Evaluating ecosystem services and disservices of bamboo forest using the emergy-based method

Abstract

Bamboo forests are widely distributed in southern China and have expanded rapidly in recent years. However, uncertainties remain in estimating ecosystem services (ESs) and disservices due to a lack of standardized accounting frameworks. This study introduces a non-monetary evaluation method for the ESs of bamboo forest and categorizes the integrated valuation framework into four components: growing costs, ESs, needed costs for human health and biodiversity damage, and disservices. In the case of the bamboo forest ecosystem in different cities in Sichuan, three types of bamboo forests are selected for service/disservice valuation, including the intercropped bamboo forest (IBF), grain-for-green bamboo forest (GFGB), and natural bamboo forest (NBF). In the same way, the relationships among the three key component flows in bamboo forest ecosystems (input costs, ESs, and related disservices) are compared through a ternary diagram. Our study reveal that: (i) the estimated ESs is ∼4.97 E+23 sej yr⁻¹, with the IBF and GFGB contributing ∼86.09% of the total service value; (ii) the top ten cities in Sichuan in terms of ESs per unit area of bamboo forest are Meishan, Zigong, Yibin, Guangan, Neijiang, Luzhou, Ziyang, Leshan, Chengdu, and Suining which together contribute 90.00% of the total ESs; and (iii) the IBF has the highest ESs, followed by the NBF and GFGB. Our findings will deliver valuable guidance for policymakers, especially about climate change mitigation and sustainable forest management.