Search Results (29)

Plant diversity, as a critical indicator of wetland ecosystem health and functionality, has garnered extensive research attention. However, systematic and quantitative assessments of research advancements in wetland plant diversity remain inadequate. This study pioneers a global bibliometric analysis of wetland plant diversity research (1986–2025), designed to systematically examine its worldwide patterns, knowledge architecture, and evolutionary trends. Bibliometric analysis was performed using CiteSpace V6.2.R4 (64-bit) software on 482 publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Results indicate that the United States, Canada, China, and several European countries have collectively prioritized wetland plant diversity research, forming a close international collaboration network. Research themes initially centered on species composition, community structure, and diversity metrics have expanded to multiple dimensions such as ecosystem functions and services, environmental change impacts, and wetland management and restoration, forming several key research clusters. Keyword time-zone mapping reveals the trajectory of research themes from basic descriptions to applied and environmental relevance, while emergent analyses accurately identify hotspots and frontiers of current research such as ecosystem services, functional diversity, and climate change impacts. These findings contribute to comprehending the overall framework and developmental trajectories in wetland plant diversity research, and provide a reference for identifying potential research gaps and planning future research directions. Full article

Urban–rural fringe areas are critical transition zones where ecological functions and human activities interact intensely, often leading to complex spatial patterns and trade-offs among ecosystem services (ESs). Understanding these patterns and their socio-ecological drivers across multiple spatial scales is essential for sustainable land-use planning and ecosystem management. This study, using the urban–rural fringe (URF) of Beijing as an example, quantified eight representative ecosystem services at the 1 km grid, 3 km grid, and township scales. It employed hotspot analysis, Moran’s Index, and the Spearman correlation to analyze trade-offs and synergies (TOSs) among ESs. The study also applied a self-organizing map and the NbClust function to identify and determine the optimal number of ecosystem service bundles (ESBs) for ecological functional zoning. Redundancy analysis was used to explore the impacts of six socio-ecological drivers on the spatial distribution of ESs. The results revealed the following: (1) The spatial distribution of ESs in Beijing’s URF exhibits clustering and cross-scale variations, with spatial clustering intensifying as the scale expands. (2) TOSs among ESs vary in strength and direction across the three spatial scales. (3) The primary drivers of TOSs at all three scales are the normalized vegetation index and annual precipitation. (4) Based on the supply intensity of various ESs, the study area was classified into four types of ESBs across the three scales: ecologically restricted areas, food production areas, ecologically balanced areas, and high-quality ecological areas. The township scale is more conducive to planning and management, while the 1 km and 3 km grid scales are more helpful for understanding the relationship between land use and ESs. Full article

Ecosystem services (ESs) are increasingly recognized as critical to sustainable development and human well-being and are frequently used as indicators in environmental governance policies. However, existing studies mostly assess the performance of isolated single ESs, ignoring the management data needs of local governments for comprehensive gate-keeping and the easy monitoring of regional ecosystems, and lacking holistic gate-keeping indicators for local ESs. To address these shortcomings, this study assessed the spatial changes in five main ESs in the Yangtze River basin (YTRB) in China by creating a comprehensive ESs indicator (CESI) using multi-source data, and introduced the hotspot analyses and spatial econometric models to explore the driving forces of CESI. Results showed that during the study period, the CESI in the YTRB increased from 0.44 in 2000 to 0.47 in 2020. High-value areas were mainly concentrated in the hilly and mountainous regions, whereas the low-value areas were predominantly situated in the plain areas. From 2000 to 2020, the hot spots of CESI were primarily located in the middle and the lower reaches of the YTRB. Conversely, the cold spots were situated in the upper reaches of the YTRB. The regression analysis revealed a significant negative association between socioeconomic factors and CESI, while a significant positive association between natural background factors and CESI. Of the natural background factors, average precipitation has the largest positive effect on CESI, with each 1% increase resulting in up to 0.369% increase in CESI. In contrast, GDP density had the greatest negative impact on CESI, with each 1% increase triggering a reduction in CESI of up to 6.210%. The findings suggest that CESI, which integrates multiple ESs, can effectively simplify the difficulty of regional ecological regulation. The driving mechanism indicates that environmental protection policies, when combined with the natural conditions and intensity of human activities in the region, would be more coherent with varying regulatory intensities. Full article

