Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem Services in the Yellow River Delta and Their Response to Multiple Drivers

Abstract

Understanding on the spatiotemporal interactions between ecosystem services (ESs) and social–ecological drivers is crucial for the design of sustainable development strategies for coastal wetlands. In this paper, we took the Yellow River Delta (YRD) as a case study, based on multiple evaluation methods to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of ESs in the YRD from 1980 to 2020. With the help of principal component analysis (PCA) for identification of multiple drivers, we researched the spatiotemporal differentiation and influence mechanism of drivers on ESs, using the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model, and subsequently provided the development strategy for each district in Dongying City. The results showed that (1) the patterns of ESs were spatially heterogeneous, with a fluctuating upward trend from 1980 to 2020, which was mainly affected by regulating service. (2) Our spatiotemporal analysis of ES interactions identified that cultural service was mainly disorder with other ESs. Nevertheless, in wetlands, various ESs can basically develop in a coordinated manner. (3) We integrated multiple drivers into five principal components by PCA, to which the response of ESs had spatial heterogeneity. (4) Consequently, we integrated spatiotemporal knowledge on ES interactions and their drivers into spatial planning.