An Analysis of the Spatial Heterogeneity of the Functioning of Ecosystem Services Related to Land-and-Water Resources

摘要

The types and quality of services are provided to humans by ecosystems vary widely across theearth’s landscapes. As human population increases, people are placing increasing importance onecosystem services and the topic has moved to the forefront of human concerns. This paper analysesregional differences in the functioning of ecosystem services related to land-and-water resourcesbased on panel data collected in 2011 and establishes an index system that can be used to evaluatethe functioning of ecosystem services. Furthermore, 31 regions were clustered and compared usingan evaluation matrix that considers the current level and pace of economic development in thoseregions. First, results show that a certain level of spatial heterogeneity exists among the ecosystemservices provided by land-and-water resources in different regions of China; this heterogeneity isclosely connected with the current conditions and speed of economic development. Second, theservices provided by ecosystems appear to function and perform better in north, east and northeastChina, in areas with stronger economic development, but a limited history of past development. Finally,ecosystem services perform poorly in north China, south China, Tibet, and northwest and southwestChina in areas that exhibit different speeds of economic development.