Karst ecosystems have become complex social–ecological systems (SESs) as a result of the interventions of large-scale ecological restoration programs, and the ecosystem services (ESs) that provide regional well-being can, to some extent, be described as social–ecological system services (S–ESs). Understanding the relationships among multiple S–ESs and exploring their drivers are essential for effective ecological management in karst areas, especially in regions differently affected by ecological engineering programs. Taking South China Karst (SCK) as a study area, we first identified two regions as comparative boundaries, namely significant engineering impact regions (SEERs) and non-significant ecological engineering impact regions (NEERs). Then we used ES assessment models, Spearman correlation, and optimal parameter geographic detector to identify the supply capacity, trade-offs/synergies, and their drivers of six types of S–ESs in SEERs and NEERs. The findings included: (1) SEERs were predominantly concentrated in the central and southern SCK regions, accounting for 33.98% of the total SCK area, with the most concentrated distribution observed in Guizhou and Guangxi. (2) Within the entire SCK, six S–ESs maintained a relatively stable spatial distribution pattern over time, with the most pronounced increase in soil conservation and a slight decrease in water retention, and the S–ES hotspots were more concentrated within the SEERs. (3) Most S–ES pairs within SEERs were optimized synergistically, with lower trade-off intensity and higher synergy intensity compared to NEERs. (4) S–ES pairs were affected by the interactions between the natural and socio-economic factors, with land use changes playing a crucial role, and natural factors were difficult to predict but cannot be ignored. Based on the results, we propose different SES sustainable development suggestions, with a view to providing theoretical support for the optimization of SES functions and the consolidating of integrated ecological construction. Full article

Urban development of clusters situated along rivers significantly affects the health of the river ecosystems, the quality of urban environments, and the overall well-being of local communities. Ecosystem service supply value (ESSV) measures the delivery of ecosystem goods and services within a specific timeframe in a particular area. Using the lower Yellow River urban agglomeration (Shandong section) as a case, we comprehensively applied land use structure and intensity change analysis, quantitative calculation of ESS, and geographical probe methods to unveil ESS and its mechanism of response to the spatio-temporal evolution of the intensity of land use in urban agglomeration along the river. The key results were as follows: (1) Over the past two decades, farmland and construction land areas have continued to decrease and increase, respectively, with the intensity of land use change being highest from 2005 to 2010. (2) ESS has continued to rise over the past 20 years, with the income in 2020 being 11.142 billion yuan, an increase of 31.13%. The “low-value areas” are mainly concentrated in Liaocheng City, Dezhou City, and Tai’an City, which are characterized by predominantly flat terrains where farmland constitutes the principal land use type. Conversely, “high-value areas” are largely in the counties bordering the Yellow River, including the upper estuary in the north and the rugged, southeastern terrains. (3) Areas with concentrated ESSV were primarily localized in the northern estuary area and along the Yellow River in a scattered point-like pattern. The spatial distribution of hotspots has become increasingly concentrated, transitioning from points to planes. Conversely, cold spots initially increased in number before subsequently decreasing. Waterbody was the most sensitive ESSV-determining factor. (4) The spatial heterogeneity of ESSV emerges as a consequence of the interaction of multiple factors, and among these interactions, those involving NDVI and POP contain the greatest explanatory power. Our findings are expected to offer a scientific foundation for optimizing land spatial patterns and enhancing ecological management in the lower Yellow River region. Full article

Urban green spaces play a key role in constructing an ecological civilization in China. In this context, the realization and assessment of the social value of urban green spaces have received increasing attention. Taking the visitors of the Summer Palace in Beijing as the research object, this study used the public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) to collect research data, assess the social value of ecosystem services in the Summer Palace, and determine its spatial distribution. By examining the social value of urban green spaces, this study explored the relationship between the spatial distribution of ecosystem social value and environmental landscape features. The influence of different environmental values on the spatial distribution of the visitors’ perceived social value was also investigated to provide a decision-making basis for the planning and management of urban ecological spaces and the supply and protection of urban ecological products. This study found that cultural, historical, and aesthetic values were preferred by an increasing number of visitors. The hotspots of social value in the Summer Palace of Beijing have three cores and multiple centers. By analyzing the relationship between the three value types with higher preference and the environmental landscape features of the Summer Palace, this study found that the distribution of social values is closely related to the architectural complexes and waters. Anthropocentrists have smaller sample sizes and generally lower social value indices within the sample group, and ecocentrists have higher perceptions of overall social values. Full article

