Optimizing the Production-Living-Ecological Space for Reducing the Ecosystem Services Deficit

Abstract

With rapid urbanization and industrialization, China’s metropolises have undergone a huge shift in land use, which has had a profound impact on the ecological environment. Accordingly, the contradictions between regional production, living, and ecological spaces have intensified. The study of the optimization of production-living-ecological space (PLES) is crucial for the sustainable use of land resources and regional socio-economic development. However, research on the optimization of land patterns based on PLES is still being explored, and a unified technical framework for integrated optimization has yet to be developed. Ecosystem services (ES), as a bridge between people and nature, provide a vehicle for the interlinking of elements of the human-land system coupling. The integration of ES supply and demand into ecosystem assessments can enhance the policy relevance and practical application of the ES concept in land management and is also conducive to achieving ecological security and safeguarding human well-being. In this study, an integrated framework comprising four core steps was developed to optimize the PLES in such a way that all ecosystem services are in surplus as far as possible. It was also applied to a case study in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River Basin. A regression analysis between ES and PLES was used to derive equilibrium thresholds for the supply and demand of ES. The ternary phase diagram method was used to determine the direction and magnitude of the optimization of the PLES, and finally, the corresponding optimization recommendations were made at different scales.

Spatio-Temporal Variation and Influencing Factors of the Coupling Coordination Degree of Production-Living-Ecological Space in China

“…The coupling coordination of PLES is an extension of the connotation of coordinating the man-land relationship and promoting sustainable development [ 2 , 10 , 11 ]. Previous studies on PLES mainly focused on PLES classification [ 15 ], index construction [ 2 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], pattern evolution [ 19 , 20 , 21 ], spatial conflict [ 4 , 5 ], spatial optimization [ 8 , 9 , 16 , 22 , 23 ], eco-environmental effect [ 6 , 24 , 25 ], and coupling coordination analysis [ 2 , 11 , 12 ]. Specifically, regarding the classification of PLES, previous scholars have completed abundant studies on land classification and evaluation systems based on different research perspectives [ 2 , 17 , 26 ].…”

“…The conflict of PLES has led to a series of issues, including out-of-control space development, disordered regional competition, tightening resource and environmental constraints, a deteriorating human-capital relationship, and serious damage to the ecological environment [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Constructing a new pattern of territorial space development and protection, gradually forming a PLES with coordinated functions and a new pattern of territorial space development and protection with obvious main functions, complementary advantages, and high-quality development are effective ways to alleviate the multiple problems facing China’s territorial space utilization [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Coordinating the functional coupling and coordinated development level of PLES is the inherent requirement of high-quality utilization for territorial space [ 2 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Functional Tradeoffs and Feature Recognition of Rural Production–Living–Ecological Spaces

“…It has the function of material and spiritual guarantee. Ecological spaces were the spaces that undertook the formation of an ecological system and ecological process and maintained the natural conditions and the utility of human existence [38].…”

“…The research methods are divided into the land-use type merging method and the index system calculation method. Based on the main function of land-use types, the land-use type merging method directly merges land-use types into different spatial types [24,29,38]. The index system calculation method is based on social, economic, natural, and other factors that affect PLE spaces, and it adopts the comprehensive evaluation method to construct the index system to identify PLE spaces [28,36,39].…”

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Regional Differences in the Production-Living-Ecological Space of the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River

“…Since the reform and opening up, rapid economic growth in China has led to tense human–Earth relations, and the phenomenon of production-living-ecological space (PLES) competition has increasingly occurred [ 1 , 2 ]. Disorderly development of national land can restrict regional sustainable development, cause a series of social problems likely leading to a decline in regional development competitiveness and affect ecological, investment and living environments [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. The report of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress introduced the land space optimization goal entailing the promotion of intensive and efficient production spaces (PSs), appropriate living spaces (LSs) and beautiful ecological spaces (ESs), which further improved the Chinese land space optimization theoretical system based on the PLES [ 7 ].…”