Forestland landscape change induced spatiotemporal dynamics of subtropical urban forest ecosystem services value in forested region of China: A case of Hangzhou city

Environ Res. 2021 Feb:193:110618. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110618. Epub 2020 Dec 11.

Abstract

Understanding of urban forestland both type structure and change and their effects on forest ecosystem services (ES) is important for maintaining and enhancing the quality of life as well as ensuring sustainable urban planning in cities. In Hangzhou city of Zhejiang province in Southeast China, forestland covers more than 71% of its total land area, thereby providing a high variety of ES. Many studies have focused on the effects of land use change on ES value (ESV), but these have only applied to the first-level classification of land use. So there is an urgent need for studies to measure the effects of land use change on ESV applied to the second-level classification of land use. In this present study, from a rare insight into the forestland landscape change of Hangzhou city, the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban forest ESV (UFESV) during the period of 2000-2015 are analyzed based on the combination of remote sensing and a light-use-efficiency model (CASA). The results indicate that the total value of urban forest ES increases from 9.79 × 108 Yuan in 2000 to 12.31 × 108 Yuan in 2015, with a net increase of 2.52 × 108 Yuan in Hangzhou city, and forested land has the highest UFESV, contributing about 99.49% of the total services value, although the area of forestland decreases by 101.99 km2 over the past 15 years. Carbon fixation and oxygen release and organic matter production are the two dominant service functions, accounting for 87.56% of the total on average. The construction and planning of Hangzhou's forest city has a positive impact on the value of urban forest ES during 2000-2015.

Keywords: CASA; Forestland landscape change; Hangzhou city; Monthly MODIS time-series; Spatiotemporal change; UFESV.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Cities
  • Conservation of Natural Resources*
  • Ecosystem*
  • Forests
  • Quality of Life