Accurately identifying the supply and demand of ecosystem services at multiple scales and determining the factors that influence the supply–demand relationship are crucial for guiding the sustainable management and restoration of regional ecosystem services. In view of this, we quantified the supply and demand of five ecosystem services at multiple scales in the Qinling–Daba Mountain area based on spatial and statistical data, exploring the relationships between the supply and demand for ecosystem services at multiple scales and examining the mechanisms by which factors like natural and human activities affect the evolution of the supply and demand patterns of these services. The results show that (1) there was no risk associated with supply and demand of ESs in the Qinling–Daba Mountain area, and numerous ESs were in excess. The impact of ES supply and demand became increasingly clear as the spatial scale was increased. (2) Under multiple spatial scales, the relationship between the supply and demand of ESs will change. At the mesoscale, the relationship between ES supply and demand was the most significant, whereas at the macroscale, the relationship between ES demands was the most significant. (3) Cultivated land, grass land, and forest land are the key land use categories in regional ecosystem service hotspots, providing richer ecosystem service functions for the region. (4) Precipitation and NDVI are the main elements determining the supply of ecosystem services. While GDP and population density have a significant impact on the demand for ecosystem services, natural causes are primarily responsible for trade-offs in ecosystem services. This study aims to evaluate the supply–demand relationship and driving factors of multiple scale in the Qinling–Daba Mountains, providing a scientific basis for the sustainable management of ecosystems in the region. Full article

Rapid global urbanization has caused habitat degradation and fragmentation, resulting in biodiversity loss and the homogenization of urban species. Birds play a crucial role as biodiversity indicators in urban environments, providing multiple ecosystem services and demonstrating sensitivity to changes in habitat. However, construction activities often disrupt urban bird habitats, leading to a decline in habitat quality. This paper proposes a framework for prioritizing habitat restoration by pinpointing bird hotspots that demand attention and considering the matching relationship between bird richness and habitat quality. Shanghai represents a typical example of the high-density megacities in China, posing a significant challenge for biodiversity conservation efforts. Utilizing the random forest (RF) model, bird richness patterns in central Shanghai were mapped, and bird hotspots were identified by calculating local spatial autocorrelation indices. From this, the habitat quality of hotspot areas was evaluated, and the restoration priority of bird habitats was determined by matching bird richness with habitat quality through z-score standardization. The results were as follows: (1) Outer-ring green spaces, large urban parks, and green areas along coasts or rivers were found to be the most important habitats for bird richness. Notably, forests emerged as a crucial habitat, with approximately 50.68% of the forested areas identified as hotspots. (2) Four habitat restoration types were identified. The high-bird-richness–low-habitat-quality area (HBR-LHQ), mainly consisting of grassland and urban construction land, was identified as a key priority for restoration due to its vulnerability to human activities. (3) The Landscape Shannon’s Diversity Index (SHDI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are considered the most significant factors influencing the bird distribution. Our findings provide a scientifically effective framework for identifying habitat restoration priorities in high-density urban areas. Full article

Ecological and environmental degradation are among the major challenges facing humanity today. The analysis of ecosystem service value assessments can therefore serve as a means to guide ecosystem restoration, as well as provide indications for sustainable land use and land management decisions. The present study examines changes in land use and the associated ecosystem service values in the Yan River Basin in China for the period of 1990–2020. Based on high-resolution Landsat satellite data, we obtained detailed land type distribution data for the basin, allowing the analysis of the internal structure and the degree of influence of the land use by using information entropy and elasticity coefficient. We also explored the spatiotemporal differentiation of ESVs by applying the method of equivalent factors and hotspot analysis. Finally, we identified possible drivers for development patterns observed in the watershed using geodetector models. During the study period, the area of arable land dropped continuously, while the scope of forest land, grassland, and construction land increased. The land type layout developed in the direction of reduced uniformity. ESVs measured in monetary terms first rose and later fell, but nevertheless increased by 1.152 billion yuan overall. The decrease was mainly due to the accelerated urbanization construction in the later stage. Spatially, ESV distribution coincided with the land-use pattern, showing a growing pattern from north to south. The changes were due not to the role of a single factor but the joint interactions between multiple factors such as human activities, natural factors, and landscape patterns. The results can provide a basis for constructive suggestions to connect and promote the basin’s natural and socio-economic surroundings, and also reflect the effectiveness of the policy of systematically stopping cultivation and planting trees and grass on stunted cultivated land. Full article

