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Arid Land Geography ›› 2021, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (3): 739-749.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.03.16

• Ecology and Environment of Tarim River Basin • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of land use/cover change on ecosystem service value under the ecological water conveyance of Tarim River

ZHANG Shuai1(),WANG Yang1(),XIA Tingting1,CHANG Xue’er1,LI Zhi2   

  1. 1. College of Grassland and Environmental Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, Xinjiang, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2021-02-02 Revised:2021-02-25 Online:2021-05-25 Published:2021-06-01
  • Contact: Yang WANG E-mail:GMFzhangshuai@163.com;ktwangyang@163.com

Abstract:

This study adopts the revised value equivalent method per unit area, ecosystem service change index, and exploratory spatial analysis methods based on the 2000—2020 land use data and socio-economic data in the lower reaches of the Tarim River, Xinjinag, China. The characteristics of the temporal and spatial changes of the ecosystem service functions since the ecological water conveyance in the lower reaches of the Tarim River were analyzed and the results obtained were verified using the NDVI data. The results showed that: (1) since the ecological water conveyance in 2000, the area of arable land, woodland, and grassland in the lower reaches of the Tarim River increased by 18.6 km2, 54.7 km2, and 76.7 km2, respectively while the area of the bare land decreased by 104.0 km2; among them, the increased area of arable land and woodland was mainly distributed in the section from Daxihaizi Reservoir to Yingsu, and the increased area of grassland was mainly distributed in the section from Yingsu to Arakan and from Arakan to Taitma Lake. (2) The value of ecosystem services in the lower reaches of the Tarim River increased from 42.66×109 yuan in 2020 to 45.86×109 yuan, an increase of 3.2×109 yuan. The ecosystem service value of low-value land use types is frequently converted into high-value land-use types, such as the conversion of grassland to forest land and the conversion of unused land to grassland. (3) The global Moran’s I value of ecological services in the lower reaches of the Tarim River increased from 0.7552 in 2000 to 0.7639 in 2020. The value of the ecosystem services in this area exhibited an evident positive spatial autocorrelation, and the value-added areas were mainly distributed in the Daxi Haizi Reservoir to Yingsu section. Furthermore, the loss area was mainly distributed in the Yingsu to Arakan and Arakan to Taitma Lake sections. The lower reaches of the Tarim River delivered a total of 21 water conveyances from 2000 to 2020. The timely tracking and understanding of the current status of the ecological environment in the area after the ecological water conveyance has important practical significance for the restoration of the ecological environment and improvement of water conveyance strategies. This study estimated the value of the ecosystem services in the lower reaches of the Tarim River from the beginning of the ecological water conveyance project in 2000 until 2020 and intuitively evaluated the development status of the ecological environment in the area after water conveyance from an economic point of view. The results were verified and analyzed using the superimposing land use data and vegetation NDVI data, which further proves that the vegetation growth in this area is in a healthy state of development after the ecological water conveyance. Additionally, owing to the positive development, the ecological environment of the region is also in a state of restoration. The ecological water conveyance in the lower reaches of the Tarim River played a positive role in the ecological environment restoration, effectively enhancing the value of ecosystem services in the region. This project maintains the safety and stability of the oasis ecosystem, allowing the ecological security and sustainable development of the lower reaches of Tarim.

Key words: land use, ecosystem service value, ecological water conveyance process, Tarim River