Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of China

Integrating the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) across various scales is crucial for regional sustainable development. However, the relationships between ESs supply and demand, along with their determinants, have not been thoroughly investigated from a multi-spatial perspective. In thi...

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Main Authors: Xiaojia Han, Guangyao Gao, Junze Zhang, Zhuangzhuang Wang, Xutong Wu, Yihe Lü
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Geography and Sustainability
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683925000367
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author Xiaojia Han
Guangyao Gao
Junze Zhang
Zhuangzhuang Wang
Xutong Wu
Yihe Lü
author_facet Xiaojia Han
Guangyao Gao
Junze Zhang
Zhuangzhuang Wang
Xutong Wu
Yihe Lü
author_sort Xiaojia Han
collection DOAJ
description Integrating the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) across various scales is crucial for regional sustainable development. However, the relationships between ESs supply and demand, along with their determinants, have not been thoroughly investigated from a multi-spatial perspective. In this study, we quantified four ESs (carbon sequestration, water yield, food supply, and soil conservation) at six spatial scales (pixel, 10 km, 50 km, county, municipality and watershed scale) in China’s Loess Plateau (LP), characterized by fragile ecological environment and high human activity. The ESs supply-demand matches and their trade-offs or synergies as well as the dominant influencing factors at different scales were identified. There was significant spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of ESs supply and demand across the LP. The balance between ESs supply and demand became obvious from pixel to watershed (municipality) scale, with the area proportion increased by 66.78 %, 57.85 %, and 17.89 % for carbon sequestration, water yield and food supply, respectively. The supply-demand match of paired ESs was dominated by synergistic effects at the grid scales and county scale, and their trade-offs mainly occurred in municipality and watershed scales. Population and GDP emerged as the primary factors influencing the supply-demand matches for carbon sequestration, water yield, and food supply, whereas soil conservation was primarily shaped by natural factors. Furthermore, the influence of dominant factors strengthened as the spatial scale increases. The load coefficient of GDP, land use degree and human activities index increased by 0.5057, 0.6985 and 0.6705 from pixel scale to watershed scale, respectively. Thus, implementation of specific management measures should consider both the overall situation of ESs at large scale and influencing factors at small scale. This multi-scale study sheds light on understanding the interactions between supply and demand in different ESs, and provides new insights for hierarchical ecosystem management.
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spelling doaj-art-7b5ce0ae4356473099c7bf01e33c79662025-08-20T02:58:03ZengElsevierGeography and Sustainability2666-68392025-08-016410029710.1016/j.geosus.2025.100297Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of ChinaXiaojia Han0Guangyao Gao1Junze Zhang2Zhuangzhuang Wang3Xutong Wu4Yihe Lü5State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; National Observation and Research Station of Earth Critical Zone on the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi, Xi'an 710061, China; Shaanxi Yan'an Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Beijing 100085, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Hazards Risk Governance (ESPHR), Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaIntegrating the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) across various scales is crucial for regional sustainable development. However, the relationships between ESs supply and demand, along with their determinants, have not been thoroughly investigated from a multi-spatial perspective. In this study, we quantified four ESs (carbon sequestration, water yield, food supply, and soil conservation) at six spatial scales (pixel, 10 km, 50 km, county, municipality and watershed scale) in China’s Loess Plateau (LP), characterized by fragile ecological environment and high human activity. The ESs supply-demand matches and their trade-offs or synergies as well as the dominant influencing factors at different scales were identified. There was significant spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of ESs supply and demand across the LP. The balance between ESs supply and demand became obvious from pixel to watershed (municipality) scale, with the area proportion increased by 66.78 %, 57.85 %, and 17.89 % for carbon sequestration, water yield and food supply, respectively. The supply-demand match of paired ESs was dominated by synergistic effects at the grid scales and county scale, and their trade-offs mainly occurred in municipality and watershed scales. Population and GDP emerged as the primary factors influencing the supply-demand matches for carbon sequestration, water yield, and food supply, whereas soil conservation was primarily shaped by natural factors. Furthermore, the influence of dominant factors strengthened as the spatial scale increases. The load coefficient of GDP, land use degree and human activities index increased by 0.5057, 0.6985 and 0.6705 from pixel scale to watershed scale, respectively. Thus, implementation of specific management measures should consider both the overall situation of ESs at large scale and influencing factors at small scale. This multi-scale study sheds light on understanding the interactions between supply and demand in different ESs, and provides new insights for hierarchical ecosystem management.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683925000367Ecosystem servicesSupply-demand matchingTrade-offs or synergiesMultiscaleDriving factorsLoess Plateau
spellingShingle Xiaojia Han
Guangyao Gao
Junze Zhang
Zhuangzhuang Wang
Xutong Wu
Yihe Lü
Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of China
Geography and Sustainability
Ecosystem services
Supply-demand matching
Trade-offs or synergies
Multiscale
Driving factors
Loess Plateau
title Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of China
title_full Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of China
title_fullStr Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of China
title_full_unstemmed Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of China
title_short Spatial scale-dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply-demand relationships in the Loess Plateau of China
title_sort spatial scale dependence and controlling factors of ecosystem service supply demand relationships in the loess plateau of china
topic Ecosystem services
Supply-demand matching
Trade-offs or synergies
Multiscale
Driving factors
Loess Plateau
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683925000367
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