Complex interactions of ecosystem services and their dynamic changes in response to land-use conflicts—A network analysis in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

The complex interactions of ecosystem services (ESs) are relevant to human well-being, while land-use conflicts affect the stability of these interactions. Despite their importance, current research offers limited insights into the dynamic variations of ES interactions and how they evolve in response to land-use conflicts. In this study, we constructed correlation networks to analyze the evolution of six ESs in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 2000 to 2020, including habitat quality (HQ), climate regulation (CR), soil conservation (SC), carbon sequestration (CS), and food yield (FY). We also quantified the land-use conflict strength (LUCS) and applied a generalized additive model to investigate how these interactions change in response to land-use conflicts. The results showed that the network structure tended to loosen over time, with a gradual decline in interaction connectivity. FY dominated the trade-off networks, while HQ, CS, and SC were central in the synergy networks. ES interactions exhibited nonlinear effects as LUCS increased: initially, ESs experienced coupling, followed by a decoupling phase. At weak and relatively weak LUCS, ESs displayed strong positive or negative connections. However, once LUCS surpassed a certain threshold, these connections rapidly weakened, and the services formed isolated synergistic clusters. These findings enhance our understanding of land-use dynamics and provide valuable insights for promoting rational land-use planning and achieving synergistic management of ESs.