The Impact of Land Use Change on Ecosystem Service Value in the Upstream of Xiong’an New Area

Abstract

The development of the Xiong’an New Area is a crucial strategy for the next millennium in China. The ecosystem upstream of the Xiong’an New Area, serving for the development of the Xiong’an New Area, changed with land use changes. To analyze the contribution rate of the land use change to the ecosystem service value, we analyzed the land use changes of three small watersheds (7318.56 km2) upstream of the Xiong’an New Area based on a total of six phases of land use data from 1980 to 2015. Then, the ecosystem service value (ESV) was calculated using the equivalent factor method. The results showed that the construction land and arable land were the largest land use types that increased and decreased in the area of the study area, respectively. The grassland and construction land were the land use types with the largest transfer-out area and transfer-in area, respectively. The regulating services accounted for the largest proportion of total ESV among different ecosystem service functions, and the grassland and woodland accounted for the largest proportion of total ESV among different land use types. ESV in the study area fluctuated slightly from 1980 to 2015. The decrease of ESV mainly occurred in the surrounding areas of mountain towns, and the conversion of cultivated land to construction land was the main reason for the decrease of ESV in this area. The conversion of grassland to construction land had the largest contribution rate to the decrease of ESV in the study area, while the conversion of grassland to waters had the largest contribution rate to the increase of ESV. In conclusion, controlling the development of construction land and strengthening water resources’ protection may improve the ecosystem service value in the upstream Xiong’an New Area in the future.