Mountains are remarkable storehouses of global biodiversity that provide a broad range of ecosystem services underpinning billions of livelihoods. The world’s network of protected areas includes many iconic mountain landscapes. However, only ca. 19% of mountain areas globally are protected (excluding Antarctica); many mountain areas are inadequately (<30% of their total terrestrial area) or completely unprotected. To support the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s lands by 2030, we have developed a strategic decision-support tool for identifying and prioritizing which candidate mountain areas most urgently require protection. To test its efficacy, we applied the tool to the Western Himalaya Case Study Area (WHCSA). The six-step algorithm harnesses multiple datasets including mountain Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), World Terrestrial Ecosystems, Biodiversity Hotspots, and Red List species and ecosystems. It also makes use of other key attributes including opportunities for disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, developing mountain tourism, maintaining elevational gradients and natural ecological corridors, and conserving flagship species. This method resulted in nine categories of potential action—four categories for follow-up action (ranked by order of importance and priority), and five categories requiring no further immediate action (either because countries are inadequately equipped to respond to protection deficits or because their KBAs are deemed adequately protected). An area-based analysis of the WHCSA identified 33 mountain KBAs regarded as inadequately protected, which included 29 inadequately protected World Mountain Ecosystems. All 33 inadequately protected KBAs in the WHCSA are Category A1: first-priority mountain KBAs (located in the Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot in developing countries), requiring the most urgent attention for protection and conservation. Priorities for action can be fine-filtered by regional teams with sufficient local knowledge and country-specific values to finalize lists of priority mountain areas for protection. This rapid assessment tool ensures a repeatable, unbiased, and scientifically credible method for allocating resources and priorities to safeguard the world’s most biodiverse mountain areas facing myriad threats in the Anthropocene. Full article

The Mediterranean area is one of the most significantly altered biodiversity hotspots on the Earth’s surface; it has been intensively affected by anthropogenic activity for millennia, forming complex socioecological systems. In parallel, the long history of natural ecological processes and the deep interlinking with human populations led to landscape patterns, such as spatial heterogeneity, that facilitate the provision of essential ecosystem services (ESs). As such, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying factors that influence the supply of ESs is of paramount importance for effective forest management policies that ensure both ecological integrity and human welfare. This study aimed at identifying local specific interactions across three different spatial scales between landscape metrics and ESs using global and geographical random forest models. The findings showed that dense forest cover may have a positive effect on the supply of ESs, such as climate regulation and timber provision. Although landscape heterogeneity is considered among the main facilitators of ecosystem multifunctionality, this did not fully apply for the Marathasa region, as forest homogeneity seems to be linked with provision of multiple services. By assessing under which landscape conditions and characteristics forest ESs thrive, local stakeholders and managers can support effective forest management to ensure the co-occurrence of ESs and societal wellbeing. Full article

Human well-being needs healthy ecosystems, providing multiple ecosystem services. Therefore, the assessment of ecosystems on large scales is a priority action. In Hungary, this work (MAES-HU) took place between 2016 and 2022. Twelve ecosystem services (ES) were mapped and assessed along with several ecosystem condition (EC) indicators. Their integrated spatial analysis aimed to identify patterns of ES multifunctionality, reveal relationships between EC and ES and delineate ES bundles. The results show outstanding multifunctionality of natural ecosystem types compared with the more artificial types, emphasizing the importance of natural areas in order to fulfil human needs. Native forests provide the most varied range of services, which underlines the importance of forest management to consider multiple services. There is a positive correlation between condition and multifunctionality in forests; areas in better condition (in terms of species composition and structure) provide more services at an outstanding level. ES bundles mainly reflect the major ecosystem types, topography and forest condition. Our analysis represents an example of synthesizing national MAES results with a combination of methods. Finding ES hotspots on a national scale and connecting them with an assessment of EC may help in finding optimal strategies to balance conservation targets and competing land uses. Full article

