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Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (8): 1406-1420.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.590

• Ecology and Disasters • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving forces of ecosystem services in the Heihe River Basin under the context of ecological water conveyance

WANG Jiawei1(), DONG Guotao2(), JIANG Xiaohui1, NIE Tong1, LI Yuehong1   

  1. 1. College of Urban and Environmental Studies, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, Shaanxi, China
    2. Heihe Water Resources and Ecological Protection Research Center, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu, China
  • Received:2024-11-18 Revised:2025-01-26 Online:2025-08-25 Published:2025-08-21
  • Contact: DONG Guotao E-mail:202232909@stumail.nwu.edu.cn;dongguotao001@163.com

Abstract:

The implementation of ecological water diversion policies in the Heihe River Basin, northwest China has significantly mitigated ecological degradation, leading to marked improvements in environmental quality. However, previous studies examining the spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem services in this basin have been limited by short timeframes and narrow regional focus. Moreover, most have lacked integrated qualitative and quantitative assessments of the effects of environmental governance policies and other driving forces. This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of water yield depth, habitat quality, carbon storage, and soil conservation from 1990 to 2022 across the Heihe River Basin. The impact of ecological water conveyance on downstream ecosystem services is evaluated by coupling the InVEST-PLUS model, and a geographic detector is employed to identify key driving factors. The findings reveal that: (1) Post-2000, carbon storage and habitat quality showed an overall increasing trend, while water yield depth and soil conservation initially increased and then declined. Spatially, ecosystem services exhibited a stepwise pattern of “higher in the south, lower in the north”, with high values concentrated in the Qilian Mountains and low values in the barren middle and lower reaches. (2) Downstream carbon storage and habitat quality were significantly positively correlated (P<0.05) with annual runoff at Zhengyi Gorge. Under actual scenarios, ecological water conveyance promoted consistent upward trends compared to natural development scenarios. (3) According to the geographic detector, digital elevation model, temperature, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration were the dominant driving factors. The interactive explanatory power of combined factors surpassed that of individual factors. These results provide a scientific basis for ecological governance and water resource allocation in the Heihe River Basin.

Key words: ecosystem services, InVEST-PLUS coupled model, driving forces research, Heihe River Basin