An Assessment of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs in the Yellow River Area Using the InVest Model

Hongxi Liu; Xiaoping Zhang

doi:10.6911/WSRJ.202507_11(7).0003

Authors

Hongxi Liu
Xiaoping Zhang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6911/WSRJ.202507_11(7).0003

Keywords:

Ecological system services; InVest; Spatiotemporal dynamics; Trade-offs and synergies; Yellow River Area.

Abstract

This study investigates the evolutionary patterns of ecological system services in the Yellow River Area and assesses the trade-offs and synergies among these services to inform the precise formulation of ecological preservation and quality-oriented policies throughout the area. The Yellow River Area was selected as investigation zone to elucidate effect mechanisms of land use alteration on ecosystem services. We employed the InVest to quantify four critical ecological system services indicators: water yield, sediment retention, carbon storage, and habitat quality. The temporal and spatial dynamics of ecological system services were explored at the prefecture-level city scale, and the trade-offs and synergies between distinct service categories quantified. The findings demonstrate: (1) The integrated land use change intensity in the Yellow River Area from 0.03% to 0.19% between 1990 and 2020. Significant land use conversions occurred primarily between grassland-cultivated land interfaces, grassland-unused land boundaries, and cultivated land-construction land conversions. (2) Between 1990 and 2020, ecological system services in the Yellow River Area exhibited varying trends: water yield service showed a "V"-shaped curve with early reduction then rebound, totaling a 0.49×10⁴ t increase; carbon sequestration slightly decreased; soil conservation fluctuated but generally increased by t; and habitat quality continuously declined. Spatially, zones of high water yield in the southeast decreased, whereas zones of low water yield in the northwest shrank. The geographical distribution of soil conservation, carbon sequestration and habitat quality services remained relatively stable. (3) The importance zoning analysis revealed that the western part of the upper reaches of the study area is classified as extremely important and highly important areas; the middle reaches, lower reaches, and southeastern part of the upper reaches are classified as moderately important areas; and the northwestern part of the upper reaches is classified as generally important areas. (4) The interactions between ecological system services within the research region varied across different periods.

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