Environmental & Analytical Toxicology

Spatial-Temporal Changes of the Ecological Service Value of the Loess Plateau, Northern Shaanxi Province, China, from 1990-2015

Abstract

Yang Li, Yaochen Qin, Zhixiang Xie, Zhicheng Zheng, Haoming Xia and Ziwu Pan

The aim of this paper was to verify the effectiveness of environmental management and protection measures and to improve the efficiency of ecological construction and protection on the Loess Plateau in China. The unit area ecosystem service value (ESV) equivalent factor for land use categories was dynamically revised by using data such as farmland grain yield, net primary production (NPP), and rainfall. A dynamic evaluation model of the Loess Plateau ecosystem service value was established to evaluate the ESV as well as spatial and temporal dynamic evolution characteristics. From 1990 to 2015, the dynamic degree of ecological land in the study area was 8.867%. Apart from paddy fields, dry land, and deserts, the transfer rates showed an increasing trend. Bare land was converted into other land use types at an increasing rate, while forest areas increased slowly and cultivated areas first increased and then decreased. Grassland areas only slightly decreased, while wetland and water areas remained relatively stable. From 1990 to 2015, the ESV fluctuated largely, albeit with an overall improvement. The ecosystem service value showed an obvious spatial heterogeneity, with higher values in the south compared to the north of the Loess Plateau.