Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Ecosystem Service Value Determined by Land-Use Changes in the Urbanization of Anhui Province, China

Abstract

Urbanization-induced land-use change will lead to variations in the demand and supply of ecosystem services, thus significantly affecting regional ecosystem services. The continuous degradation of ecosystem functions has become a serious problem for humanity to solve. Therefore, quantitative analysis of the corresponding impact of land-use change on ecosystem service value (ESV) is important to socio-economic development and ecological protection. The Anhui province in China has experienced rapid urbanization in recent years, and ecological environmental remediation and protection have become important goals for regional development. In this paper, the province of Anhui has been selected as a case of study, we analyzed the land-use change using Landsat images from 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. We then adjusted the equivalent factor of ESV per unit area and estimated the ESV of Anhui province from 2000 to 2015 to analyze the impact of land-use change on ESV. Our results show that (1) paddy field is the main land-use type in Anhui province, the built-up land area has continuously increased, and the water area has continuously decreased; (2) the total ESV of Anhui province decreased from 30,015.58 × 107 CNY in 2000 to 29,683.74 × 107 CNY in 2015 (the rate of change was −1.11%), and regulating services make the greatest contribution to ESV; and (3) land-use change has led to severe ESV variations, especially for the expansion of water area and built-up land. Our study results provide useful insights for the development of land-use management and environmental protection policies in Anhui province.

Simulation of Land Use Change and Ecosystem Service Value Dynamics under Ecological Constraints in Anhui Province, China

“…With the development of urbanization and the adjustment of industrial structure, the demand for industrial production land will increase rapidly, which provides more employment opportunities for people. A higher quality of life and more employment opportunities will further promote the population agglomeration and the expansion of built-up land in the city [ 28 ], leading to a continuous circular promotion process.…”

“…The ESV estimation model of Xie et al [ 37 ] aims at a nationwide ecosystem. China has a vast territory, and the differences in environmental resources and socio-economic development of each region are obvious [ 28 ]. Therefore, we revised this model and improved it in accordance with the actual environment of the study area.…”

“…In our previous research, we adjusted the equivalent value of ecosystem service value per unit area of terrestrial ecosystem according to the ecological characteristics of Anhui Province [ 28 ], and calculated the ESV coefficients of each land use type using the following equation: where is the unit value of the equivalent factor (USD/ha), is the average grain price (USD/kg), and is the annual average grain yield (kg/ha).…”

“…Ecosystem services refer to the natural environmental conditions and functions of ecosystems and ecological processes that maintain human survival [ 28 ]. Land use change affects the structure and function of ecosystems, and ESV estimation is an important method to evaluate the ecological effects of land use change [ 29 ].…”

“…On this basis, Xie et al [ 37 ] revised the estimation model according to the ecosystem characteristics in China, and their model has been widely used in China. However, this revised estimation model is aimed at nationwide ecosystems and is suitable for large-scale ESV studies [ 28 ]. The ecosystem of China is complex, and the level of socio-economic development varies greatly in different provinces [ 38 ].…”