How to synergize ecological restoration to co-benefit the beneficial contributions of nature to people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?

Hua Liu; Shiliang Liu; Fangfang Wang; Yifei Zhao; Yuhong Dong

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119267

How to synergize ecological restoration to co-benefit the beneficial contributions of nature to people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?

J Environ Manage. 2023 Dec 15:348:119267. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119267. Epub 2023 Oct 18.

Authors

Hua Liu¹, Shiliang Liu², Fangfang Wang¹, Yifei Zhao¹, Yuhong Dong³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China. Electronic address: shiliangliu@bnu.edu.cn.
³ Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.

PMID: 37862896
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119267

Abstract

Understanding the magnitude and spatial distribution of ecological restoration requires a precise assessment of the beneficial contributions of nature to people. However, where the restoration areas should be located and whether the natural contribution of a compensation area can satisfy people's needs in the context of ecological degradation remain unclear. To address these issues, we selected the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as the study areas, utilizing the offset portfolio analyzer and locator model to identify the compensation sites that offset the losses of ecosystem services and biodiversity resulting from ecological degradation. These compensation sites were developed through two offset types: restoration and protection. Then, based on the offset sites, we assessed nature's contribution to people (NCP) under the current status and future scenarios in terms of various aspects, including the habitat (NCP1), climate change (NCP4), and water quantity and flow regulation (NCP6). This study found that the area impacted by agricultural development was 7.15 × 10⁵ ha, and the required compensation area was 5.5 × 10⁶ ha under the current status. The ratio of the impacted area to the required area was approximately 7.0 in the future scenarios. The average habitat qualities were 0.14 and 0.30, while the mean NCP1 values were 2.69 and 0.51 in the protection and restoration offset sites, respectively. Moreover, based on the offset sites, the high-value contributions in NCP4 accounted for 18.64%-22.69% and 38.87%-46.17% of the total offset sites in terms of the restoration and protection offset types, respectively. Additionally, the estimated high-value contributions in NCP6 accounted for 58.35%-59.02% and 84.40%-95.86% of the total offset sites in the restoration and protection offset types, respectively. Our findings highlighted the significance of ecological restoration in showcasing the role of NCPs. These results could aid conservation managers in developing more targeted ecological strategies to enhance human well-being.

Keywords: Ecological protection; Ecological restoration; Nature's contribution; Representative concentration pathways; Shared socioeconomic pathways.

MeSH terms

Biodiversity*
China
Climate Change
Ecosystem*
Humans
Tibet