Evaluation of Ecosystem Service Change Patterns in a Mining-Based City: A Case Study of Wu’an City

Abstract

To coordinate the economy and environment in mining cities, it is critical to understand the ecological effects of land use/cover change (LUCC). Therefore, we selected a typical mining city to analyze LUCC-driven ecosystem service changes. In this study, we first used the equivalent factor method to calculate the ecosystem services valuation (ESV) in Wu’an and verified the rationality of the ESV coefficient through the sensitivity index. Secondly, ArcGIS was used to analyze the spatial change of ecosystem service value and explore the reasons for the change. Finally, the spatial autocorrelation index was calculated to analyze the spatial aggregation characteristics of ESV. The results showed that (1) between 2009 and 2018, the total value of ecosystem services decreased by USD 7.41 million, mainly due to the conversion of cropland to construction land. (2) The individual ecosystem services that contributed the most were waste disposal, water conservation, and soil conservation. The pollution caused by the development of mining has reduced the value of the waste disposal function, and the reduction in water body area has been the main factor limiting the water conservation function. (3) The areas with the most significant changes in ecosystem services were concentrated in the east-north direction, where mining resources were widely distributed, and near the central city. Furthermore, there were relatively small losses in the north-west direction, which was related to the protection of ecological resources influenced by topographical factors and less anthropogenic disturbance. (4) The value of ecosystem services and their dynamics exhibited obvious spatial autocorrelation and high-low value (HL) clustering in Wu’an. The high-value and low-value areas dissolved and penetrated each other, and the low-high value (LH) clustering and HL clustering were scattered. The high-value areas were mostly shown in strips, as they were the main locations of water bodies. This study is crucial for mining cities to maintain spatial stability and sustainable development, and the results provide a scientific basis for land use management decision makers to regulate land more precisely.