Research on spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem services and their socio-ecological driving factors in Chaohu Lake Basin

Abstract

[Objective] In the context of rapid urbanization and regional economic growth, studying the spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem services(ESs) and their driving mechanisms is vital for regional sustainable development. The Chaohu Lake Basin, as an important area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, has significant value in its ecosystem services. [Methods] Using the InVEST model and spatial autocorrelation analysis, the spatiotemporal variation patterns of five key ESs—carbon storage, water yield, habitat quality, soil conservation, and water purification—in 2000, 2010, and 2020 were analyzed. The self-organizing map(SOM) method was used to classify the ESs into four clusters: forest carbon sink cluster, water resource cluster, integrated ecology cluster, and low service cluster. The effect of socio-ecological driving factors was explored using geographically weighted regression(GWR). [Results] The result showed that carbon storage and soil conservation functions significantly increased in forests and grasslands, while water purification function notably improved around industrial areas. In 2000, the synergy index of carbon storage and habitat quality in northern forests was 0.87, whereas in 2020, the synergy index of water yield and water purification in urban areas was 0.77. Driving factors gradually shifted from natural factors(with normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) contributing 98.12%) to social factors, with GDP and population(POP) contributing 10.42% and 45.45% to water purification and habitat quality, respectively, in 2020. [Conclusion] Urbanization significantly influences the spatiotemporal patterns of ESs in the Chaohu Lake Basin. It is essential to optimize ecological environment planning and conservation strategies based on the characteristics of driving factors, balance the trade-offs and synergies of ESs, and achieve sustainable development in the Chaohu Lake Basin.

Keywords

ecosystem services(ESs) / socio-ecological driving factors / trade-off and synergy relationship / spatial pattern / Chaohu Lake Basin