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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (5): 949-962.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.729

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Scale dependency of the relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being in the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi: Based on the dual drivers of ecological restoration and social development

YANG Rongxin(), YUAN Ye(), YUAN Yuan, YANG Yuqing, WU Yichao   

  1. School of Public Administration, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi, China
  • Received:2025-11-11 Revised:2025-12-26 Online:2026-05-25 Published:2026-05-25
  • Contact: YUAN Ye E-mail:242120405007@sxufe.edu.cn;yuanye2452@sxufe.edu.cn

Abstract:

Unraveling the interactions and scale effects between ecosystem services and human well-being within major ecological engineering zones is key to achieving social-ecological system coevolution. As a frontline for large-scale ecological restoration, poverty alleviation, and rural revitalization, the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi in China has undergone profound shifts in ecosystem services and human well-being. This study uses the InVEST model, Spearman correlation analysis, and the coupling coordination degree model to examine the spatiotemporal distribution and internal correlations of key ecosystem services and human well-being in the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi from 2000 to 2023, including grain production, carbon storage, water yield, soil retention, and habitat quality. Therefore, this study explored the coupling coordination patterns and scale-dependent characteristics of ecosystem services and human well-being at the county and township levels. The results revealed that (1) A significant spatial mismatch occurred between the evolution of ecosystem services and human well-being: while ecosystem services overall improved with a “high-in-south, low-in-north” pattern, human well-being exhibited a “high-in-north, low-in-south” distribution. (2) Synergies predominated within both ecosystem services and human well-being systems, characterized by prevalent positive correlations among individual ecosystem service categories and human well-being dimensions. (3) Pronounced scale dependency was observed in ecosystem services and human well-being coupling coordination. In both scales, the relationships were dominated by moderate coordination and antagonism, exhibiting a trend where “maladjusted zones shifted southward while coordinated zones migrated northward”. Notably, compared to the county scale, the township scale exhibited lower mean coupling coordination degree values and a significant increase in antagonistic and maladjusted units. This study reveals that macroscale synergies may mask underlying imbalances and risks at microscales. These findings provide critical insights for formulating cross-scale, precision-targeted policies that balance ecological equity with development opportunities, ultimately fostering high-quality development in the Loess Plateau and similar ecologically vulnerable regions globally.

Key words: ecosystem service, human well-being, coupling coordination model, the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi