Losses of Ecosystem Service Values in the Taihu Lake Basin from 1979 to 2010

Abstract

The Taihu Lake Basin, an east-coastal developed area, is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in China. Ecosystem services in the Taihu Lake Basin have been overexploited and jeopardized. Based on land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) data from 1979, 1984, 2000, and 2010, in conjunction with the adjusted ecosystem service values (ESV), changes in ESV were analyzed in detail. Results revealed that LUCC resulted in a substantial decrease in total ESV from $3.92 billion in 1979 to $2.98 billion in 2010. The ESV of cropland decreased from $1.64 billion in 1979 to $1.34 billion in 2010, which represented a 20.28% reduction. The ESV of water areas decreased from $1.08 billion in 1979 to $0.36 billion in 2010, which represented a 65.62% reduction mainly because of a decline in water quality. In terms of annual change rate, cropland and water areas showed a sustained downward trend. Spatially, ESV declines were mainly observed in Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, and Shanghai, probably due to a combination of economic progress, population growth, and rapid urbanization. The research results can be a useful reference for policymakers in mitigating ESV decline.

Keywords

ecosystem service values / land use/land cover / water quality / Taihu Lake Basin

References

[1] Ai J, Sun X, Feng L, Li Y, Zhu X (2015). Analyzing the spatial patterns and drivers of ecosystem services in rapidly urbanizing Taihu Lake Basin of China. Front Earth Sci, 9(3): 531–545

[2] Alexander A M, List J A, Margolis M, D’arge R C (1998). A method for valuing global ecosystem services. Ecol Econ, 27(2): 161–170

[3] Ayanu Y Z, Conrad C, Nauss T, Wegmann M, Koellner T (2012). Quantifying and mapping ecosystem services supplies and demands: a review of remote sensing applications. Environ Sci Technol, 46(16): 8529–8541

[4] Bagstad K J, Johnson G W, Voigt B, Villa F (2013). Spatial dynamics of ecosystem service flows: a comprehensive approach to quantifying actual services. Ecosystem Services, 4: 117–125

[5] Brander L M, Wagtendonk A J, Hussain S S, McVittie A, Verburg P H, de Groot R S, van der Ploeg S (2012). Ecosystem service values for mangroves in Southeast Asia: a meta-analysis and value transfer application. Ecosystem Services, 1(1): 62–69

[6] Brown G (2013). The relationship between social values for ecosystem services and global land cover: an empirical analysis. Ecosystem Services, 5: 58–68

[7] Burkhard B, Kroll F, Nedkov S, Müller F (2012). Mapping ecosystem service supply, demand and budgets. Ecol Indic, 21: 17–29

[8] Carpenter S R, Bennett E M, Peterson G D (2006). Scenarios for ecosystem services: an overview. Ecol Soc, 11(1): 29,

[9] Carpenter S R, Mooney H A, Agard J, Capistrano D, Defries R S, Díaz S, Dietz T, Duraiappah A K, Oteng-Yeboah A, Pereira H M, Perrings C, Reid W V, Sarukhan J, Scholes R J, Whyte A (2009). Science for managing ecosystem services: beyond the millennium ecosystem assessment. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 106(5): 1305–1312

[10] Costanza R, D’arge R, De Groot R, Farber S, Grasso M, Hannon B, Limburg K, Naeem S, O’neill R V, Paruelo J, Raskin R G, Sutton P, Van Den Belt M (1997). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 387(6630): 253–260

[11] Costanza R, De Groot R, Sutton P, Van Der Ploeg S, Anderson S J, Kubiszewski I, Farber S, Turner R K (2014). Changes in the global value of ecosystem services. Glob Environ Change, 26: 152–158

[12] de Araujo Barbosa C C, Atkinson P M, Dearing J A (2015). Remote sensing of ecosystem services: a systematic review. Ecol Indic, 52: 430–443

[13] Estoque R C, Murayama Y (2013). Landscape pattern and ecosystem service value changes: Implications for environmental sustainability planning for the rapidly urbanizing summer capital of the Philippines. Landsc Urban Plan, 116: 60–72

[14] Fensholt R, Proud S R (2012). Evaluation of earth observation based global long term vegetation trends—Comparing GIMMS and MODIS global NDVI time series. Remote sensing of environment, 119: 131–147

[15] Fu B, Zhang L (2014). Land-use change and ecosystem services: concepts, methods and progress. Progress in Geography, 33(4): 441–446 (in Chinese)

[16] Hein L, Van Koppen K, De Groot R S, Van Ierland E C (2006). Spatial scales, stakeholders and the valuation of ecosystem services. Ecol Econ, 57(2): 209–228

[17] Ji D, Zhang H, Shen W, Wang Q, Li H, Lin N (2013). The response relationship between underlying surface changing and climate change in the Taihu Basin. Journal of Natural Resources, 28(1): 51–62 (in Chinese)

[18] Jiangsu Bureau of Statistics (2011). Jiangsu Statistic Yearbook 2011. Beijing: China Statistics Press (in Chinese)

