Evaluation of Ecosystem Services Radiation Assessment of the National Ecological Sheltering Zone in China

Abstract

Ecosystem services (ES) have been shrinking due to unreasonable development and utilization for a long time. There are many studies on ES, but the ecological information for policymakers is still complex and obscure. To address this critical omission, based on remote sensing data, combined with meteorological data, land use data, and administrative division data, using GIS spatial analysis technology and some ecological process models, we develop an ecosystem services radiation assessment framework (ESRAF) that can provide policymakers with concise and reliable ecological information. We illustrate the measurement of ESRAF through an application to specific regions of China’s national ecological sheltering zone (NESZ), showing that the approach can effectively identify the beneficiary areas (SBA) for sand-stabilization service, soil conservation service, and water conservation service, and the degree of sharing of ES of SBA. ES produced by ecosystems in a specific region not only generates huge benefits locally but also a large number of ES benefit surrounding regions through cross-regional transmission. Specifically, in 2015, the area benefiting from sand-stabilization service provided by the Ordos’s ecosystem is about 1.66×106 km2, the amount of dust reduction in SBA would reduce by 28,738.67×104 tons. The Loess Plateau Ecological Screen (LPES) provides critical soil conservation service, the SBA of LPES includes two parts: LPES and the Yellow River. The Northeast Forest Belt (NFB) provides vital water conservation services. The water conservation service beneficiary area is mainly located near the NFB, with 266 hydrological response units, covering an area of 8.982×104 km2. This study also showed that the transmission distance is inversely proportional to the radiation effect, that is, the benefit level decreases with the distance from SPA. According to the degree of sharing of ES of SBA, the proposed cross-regional differentiated ecological compensation scheme is helpful to promote regional sustainable development. At the same time, this study also shows that NESZ is of great significance for ensuring China’s ecological security.