Ecosystem service value evaluation method in a complex ecological environment: A case study of Gansu Province, China

PLoS One. 2021 Feb 5;16(2):e0240272. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240272. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The scientific assessment of regional ecosystem service value (ESV) is helpful in developing scientific ecological protection plans and compensation policies. However, an ESV evaluation method that can adapt to the complex and diverse characteristics of the ecological environment has not been established. This study takes Gansu Province in China as an example, fully considering the regional differences in ecosystem service function. Five correction indices for the value equivalent factor per unit area were constructed on a provincial scale, and a regional difference adjustment index for 11 categories of ecosystem services was constructed on a regional scale. In this way, a value evaluation model based on regional differences was established. The results show that in 2015, the total ESV reached 2,239.56 billion yuan in Gansu Province, with ESV gradually increasing from the northeast to the southwest, and the high-value areas of service function being located in Qilian and Longnan Mountains. The forest and grassland ecosystems contributed the most to the ESV. From the perspective of value composition, local climate regulation and biodiversity maintenance functions are the main service functions of Gansu Province. From 2000 to 2015, ESV increased by 3.43 billion yuan in the province. The value of forest and urban ecosystems continued to increase, whereas the value of cultivated land ecosystem continued to decrease. In terms of spatial characteristics of the service value change, the area that experienced value reduction gradually moved from the central part of Gansu Province to the surrounding areas. The evaluation method proposed in this paper provides a relatively comprehensive evaluation scheme for the spatiotemporal dynamic evaluation of ESV in complex ecological environments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture / methods*
  • Biodiversity
  • China
  • Climate
  • Conservation of Natural Resources / methods*
  • Ecosystem
  • Forests
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Policy
  • Program Evaluation / methods*
  • Research Design

Grants and funding

The sources of funding for my study 1. This research was supported by Gansu Youth Science and Technology Fund Program(NO.18JR3RC420), Gansu Soft science project(NO.20CX3ZA002) and Gansu Social Science Planning Project(NO.19YB155). The funding institution of these projects is the Department of science and technology of Gansu Province. 2. The funding for the research was provided by the funders in the research, and the funding are used for data collection, writing and publishing manuscripts, but not for staff salaries.