Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Water Conservation Service of Ecosystems in the Zhejiang Greater Bay Area and Its Impact Factors Analysis

Abstract

The Zhejiang Greater Bay Area (ZGBA) is the main functional area of water conservation in Zhejiang Province, China. It has 44.2% of the ecological red line area of Zhejiang Province. There are many mountains, plains, water systems, and tidal flat resources. It is an essential ecological barrier in the water supply area of the Hang-Jia-Hu area and the northern Zhejiang area. This paper aimed to clarify the water conservation services and influencing factors in the ZGBA, so as to provide reference and policy inspiration for local improvement of water resources. Based on the improved water balance method, the temporal and spatial dynamic changes of water conservation in the ZGBA from 2000 to 2019 were estimated, the impact of climate and land use and land cover change on water conservation was assessed, and geographic detectors were employed to explore the main influencing factors of water conservation. The following results can be summarized from this research: (1) The water conservation level of the ZGBA is relatively high and the water conservation amount showed a phased upward trend from 2000 to 2019; (2) The main reason for the significant increase in the level of water conservation from 2010 to 2019 was the increase in precipitation by 11% in the next 10 years compared with the previous 10 years, and land use exerted a low negative impact on water conservation; (3) Precipitation and evapotranspiration were the main single-factor influencing factors on water conservation, and the interactions between precipitation and vegetation/terrain were the main multi-factor influencing factors on water conservation.