Impact of urbanization on the food-water-land-ecosystem nexus: A study of Shenzhen, China

Xiangyun Shi; Takanori Matsui; Takashi Machimura; Chihiro Haga; Ang Hu; Xiaoyu Gan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152138

Impact of urbanization on the food-water-land-ecosystem nexus: A study of Shenzhen, China

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Feb 20:808:152138. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152138. Epub 2021 Dec 3.

Authors

Xiangyun Shi¹, Takanori Matsui², Takashi Machimura³, Chihiro Haga⁴, Ang Hu⁵, Xiaoyu Gan⁶

Affiliations

¹ Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: xiangyun.shi@ge.see.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp.
² Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: matsui@see.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp.
³ Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: mach@see.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp.
⁴ Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: chihiro.haga@ge.see.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp.
⁵ Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Komaba 4-6-1, Meguro-Ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan. Electronic address: anghu@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
⁶ College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China. Electronic address: ganxy@scu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34864027
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152138

Abstract

The food-water-land-ecosystem (FWLE) nexus is fundamental for achieving sustainable development. This study examines the influence of urbanization on the FWLE nexus. Toward this end, land was deemed as an entry point. Therefore, the impact of urbanization on the nexus was explored based on changes in land use. We selected Shenzhen, a city in China, as the study area. First, a land change modeler was employed to analyze historical land-use changes from 2000 to 2010, to build transition potential submodels, and to project future land-use patterns for 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario. Second, based on land-use maps, we assessed habitat quality, water yield, and water supply from 2000 to 2030 using Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs. Moreover, crop production was estimated according to statistical materials. Finally, the study presents the analyses and discussion of the impacts of urbanization on ecosystem services related to the FWLE nexus. The results of land-use changes indicated that a significant expansion of artificial surfaces occurred in Shenzhen with varying degrees of decrease in cultivated land, forest, and grassland. Furthermore, habitat quality, water supply, and crop production decreased evidently due to rapid urbanization. In contrast, the total water yield indicated an upward trend owing to the increased water yield from increasing artificial surfaces, whereas water yield from other land-use areas declined, such as the forest and grassland. The results demonstrated a significant positive correlation between artificial surfaces and total water yield. However, negative correlations were observed in the interaction among habitat quality, water supply, and crop production. The study presented temporal and spatial assessments to provide an effective and convenient means of exploring the interactions and tradeoffs within the FWLE nexus, which, thus, contributed to the sustainable transformation of urbanization.

Keywords: Ecosystem services; Food–water–land–ecosystem nexus; InVEST; Land-use changes; Urbanization.

MeSH terms

China
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecosystem*
Urbanization*
Water

Substances

Water