| Ecosystem services refer to the range of tangible and intangible benefits that ecosystems provide to people,including the provision of food,water,air,climate regulation,natural landscapes,cultural heritage and more.These services are fundamental to human survival and development,but changes in land use can significantly alter ecosystem patterns and processes,resulting in changes in these vital services.Landscape patterns are formed by the spatial distribution and combination of different types of land use,and are the result of different ecological processes operating at different scales.With continued economic and population growth,human use and consumption of ecosystems is increasing,leading to serious ecological and environmental problems and degradation of ecosystem services.Therefore,considering the interaction between humans and the ecological environment from a landscape perspective can provide a strong guarantee for regional ecological protection and promote sustainable development.To investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystem services and their implications for rural revitalization in less developed areas,we chose the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet as our study area.As the highest river in China and an important water source and highland agricultural and pastoral area,the ecological environment of the Yarlung Zangbo River is fragile and sensitive to global climate change.However,previous studies on ecosystem services in this basin have mainly focused on land use changes,geological hazards and hydrological characteristics of the basin ecosystem,with more anthropogenic disturbances.Our study aims to achieve the following research objectives:(1)analyse the spatial and temporal evolution of the value of each ecosystem service in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin,elucidate the temporal changes and spatial distribution characteristics of different ecosystem services,(2)study the coupling relationship between different ecosystem services in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin,analyse the trade-offs and synergies between them,(3)to investigate the key influence of landscape patterns on the spatial distribution of ecosystem services in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin,and to reveal the role of the spatial layout of land use in the basin on the distribution of ecosystem services.Firstly,we established a spatial grid structure based on GIS along the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin,and measured the provisioning,supporting,regulating,and cultural ecosystem services of each research grid using a value assessment model.Subsequently,we analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of different ecosystem services in the region from 2000 to 2020.Additionally,we conducted spatial visualization analysis of the tradeoffs and synergies among multiple ecosystem services in each research grid,and analyzed the relationship between ecosystem services and landscape indices.By analyzing the research results,we derived the following main conclusions:(1)Over the past two decades,the values of provisioning,supporting,regulating and cultural ecosystem services have increased in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin,indicating that the ecological environment has improved.This finding is crucial for the development of future ecological protection policies and rural revitalization plans.(2)The value of ecosystem services showed an uneven distribution within the watershed,with a decreasing trend from east to west.This indicates that the value of ecosystem services in different areas of the watershed is very different,requiring different ecological protection and rural revitalization strategies in each area.In addition,this finding provides a basis for the government to formulate relevant policies to enhance the value of ecosystem services and promote sustainable watershed development.(3)Regarding land use types,the ecosystem service values of water bodies,grasslands,and forests are the highest among all land use types in the basin due to their large areas.This finding indicates that water bodies,grasslands,and forests are the dominant land use types in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin and are the main driving factors of ecosystem service values.For policymakers involved in ecological conservation and rural revitalization,this conclusion provides guidance to protect these land use types and promote their sustainable utilization.(4)The distribution of ecosystem services and their trade-offs and synergies within watersheds show uneven patterns.To promote sustainable rural development in less developed areas,ecosystem service zoning recommends tailored policies that set multiple objectives across the region,taking into account local conditions.This highlights the importance of considering the interactions between ecosystem services,and the trade-offs and synergies between them,when designing sustainable rural development policies.In addition,ecosystem service zoning encourages policy makers to tailor policies to the characteristics of different regions.(5)Similarly,the changes in landscape indices in the basin also exhibit an uneven spatial distribution.The correlation analysis between ecosystem service values and landscape indices reveals that patch density and Shannon diversity are positively related to ecosystem service values,while contagion and largest patch index are negatively related.This finding indicates that patch density and Shannon diversity can reflect ecosystem service values,while contagion and largest patch index reflect the fragmentation of the landscape.When the landscape is fragmented,the ecosystem service values may decrease.Therefore,in ecosystem management and conservation,it is important to maintain landscape diversity and complexity and avoid the trend of landscape fragmentation.However,we also found that the same landscape pattern indices may have different impacts on ecosystem service values in different regions.Therefore,in considering the relationship between ecosystem service values and landscape patterns,we need to take into account regional differences and develop corresponding management and conservation strategies.In summary,this study conducted a comprehensive assessment of ecosystem services in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin of Tibet and analyzed the trade-offs and synergies among them in terms of spatiotemporal changes.The study indicates that the unevenness in the spatiotemporal distribution of ecosystem services is a prominent characteristic of the basin.The heterogeneity in the distribution of landscape patterns is the main reason for the unevenness of ecosystem services.This finding is consistent with the results of research on Less Favored Areas(LFAs)in other regions of the world and reveals that the development level and conditions in ecologically fragile areas vary greatly.Sustainable development in this area requires differential measures that are tailored to local conditions.Specific development plans and measures should be formulated based on the actual conditions of each locality to achieve good results.One-size-fits-all measures are difficult to adapt to the diverse development needs of different regions.The research results provide reference for sustainable development and rural ecological revitalization in the region,and have practical significance for regional rural governance,land use planning,and ecological environment protection. |
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