Change in Landscape Multifunctionality and Its Trade-off–Synergy Relationship in Mined Land

Abstract

Mining often generates large amounts of inefficiently used land. Clarifying the multifunctional characteristics of mined land and its spatial and temporal evolution is important to environmental protection and promoting the economic and social benefits of mined areas. This article analyzed the conditions of mined land in Jiawang, Jiangsu province, China. The InVEST model was used to assess landscape functions, including those related to water and soil conservation, productivity, habitats, carrying capacity, recreation, and carbon sequestration, to explore the multifunctional changes and trade-off–synergy relationships of the landscape from 2005 to 2020. The results show that (1) ecological restoration of the mined land significantly improved the regional landscape multifunctionality during the study period, with each function enhanced more obviously after restoration was completed in 2012, and (2) the trade-offs and synergistic relationships for landscape multifunctionality varied during the study period because the time series evolved; some trade-offs gradually transformed into synergistic relationships. This study establishes a set of effective systems useful in evaluating the multifunctionality of mined land, and initially evaluated the trade-off–synergistic relationships among eight landscape functions. This will provide ideas supporting the management and restoration of mined land and help in the formulation of spatial planning strategies for ecological restoration.