Integrating Ecosystem Services Into Assessments of Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, China

Abstract

Trade-offs between eco-environment protection and socioeconomic development hinder the success of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Solutions based on ecosystem services (ESs) provide the co-benefits and pathways for fulfilling the SDGs. However, assessing the progress towards SDGs based on the contribution of ESs to SDGs is lacking. Here we assessed the spatial-temporal changes of ecosystem service values (ESV) and the SDG scores in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH) over the past 20 years using “ES-SDG linkages.” The total ESV and ES-SDG Index score in the BTH showed a spatial pattern of high values in the northern plateau and low values in the southern plain. The total ESV increased from 25,335 yuan ha−1 in 2000 to 27,344 yuan ha−1 in 2020, mainly attributed to water provision and water regulation. The decrease of cropland, grassland, and wetland in the BTH between 2000 and 2010 caused a decrease in the value of nine ESs, whereas the increase of forestland, waterbodies and wetland between 2010 and 2020 contributed to an increase in the value of seven ESs. The ES-SDG Index score decreased slightly from 36.8 in 2000 to 35.5 in 2010, and then increased to 36.0 in 2020 due to the control of rapid urbanization and strengthen of ecological restoration. Our study indicates that the changes of ES-SDG Index score mainly depended on food provision, water provision, climate regulation, nutrient cycling, habitat & biodiversity, and cultural services. The assessment of SDGs suggests that SDG6, SDG11, and SDG12 should be prioritized to advance the synergistic development of SDGs in the BTH, which will also enhance the understanding of stakeholders about the progress of achieving SDGs.

Land Use and Land Cover Change Effects on the Value of Ecosystem Services in the Konqi River Basin, China, under Ecological Water Conveyance Conditions

“…(3) Forest was the land type with the highest ESV in the typical river section of the Konqi River (19,194.25 and 27,532.10 per ten thousand Yuan (CNY) in 2013 and 2020), and its area share change had a significant impact on the overall ESV in the study area. (4) The ESV in the study area showed significant spatial correlations in both the upper and lower reaches according to the Moran index. Hot spot analysis revealed that the hot spot areas in the upper and lower reaches of the study area showed an overall increase and aggregated distribution from 2013 to 2020.…”

“…These ecosystems provide vital ecological processes that ensure people can live well and produce ecological products essential for human survival [2,3]. Consequently, ecosystems are critical for promoting healthy growth and ensuring human well-being [4,5]. Land use plays a crucial role in shaping how environmental benefits are produced, distributed, and utilized, and changes in land use can have significant impacts on ecosystem products, services, and their availability.…”

Advances in characterizing and monitoring land cover/use and associated ecosystem changes using remote sensing data

“…Most studies involve high ESV value areas such as lakes and forests ( (Gao et al, 2021b;Schirpke et al, 2021)). The studies mainly focus on the drivers, spatial and temporal changes and influencing factors of ecosystem services (Hu et al, 2022;Devkota et al, 2023). The research methods are mainly based on spatial and statistical analyses (Kubiszewski et al, 2017;Houtven et al, 2019).…”

Driving Mechanisms of Spatial Differentiation in Ecosystem Service Value in Opencast Coal Mines in Arid Areas: A Case Study in the Zhundong Economic and Technological Development Zone

“…Such alterations result in varying levels of importance of ESs, making them more vulnerable to susceptibility [23][24][25][26]. Maintaining ESs and reducing ecosystem degradation are the basis for human well-being and sustainable development and need to be prioritized [27,28]. The overuse of natural resources and the demand for ESs often exceed their supply capacity and impact human well-being.…”