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Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (3): 467-479.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.319

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Optimization of ecological function zoning in Gansu Province under the trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services

LI Xiaofei1(), GONG Jian1,2, YE Jing1,2(), FANG Hongjia1, ZHANG Shizhen1, LIN Jiasheng1   

  1. 1. School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Rule of Law Research, Ministry of Natural Resources, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China
  • Received:2024-05-22 Revised:2024-08-30 Online:2025-03-25 Published:2025-03-14
  • Contact: YE Jing E-mail:xfl20181002806@cug.edu.cn;yejingcug@cug.edu.cn

Abstract:

Using physical geographic and socioeconomic data, we analyzed the ecological service functions and their trade-off synergistic relationship in Gansu Province, which is an ecologically fragile area in northwest China. We explored the optimization of ecological function zoning under a trade-off synergistic relationship by applying the InVEST model, CASA model, and ArcGIS spatial analysis. The results were as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, because of large-scale ecological construction projects, such as the return of farmland to forests, the ecological functions of Gansu Province (e.g., forest land, grassland, river water surface, and lake water surface) increased, and four kinds of ecological services (i.e., carbon sequestration, habitat quality, soil retention, and water production) showed fluctuating upward trends. (2) In the trade-off synergistic relationship, the habitat quality-water production, carbon sequestration-water production, soil retention-habitat quality, and carbon sequestration-water production showed medium to high levels of ecological services. Habitat quality-soil conservation showed moderate synergistic relationships, whereas soil conservation-carbon sequestration, soil conservation-water yield, and habitat quality-carbon sequestration showed strong synergistic relationships. (3) On the basis of K-means clustering, Gansu Province was divided into six ecological zones: economic-cultural development zone, habitat quality-carbon sequestration priority zone, soil conservation-carbon sequestration priority zone, biodiversity-soil conservation zone, soil and water conservation zone, and ecological services conservation zone. The trade-off synergistic relationships were incorporated in the optimization of ecosystem service cluster zoning, and the area to be optimized accounted for 3.07% of the province’s area. By comprehensively analyzing the similarities and differences of ecosystem services and forming ecosystem service clusters with full consideration of the trade-off synergistic relationship within zones, the traditional ecological zoning was optimized and adjusted, and spatially differentiated governance measures were proposed to enhance synergies and mitigate trade-offs.

Key words: ecosystem services, ecological zoning, trade-offs and synergies, Gansu Province