Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, China

Water-related ecosystem services (WESs) arise from the interaction between water ecosystems and their surrounding terrestrial ecosystems. They are critical for human well-being as well as for the whole ecological circle. An urgent service-oriented reform for the utilization and supervision of WESs c...

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Main Authors: Junyu Chen, Tao Cui, Huimin Wang, Gang Liu, Mat Gilfedder, Yang Bai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2018-06-01
Series:PeerJ
Subjects:
Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/5041.pdf
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author Junyu Chen
Tao Cui
Huimin Wang
Gang Liu
Mat Gilfedder
Yang Bai
author_facet Junyu Chen
Tao Cui
Huimin Wang
Gang Liu
Mat Gilfedder
Yang Bai
author_sort Junyu Chen
collection DOAJ
description Water-related ecosystem services (WESs) arise from the interaction between water ecosystems and their surrounding terrestrial ecosystems. They are critical for human well-being as well as for the whole ecological circle. An urgent service-oriented reform for the utilization and supervision of WESs can assist in avoiding ecological risks and achieving a more sustainable development in the Taihu Basin, China (THB). Spatially distributed models allow the multiple impacts of land use/land cover conversion and climate variation on WESs to be estimated and visualized efficiently, and such models can form a useful component in the toolbox for integrated water ecosystem management. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model is used here to evaluate and visualize the spatio-temporal evolution of WESs in the THB from 2000 to 2010. Results indicate that water retention service experienced a decline from 2000 to 2005 with a recovery after 2005, while there was ongoing water scarcity in urban areas. Both the water purification service and the soil retention service underwent a slight decrease over the study period. Nutrients export mainly came from developed land and cultivated land, with the hilly areas in the south of the THB forming the primary area for soil loss. The quantity and distribution of WESs were impacted significantly by the shrinkage of cultivated land and the expansion of developed land. These findings will lay a foundation for a service-oriented management of WESs in the THB and support evidence-based decision making.
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spelling doaj.art-b1083dc9964549b8aade4a42caf1e2972023-12-03T10:31:34ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592018-06-016e504110.7717/peerj.5041Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, ChinaJunyu Chen0Tao Cui1Huimin Wang2Gang Liu3Mat Gilfedder4Yang Bai5State Key Laboratory of Hydrology Water Resource and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, ChinaLand and Water, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaState Key Laboratory of Hydrology Water Resource and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, ChinaInstitute of Management Science, Hohai University, Nanjing, ChinaLand and Water, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaCenter for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, ChinaWater-related ecosystem services (WESs) arise from the interaction between water ecosystems and their surrounding terrestrial ecosystems. They are critical for human well-being as well as for the whole ecological circle. An urgent service-oriented reform for the utilization and supervision of WESs can assist in avoiding ecological risks and achieving a more sustainable development in the Taihu Basin, China (THB). Spatially distributed models allow the multiple impacts of land use/land cover conversion and climate variation on WESs to be estimated and visualized efficiently, and such models can form a useful component in the toolbox for integrated water ecosystem management. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model is used here to evaluate and visualize the spatio-temporal evolution of WESs in the THB from 2000 to 2010. Results indicate that water retention service experienced a decline from 2000 to 2005 with a recovery after 2005, while there was ongoing water scarcity in urban areas. Both the water purification service and the soil retention service underwent a slight decrease over the study period. Nutrients export mainly came from developed land and cultivated land, with the hilly areas in the south of the THB forming the primary area for soil loss. The quantity and distribution of WESs were impacted significantly by the shrinkage of cultivated land and the expansion of developed land. These findings will lay a foundation for a service-oriented management of WESs in the THB and support evidence-based decision making.https://peerj.com/articles/5041.pdfLULCClimate changeUrbanizationWater yieldNutrient retentionSoil retention
spellingShingle Junyu Chen
Tao Cui
Huimin Wang
Gang Liu
Mat Gilfedder
Yang Bai
Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, China
PeerJ
LULC
Climate change
Urbanization
Water yield
Nutrient retention
Soil retention
title Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, China
title_full Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, China
title_fullStr Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, China
title_full_unstemmed Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, China
title_short Spatio-temporal evolution of water-related ecosystem services: Taihu Basin, China
title_sort spatio temporal evolution of water related ecosystem services taihu basin china
topic LULC
Climate change
Urbanization
Water yield
Nutrient retention
Soil retention
url https://peerj.com/articles/5041.pdf
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