The ecological security pattern construction could effectively regulate ecological processes and ensure ecological functions, then rationally allocate natural resources and green infrastructure, and, finally, realize ecological security. In view of serious soil erosion, accelerated land desertification, soil pollution and habitat degradation in Shanxi Province, the spatial distribution of six key ecosystem services, including water conservation (WC), soil conservation (SC), sand fixation (SF), carbon storage (CS), net primary productivity (NPP) and habitat quality (HQ), was analyzed by using multiple models. The comprehensive ability of multiple ecosystem services in different regions was quantified by calculating multiple ecosystem services landscape index (MESLI). Combined with ecosystem services hotspots, the ecological security pattern of Shanxi Province was constructed by using the minimum cumulative resistance model. The results showed that the spatial differences in ecosystem services in Shanxi Province were obvious, which was low in the seven major basins and Fen River valley, and high in the mountains (especially Taihang and Lvliang Mountains) for WC, SC, CS, NPP and HQ, while high SF was only distributed in the northern Shanxi. The MESLI showed that the ability to provide multiple ecosystem services simultaneously was low in Shanxi Province, with the medium and low grade MESLI regions accounting for 58.61%, and only 18.07% for the high grade MESLI regions. The important protected areas and ecological sources of the ecological security pattern were concentrated in the Lvliang and Taihang Mountains, which were consistent with the key areas of ecosystem services. The ecological corridors illustrated network distribution with ecological sources as the center, the low-, medium- and high-level buffers accounted for 26.34%, 17.03% and 16.35%, respectively. The results will provide important implications for economic transformation, high-quality development and ecological sustainable development in resource-based regions worldwide. Full article

Even though spring ecosystems are ecologically unique and socio-culturally important worldwide, they hardly attract research attention. The aims of this study were to evaluate the environmental status of water quality, and to inventory the species diversity of aquatic animals in 65 springs in Taiwan from 2012 to 2017, of which seven springs were unable to be sampled due the fact that they were dried or sealed up. The environmental status of 58 springs with complete water quality data was assessed by the River Pollution Index (RPI). Based on the RPI, the water quality of these 58 sampled springs was mainly non-/mildly polluted (26 springs, 44.8%) and lightly polluted (23 spring, 39.6%), and nine (15.5%) springs were moderately polluted. However, when applied to springs, the RPI may intensify the pollution rankings because dissolved oxygen is an assessing factor, and hypoxia may naturally be observed in the springs. To avoid this concern, we suggest choosing the concentration of coliform instead of dissolved oxygen content in the RPI when it is applied to springs. During the 6 years of the study period, we collected 48 fish species in 44 springs, 24 gastropoda and bivalve species in 46 springs, 16 shrimp species in 34 springs, and 14 crab species in 18 springs. Within the species collected, 31 fish, 20 gastropoda and bivalves, 12 shrimps, and 14 crabs are native species of Taiwan. They totaled 27.2 to 35% of the known aquatic native species of the island. Thus, springs in Taiwan may be considered to be a conservation hotspot of aquatic animals. Other than native species, exotic aquatic animals also represent threats, as seventeen fishes (35.4%), four gastropoda and bivalves (16.6%), and two shrimps (12.5%) were found in the springs of Taiwan. The springs in Taiwan show diverse and vital ecosystem services, such as delivering social, cultural, and economic value, conserving native and endangered freshwater animals, developing new academic theories, and supplying habitat refugees from climate change. Unfortunately, springs in Taiwan currently are also threatened by multiple anthropogenic disturbances, such as the overconsumption of groundwater by land development and urbanization, deterioration of water quality by agricultural, domestic, and industrial pollution, and inappropriate tourism and management tactics. To restore and sustain the springs in Taiwan, effective strategies and practical measures are urgently required to minimize human-caused threats and revitalize social awareness of springs. Full article

Mountainous ecosystems provide humans with multiple ecosystem services (ESs), but global changes and anthropogenic activities threaten the supply of such services in arid regions. To maintain regional ecological security and achieve ecosystem sustainability, it is quite essential to understand the spatiotemporal characteristics of mountainous ESs in arid regions and clarify the main driving factors of different ESs. Using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) and revised universal soil-loss equation (RUSLE) models, we evaluated the ESs provided by the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang from 2000 to 2020. The research showed that: (i) over the 20 years in question, habitat quality and carbon storage remained relatively stable, while soil retention and water yield fluctuated significantly. (ii) All ES pairs exhibited synergies. Spatial synergy areas were concentrated in the northwestern and southwestern areas; spatial trade-off areas alternated with spatial synergy areas. (iii) Hotspots with at least two ESs covered 73% of the study region. Middle- and high-altitude areas were the main supply areas of ES. (iv) Land-use types were the dominant driving factor of habitat quality and carbon storage, while mean annual precipitation had the strongest explanatory power for water yield. Soil retention was mainly affected by mean annual temperature and the normalized difference vegetation index. Our findings could provide guidance for policymakers when developing measures for ecosystem conservation and management. Full article