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Ecosystem Services and Ecological Restoration in the Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau, China, in Relation to Climate Fluctuation and Investments in Natural Capital

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  • Hejie Wei

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    College of Resources Science and Technology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Weiguo Fan

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    College of Resources Science and Technology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Zhenyu Ding

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning, Beijing 100012, China)

  • Boqi Weng

    (Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, China)

  • Kaixiong Xing

    (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China)

  • Xuechao Wang

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    College of Resources Science and Technology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Nachuan Lu

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    College of Resources Science and Technology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Sergio Ulgiati

    (Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale-Isola C4, 80143 Napoli, Italy)

  • Xiaobin Dong

    (State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    College of Resources Science and Technology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
    Joint Center for Global change and China Green Development, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

Abstract

Accurately identifying the spatiotemporal variations and driving factors of ecosystem services (ES) in ecological restoration is important for ecosystem management and the sustainability of nature conservation strategies. As the Green for Grain project proceeds, food provision, water regulation and climate regulation services in the Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau (NSLP) are changing and have caused broad attention. In this study, the dynamic pattern of the normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) and the main drivers of grain production (GP), water yield (WY) and net primary production (NPP) in the NSLP from 2000–2013 are identified by incorporating multiple data and methods, in order to provide a better understanding of how and why ES change during ecological restoration. WY was simulated by hydrological modeling, and NPP was estimated with the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model. The results show that vegetation restoration continued from 2000–2013, but fluctuated because of the comprehensive influence of climate and human activity. GP and NPP both exhibited significantly increasing trends, while changes in WY occurred in two stages: decline (2000–2006) and growth (2007–2013). Spatially, significantly increasing trends in NPP and WY were detected in 52.73% and 24.76% of the region, respectively, in areas that correspond with the Green for Grain project and high precipitation growth. Correlation and partial correlation analyses show that there were different dominant factors (i.e., natural vs. anthropogenic) driving ES change in the NSLP from 2000–2013. The change in WY was mainly driven by precipitation, while the improvements in GP and NPP can be attributed to investments in natural capital (i.e., chemical fertilizer, agricultural machinery power and afforestation). We also found that vegetation restoration can produce positive effects on NPP, but negative effects on WY by using response analyses of WY or NPP change to NDVI change, demonstrating that additional research on the role of water in vegetation restoration is needed. Our results provide support for ES management and the sustainable development of ecological restoration in the NSLP.

Suggested Citation

  • Hejie Wei & Weiguo Fan & Zhenyu Ding & Boqi Weng & Kaixiong Xing & Xuechao Wang & Nachuan Lu & Sergio Ulgiati & Xiaobin Dong, 2017. "Ecosystem Services and Ecological Restoration in the Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau, China, in Relation to Climate Fluctuation and Investments in Natural Capital," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-20, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:2:p:199-:d:89222
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xuefeng Zhang & Jianming Niu & Alexander Buyantuev & Qing Zhang & Jianjun Dong & Sarula Kang & Jing Zhang, 2016. "Understanding Grassland Degradation and Restoration from the Perspective of Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of the Xilin River Basin in Inner Mongolia, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Spangenberg, Joachim H. & von Haaren, Christina & Settele, Josef, 2014. "The ecosystem service cascade: Further developing the metaphor. Integrating societal processes to accommodate social processes and planning, and the case of bioenergy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 22-32.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhenjun Yan & Yirong Wang & Xu Hu & Wen Luo, 2023. "Assessment and Enhancement of Ecosystem Service Supply Efficiency Based on Production Possibility Frontier: A Case Study of the Loess Plateau in Northern Shaanxi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, September.
    2. Xu, Zihan & Wei, Hejie & Fan, Weiguo & Wang, Xuechao & Huang, Bingling & Lu, Nachuan & Ren, Jiahui & Dong, Xiaobin, 2018. "Energy modeling simulation of changes in ecosystem services before and after the implementation of a Grain-for-Green program on the Loess Plateau—A case study of the Zhifanggou valley in Ansai County,," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 31(PA), pages 32-43.
    3. Wei Jiang & Bojie Fu & Yihe Lü, 2020. "Assessing Impacts of Land Use/Land Cover Conversion on Changes in Ecosystem Services Value on the Loess Plateau, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-26, September.
    4. Dong, Xiaobin & Wang, Xiaowan & Wei, Hejie & Fu, Bojie & Wang, Jijun & Uriarte-Ruiz, Michelle, 2021. "Trade-offs between local farmers' demand for ecosystem services and ecological restoration of the Loess Plateau, China," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    5. Eshetu Yirsaw & Wei Wu & Xiaoping Shi & Habtamu Temesgen & Belew Bekele, 2017. "Land Use/Land Cover Change Modeling and the Prediction of Subsequent Changes in Ecosystem Service Values in a Coastal Area of China, the Su-Xi-Chang Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-17, July.
    6. Wang, Xue-Chao & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír & Ouyang, Xiao & Xu, Zihan & Fan, Weiguo & Wei, Hejie & Song, Weize, 2021. "Regional embodied Water-Energy-Carbon efficiency of China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    7. Lei Hao & Shan Wang & Xiuping Cui & Yongguang Zhai, 2021. "Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Vegetation Net Primary Productivity and Its Response to Climate Change in Inner Mongolia from 2002 to 2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Hejie Wei & Weiguo Fan & Nachuan Lu & Zihan Xu & Huiming Liu & Weiqiang Chen & Sergio Ulgiati & Xuechao Wang & Xiaobin Dong, 2019. "Integrating Biophysical and Sociocultural Methods for Identifying the Relationships between Ecosystem Services and Land Use Change: Insights from an Oasis Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-27, May.

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