Temporal and Spatial Analysis of the Ecosystem Service Values in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China Based on Land Use Change

Abstract

The Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGRA) has complex geological conditions and a fragile ecological environment. The construction of the Three Gorges Project triggered a series of ecological and environmental issues and social disputes, which have attracted much attention in recent years. However, it is still unclear how the temporal and spatial characteristics of ecosystem service value (ESV) in the TGRA changed in each stage of the Three Gorges Project along with the implementation of some ecological restoration projects. Based on four periods of land use data from 2000 to 2018, the changes in land use were studied and the ecosystem service values (ESVs) were estimated. Then, we analysed the spatial distribution and dynamic changes in ecosystem services. The results showed that from 2000 to 2018, grassland and construction land were the largest land use types showing area reductions and increases and the conversion of cropland to forestland, grassland and construction land represented the most important land type changes. In the past 18 years, due to the increase in forestland and water area, the ESVs increased by 2.7 billion yuan, with a growth rate of 3.46%. From the perspective of contribution rate, the conversion of cropland to forestland had the largest contribution rate to the increase in ESV. The ESV was higher in the northeast and lower in the southwest, and its changes have significant positive autocorrelation in spatial distribution. The hot spots of ESV change were mainly distributed in the main stream of the Yangtze River and the reservoir area. This research provides a reference for land resource allocation and experience for the ecological environment protection and sustainable development of the Yangtze River Basin.

A novel evaluation system of green development performance in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area and its spatial-temporal pattern

“…From the dimension of ecological environment, the TGRA has been evaluated in terms of the risk and quality of environment (Li et al 2021), the value of ecosystem services and ecosystem health (Zhao et al 2021), and spatial structure and vulnerability of ecological safety networks (Yao et al 2022). Other researchers studied the level of social development in the TGRA according to the performance of emigration and poverty alleviation (Wang et al 2022), and the quality of human settlement environment (Liu et al 2022).…”