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Spatiotemporal Evolution of Mountainous Ecosystem Services in an Arid Region and Its Influencing Factors: A Case Study of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang

Author

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  • Yayan Lu

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Wetland Conservation, Restoration and Ecological Services, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Xiaoliang Xu

    (College of Tourism, Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics, Urumqi 830012, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Junhong Zhao

    (Wenzhou Institute of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou 325088, China)

  • Fang Han

    (State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract

Mountainous ecosystems provide humans with multiple ecosystem services (ESs), but global changes and anthropogenic activities threaten the supply of such services in arid regions. To maintain regional ecological security and achieve ecosystem sustainability, it is quite essential to understand the spatiotemporal characteristics of mountainous ESs in arid regions and clarify the main driving factors of different ESs. Using the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) and revised universal soil-loss equation (RUSLE) models, we evaluated the ESs provided by the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang from 2000 to 2020. The research showed that: (i) over the 20 years in question, habitat quality and carbon storage remained relatively stable, while soil retention and water yield fluctuated significantly. (ii) All ES pairs exhibited synergies. Spatial synergy areas were concentrated in the northwestern and southwestern areas; spatial trade-off areas alternated with spatial synergy areas. (iii) Hotspots with at least two ESs covered 73% of the study region. Middle- and high-altitude areas were the main supply areas of ES. (iv) Land-use types were the dominant driving factor of habitat quality and carbon storage, while mean annual precipitation had the strongest explanatory power for water yield. Soil retention was mainly affected by mean annual temperature and the normalized difference vegetation index. Our findings could provide guidance for policymakers when developing measures for ecosystem conservation and management.

Suggested Citation

  • Yayan Lu & Xiaoliang Xu & Junhong Zhao & Fang Han, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Evolution of Mountainous Ecosystem Services in an Arid Region and Its Influencing Factors: A Case Study of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:12:p:2164-:d:989017
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne & Weibel, Bettina, 2020. "Global assessment of mountain ecosystem services using earth observation data," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    2. Yayan Lu & Fang Han & Qun Liu & Zhaoguo Wang & Tian Wang & Zhaoping Yang, 2022. "Evaluation of Potential for Nature-Based Recreation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A Spatial-Temporal Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Chao Yang & Huizeng Liu & Qingquan Li & Xuqing Wang & Wei Ma & Cuiling Liu & Xu Fang & Yuzhi Tang & Tiezhu Shi & Qibiao Wang & Yue Xu & Jie Zhang & Xuecao Li & Gang Xu & Junyi Chen & Mo Su & Shuying W, 2022. "Human expansion into Asian highlands in the 21st Century and its effects," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
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