coupling coordination relationship between ecosystem services supply–demand and human well-being in arid inland regions is increasingly vulnerable to imbalance risks under the combined pressures of climate change and intensified anthropogenic activities. Here, we assessed dynamic changes in ecosystem services supply–demand, human well-being, their coupling relationships and influencing factors in the Hexi Regions by integrating remote sensing data, ecological model, ecosystem services supply–demand ratio (ESDR), coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our results showed that the six key ecosystem services supply, demand, and ESDR in the Hexi Regions from 1990 to 2020 exhibited greater ecosystem services surplus in the Qilian Mountains and stronger deficits in urban and surrounding areas of the Hexi Corridor. The deficit of water yield accounted for 32% in the Hexi Corridor with large cropland irrigated, four times that of the Qilian Mountains, indicating a serious supply–demand mismatch in space and time. Additionally, survival-oriented human well-being across regions is still dominant. Overall, the coupling relationship between ESDR and human well-being in the Hexi Regions progressed towards a high level of coordination, with higher values observed in the oases of the Hexi Corridor and the central and eastern Qilian Mountains. The ESDR of food production and water yield showed a higher coupling coordination level with human well-being in the Qilian Mountains, where the CCD was generally exceeded by 0.7. Climate, vegetation, and land use intensity were key drivers of spatial heterogeneity in CCD. Human well-being made a greater contribution to CCD than other elements in the influence paths. Our results can provide a reference for promoting coordinated development of the ecological environment and sustainable human well-being in arid inland regions. Full article

Ecosystem service flows are critical linkages between ecological supply and human demand. As a vital component of ecosystem services, water yield service is essential for human survival and development. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the supply–demand relationship of water yield service and its spatial flow process. This study investigates the supply–demand dynamics and spatial flow of water yield service in the transnational area of Tumen River (2000–2020), utilizing the InVEST model and the miniature delivery-path-mechanism model. The results show the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the supply of water yield service in the Tumen River Basin exhibited a spatial distribution pattern of “low center, high surrounding”, with significant spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of supply and demand. (2) Despite the substantial surplus of water yield service in the study area, the ecosystem service supply–demand ratio (ESDR) shows an overall declining trend. The dominant spatial mismatch type is high-supply–low-demand (HL type) zones, primarily located in mountainous and hilly areas, accounting for over 40% of the total identified pixel types. (3) Driven by economic and social development, the spatial scope of water yield service flow has gradually expanded. Supply-side flows initially increased before declining, while demand-side flows followed the opposite trend. By mapping ecosystem service flows, this study provides a reference and basis for establishing the regional ecological compensation mechanism and promoting integrated water resource management, both of which are crucial for the long-term sustainable development of the basin. Full article

Amid rapid urbanization, cities are becoming increasingly compact, leading to intensified land resource constraints and environmental pressures. As a result, urban parks and green spaces have emerged as critical areas for providing cultural ecosystem services (CESs). However, the spatial distribution of CES supply and demand within urban green spaces remains significantly unbalanced, necessitating precise identification and quantification of CES supply–demand patterns to enhance ecosystem service efficiency. This study uses Nanjing, China, as a case study to develop an indicator framework for urban green space CES supply and demand, leveraging multi-source data. By employing spatial autocorrelation analysis (Bivariate Moran’s I) and a coupling coordination model, this research systematically assesses the spatial patterns of CESs in urban parks and green spaces. The results indicate that the overall CES supply–demand coordination in Nanjing exhibits a “high in the city center, low at the edges, and mismatched in the suburbs” pattern. Specifically, while 9.71% of the areas demonstrate well-matched CES supply and demand, 4.14% of the areas experience insufficient CES demand, and 3.66% face CES supply shortages, primarily in the urban outskirts, leading to a mismatch in green space distribution. This study further reveals the spatial heterogeneity of CES supply–demand matching across different urban districts. Based on these findings, this research proposes optimization strategies to improve CES allocation, providing a scientific basis for urban green space ecosystem service management and promoting the sustainable development of cities. Full article

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), a critical ecological buffer for Asia, faces intensifying pressures from climate change and infrastructure expansion. The Qinghai–Tibet Railway (QTR), as the world’s highest-altitude railway, traverses this fragile yet economically vital region, where balancing ecosystem integrity and development remains a global sustainability challenge. While previous studies have documented localized environmental impacts of the QTR, systematic assessments of long-term ecological-economic interactions—particularly the synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem service value (ESV) and economic growth—are lacking. This gap hinders targeted policy design to reconcile conservation and development in extreme environments. The present research integrates an enhanced ecosystem service valuation framework with spatial econometric modeling to quantify environmental changes and ecological-economic coordination in the Qinghai–Tibet Railway Region (QTRR) during 1990–2020. The analysis reveals a cumulative ESV increase of USD 54.4 billion over the past 30 years, driven primarily by grassland restoration and regulated land use transitions. Notably, county-level ecological-economic coordination improved significantly, with harmonization indices rising by 32–68% across all jurisdictions. However, latent risks emerged: five counties exhibited severe ecosystem-health-to-economy mismatches by 2020. These findings demonstrate that infrastructure corridors in fragile ecosystems can achieve partial ecological-economic coordination through policy interventions, yet persistent local disparities demand spatially differentiated management. By linking ESV dynamics to governance pathways—including livestock–forage balance mechanisms and green urban zoning—the present study provides a transferable framework for assessing sustainability trade-offs in extreme environments. Broader implications highlight the necessity of embedding adaptive ecological thresholds into infrastructure planning, offering experiences for the Belt and Road Initiative and other high-altitude development frontiers. Full article