Trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services in Anhui Province, China based on functional zone identification

Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2025 Jun;36(6):1616-1626. doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202506.026.

Abstract

Clarifying the spatial layout of ecological functional zones and the evolution patterns of trade-offs and synergies among multiple ecosystem services is helpful to formulate region-specific management strategies and is fundamentally important for scientific ecosystem management and sustainable development. We analyzed the spatiotemporal variations of six ecosystem services (ES) in Anhui Province from 1990 to 2020, including biodiversity maintenance, water yield, habitat quality, carbon storage, food supply, and soil retention. The multiple ecosystem service landscape index was used to assess comprehensive ecosystem service capacity. The self-organizing mapping algorithm was used to identify ecosystem service bundles. We conducted ecological functional zoning and investigated the trade-off and synergy among ES at both regional scale and within different service bundles. The results showed that during 1990-2020, construction land and forest exhibited increasing trends, increased by 121.8% and 1.2% respectively, while cropland, grassland, water, and unused land all decreased. Habitat quality and carbon storage showed decreasing trends, while the other four ESs exhibited overall increasing trend. Food supply displayed a pattern of low in the south and high in the north, whereas all other ESs showed a pattern of high in the south and low in the north. Based on the identified ecosystem service bundles, the study area was classified into three functional zones. The grain production area accounted for the largest proportion, while the ecological conservation area and the ecological transition area maintained roughly equal proportions. The ecological transition zone expanded faster than the ecological conservation zone. At the regional scale, there were trade-offs between food supply and other ESs, while there were synergies in the remaining five ESs. Due to the influences from human activities, land use types and climate change, the trade-off and synergy relationships among ESs within different service bundles exhibited varying degrees of heterogeneity compared to those at the regional scale.

明确生态功能区的空间布局及多种生态系统服务间权衡与协同关系的演变规律,有助于因地制宜地制定针对性的管控策略,对生态系统科学管理和可持续发展至关重要。本研究分析了安徽省1990—2020年间生物多样性维护、产水量、生境质量、碳储存、粮食供给、土壤保持6种生态系统服务(ES)的时空动态变化,利用多重生态系统服务景观指数评价综合生态系统服务能力,通过自组织映射算法辨识出生态系统服务簇,并划分生态功能分区,探究全域以及不同服务簇内ES之间的权衡协同效应。结果表明: 1990—2020年间,研究区建设用地和林地呈增长态势,分别增长121.8%、1.2%,耕地、草地、水域和未利用地均呈减少状态。生境质量和碳储量呈减少趋势,其他4项ES整体呈增加趋势;粮食供给水平空间分布格局表现为南低北高,其他ES均表现为南高北低的空间分布格局。根据识别出的生态系统服务簇将研究区划分为3类功能区,其中,粮食供给区面积占比最大,生态涵养区和生态过渡区占比基本持平,且生态过渡区的面积较生态涵养区增加更快。全域尺度下,粮食供给与其他ES之间呈权衡关系,其余5种ES之间均为协同关系,由于人类活动、土地利用类型和气候变化的影响,不同服务簇内ES的权衡协同关系与全域尺度表现出不同程度的异质性。.

Keywords: ecological functional zoning; ecosystem service; multiple ecosystem service landscape index; service cluster; trade-off and synergy.

MeSH terms

  • Biodiversity
  • China
  • Conservation of Natural Resources* / methods
  • Crops, Agricultural / growth & development
  • Ecosystem*
  • Forests
  • Soil

Substances

  • Soil