Mapping Ecosystem Service Supply–Demand Bundles for an Integrated Analysis of Tradeoffs in an Urban Agglomeration of China

Abstract

Ecosystem service (ES) bundles are widely used approaches to analyze ES tradeoffs in urban agglomeration. However, few ES bundle studies considered both the supply and demand sided. The objective of this study was to map ES supply–demand bundles to comprehensively analyze the ES tradeoffs in the Yangtze River Delta using cluster analysis, correlation analysis, hotspot analysis, and principal component analysis. We found that: (1) Both the supply and demand of ES are unevenly distributed with highly spatial autocorrelation. (2) There are significant tradeoffs and synergies between ES in terms of supply–supply, demand–demand, and supply–demand. (3) Four ES supply–demand bundle types were identified with distinct ES supply and demand relationships. (4) Land-use types, urban intensity, and climatic factors are the main social-ecological factors that distinguish the four identified clusters. The identified ES supply–demand clusters can support the main functional zoning of the Yangtze River Delta. Our results also suggest that land sharing is a more appropriate approach for the sustainable development of the Yangtze River Delta considering the balance of multiple ES supply and ES demand.

Spatiotemporal Variation in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration from 1980 to 2020 and Future Trends in Ecosystem Services

“…The United Nations' Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 report indicates that 60% of the ecosystems on which humans rely for survival are currently experiencing ongoing degradation [1,2]. Global land use changes over the past 60 years have far surpassed the sum of changes during the 18th and 19th centuries, resulting in a continued decline in the supply capacity of some critical ecosystem services such as climate regulation and food provision, which impacts human development and well-being in addition to threatening Land 2023, 12, 929 2 of 20 regional ecological security [3]. Understanding the spatiotemporal changes and future trends in ecosystem services is crucial for revealing the feedback mechanisms between ecosystem services and human activities, understanding the trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services in space, supporting effective management of regional ecosystems, and laying the foundation for implementing regional ecological compensation mechanisms [4].…”

“…Domestic and international scholars have put forward a series of profound academic achievements regarding the spatial differentiation of ecosystem services for different regions [6] and scales, evaluation techniques, management frameworks [7], driving mechanisms, and ecological compensation strategies [8,9]. There are many factors that affect the functionality of ecosystem services, such as topographic and geomorphological features, land use changes, climate change, and human activities [10], which can alter the structure and spatial characteristics of ecosystems and thereby affect the spatiotemporal distribution and changes in ecosystem services [11][12][13]. However, currently, scholars are more focused on the evolution of the quantity of ecosystem services, and further research is needed to explore the spatial characteristics of ecosystem services.…”

The Progress and Prospects in the Scenario Simulation Research on the Sustainability of Regional Ecosystem Services Based on a “Safe Operating Space”

“…Early research was primarily focused on evaluating the spatiotemporal patterns and driving factors of historical and current ES, providing a solid foundation for understanding the mechanisms of ES changes [8][9][10]. In recent years, researchers have recognized the Sustainability 2023, 15, 11249 2 of 10 need for ecosystem management to consider the long-term effects of our current behaviors on future ES.…”