Spatiotemporal responses of ecosystem service values to land use/cover changes in the Baiyangdian region, China

Abstract

Intense human activities have altered the land use/land cover (LULC) patterns of lake basins, posing a major challenge to ecosystem sustainability. However, the impacts of land use/cover changes (LUCCs) on ecosystem service value (ESV) of lake basins remain unclear. Here, we investigated ESV of the Baiyangdian (BYD) region from 1980 to 2020 based on value equivalent method, assessed spatial differences of ESVs using hot/cold-spot mapping method, and explored the impact of LUCCs on ESVs in combination with elasticity coefficients. The results showed that (1) the study area was dominated by marsh (50.53 %), water bodies (21.84 %) and cropland (20.28 %) in 2020. Marsh, forestland and grassland significantly decreased from 1980 to 2010, and cropland rapidly rose reaching a peak. Marsh, grassland and water bodies increased during 2010–2020, while cropland decreased. (2) Total ESV was 3469.14 million yuan in 2020, a decrease of 5.77 % compared to 1980 (3681.41 million yuan), mainly due to the decrease in marsh area. (3) ESV hot spots were mainly distributed in the middle part of the region, consistent with water bodies, and ESV cold spots were mainly distributed on the edges of the region, consistent with cropland. The spatial distribution of ESVs varied widely, with an increasing trend. (4) The elasticity coefficients of ESVs to LULC were all greater than 1, indicating that ESVs responded significantly to LUCCs. Overall, there was a strong temporal and spatial correlation between LULC and ESV. This study will provide valuable references for optimizing land use policies and ecological restoration plans and promoting the improvement of ESVs in shallow lakes.