The valuation of ecosystems services in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China

Abstract

AbstractThe valuation of ecosystem services is a powerful strategy on measuring the relations between natural resources and human capitals, to achieve the goal of protecting and promoting the positive contribution of nature. Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) is a series of statistics that incorporates the monetary value of ecosystem services, which turns the ecological data comparable to GDP. As a case study of the relationship between ecosystem services and economic development, this work focused on the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) in the northern part of China, with 12 main cities including 104 districts and counties in the highest latitude. The GEP was calculated at the municipal level using 30 m‐resolution remote sensing image data and a framework tailored to the specific economic and ecological conditions of IMAR. The results showed that the distribution of GEP in IMAR at the municipal level in 2020 ranged from 10.4 billion to 1920.7 billion RMB Yuan, with an overall value of 3.85 trillion RMB Yuan, and that the ratio of GEP to GDP was 1.17. Among various GEP components, the value of ecosystem regulating services took an essential part as 75.7%. Basically, the spatial distribution of GEP was diverse. The cities with the highest GEP values were Hulunbeir, Xilin Gol League, and Chifeng, The GEP hotspots are mainly distributed in the Hulunbuir region. Based on the dual analysis of GEP and GDP, there is still high room for improvement in most cities in the IMAR region. The GEP and GDP in IMAR can be enhanced through carbon trading, water rights and grassland tourism industry, which is conducive to the sustainable development of environment and economy in IMAR.