[19] Jin X, Ye C, Yan C, Ren B, Zhang Y, Wang X, Wang Y (1999). Comprehensive treatment plan for key-polluted regions of Lake Taihu. Research of Environmental Sciences, 12(5): 1–5 (in Chinese)

[20] Keeler B L, Polasky S, Brauman K A, Johnson K A, Finlay J C, O’neill A, Kovacs K, Dalzell B (2012). Linking water quality and well-being for improved assessment and valuation of ecosystem services. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 109(45): 18619–18624

[21] Kreuter U P, Harris H G, Matlock M D, Lacey R E (2001). Change in ecosystem service values in the San Antonio area, Texas. Ecol Econ, 39(3): 333–346

[22] Kuenzer C, Tuan V Q (2013). Assessing the ecosystem services value of Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve: combining earth-observation-and household-survey-based analyses. Appl Geogr, 45: 167–184

[23] Lautenbach S, Kugel C, Lausch A, Seppelt R (2011). Analysis of historic changes in regional ecosystem service provisioning using land use data. Ecol Indic, 11(2): 676–687

[24] Li W (2010). Progresses and perspectives of ecological research in China. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 1(1): 3–14

[25] Li Y, Deng O, Zhang D, Han D, Feng Z (2011). Land use and ecosystem service value scenarios simulation in Danjiangkou reservoir area. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 27(5): 329–335 (in Chinese)

[26] Limburg K E, O'neill R V, Costanza R, Farber S (2002). Complex systems and valuation. Ecol Econ, 41(3): 409–420

[27] Liu H, Chen X, Huang R, Lu J, Cai X, Li H, Wu J, Song Z, Yu Z (2011). Evaluation method of regional sustainable development based on land use information. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 27(11): 306–312 (in Chinese)

[28] Pinto R, Patrício J, Neto J M, Salas F, Marques J C (2010). Assessing estuarine quality under the ecosystem services scope: ecological and socioeconomic aspects. Ecol Complex, 7(3): 389–402

[29] Seidl A F, Moraes A S (2000). Global valuation of ecosystem services: application to the Pantanal da Nhecolandia, Brazil. Ecol Econ, 33(1): 1–6

[30] Seppelt R, Dormann C F, Eppink F V, Lautenbach S, Schmidt S (2011). A quantitative review of ecosystem service studies: approaches, shortcomings and the road ahead. J Appl Ecol, 48(3): 630–636

[31] Shanghai Bureau of Statistics (2011). Shanghai Statistic Yearbook 2011. Beijing: China Statistics Press (in Chinese)

[32] Shi N, Zhan J, Wu F, Du J (2009). Identification of the core ecosystem services and their spatial heterogeneity in Poyang Lake area. Front Earth Sci China, 3(2): 214–220

[33] Simonit S, Perrings C (2011). Sustainability and the value of the ‘regulating’ services: wetlands and water quality in Lake Victoria. Ecol Econ, 70(6): 1189–1199

[34] Turner R K, Paavola J, Cooper P, Farber S, Jessamy V, Georgiou S (2003). Valuing nature: lessons learned and future research directions. Ecol Econ, 46(3): 493–510

[35] Wang L, Cai Y, Fang L (2009). Pollution in Taihu Lake China: causal chain and policy options analyses. Front Earth Sci China, 3(4): 437–444

[36] Wang Y, Gao J, Wang J, Qiu J (2014). Value assessment of ecosystem services in nature reserves in Ningxia, China: a response to ecological restoration. PLoS ONE, 9(2): e89174

[37] Wang Y, Yu X, He K, Song S, Jia G, Huang Z (2012). Ecosystem services value based on land use change in Huairou reservoir watershed. Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 28(5): 246–251 (in Chinese)

[38] Xie G, Zhen L, Lu C, Xiao Y, Chen C (2008). Expert knowledge based valuation method of ecosystem services in China. Journal of Natural Resources, 23(5): 911–919 (in Chinese)

[39] Xie G, Zhen L, Lu C, Xiao Y, Li W (2010). Applying value transfer method for eco-service valuation in China. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 1(1): 51–59 (in Chinese)

[40] Yu D, Shao H B, Shi P J, Zhu W Q, Pan Y Z (2009). How does the conversion of land cover to urban use affect net primary productivity? A case study in Shenzhen city, China. Agric Meteorol, 149(11): 2054–2060

[41] Zhang B, Li W, Xie G (2010). Ecosystem services research in China: progress and perspective. Ecol Econ, 69(7): 1389–1395

[42] Zhao B, Kreuter U, Li B, Ma Z, Chen J, Nakagoshi N (2004). An ecosystem service value assessment of land-use change on Chongming Island, China. Land Use Policy, 21(2): 139–148

[43] Zhejiang Bureau of Statistics (2011). Zhejiang Statistic Yearbook 2011. Beijing: China Statistics Press (in Chinese)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg