Assessment of ecosystem service value in China from the perspective of spatial heterogeneity

Abstract

Accurately assessing ecosystem services value (ESV) and understanding its spatial distribution characteristics is crucial for establishing compensation standards of ecological protection and realizing cross-regional ecological value trading. From the perspective of spatial heterogeneity theory, we propose an approach and model of assessing the spatial heterogeneity of ESV. We apply this approach and model to the empirical assessment of ESV in China by combining multi-source spatial data and the equivalent factor method. The results can be summarized as follows: (1) The sub-functions of ecosystem services (ES) and their values in China show significant spatial differences, and most of the sub-functions of ES reveal a pattern of decreasing values from the southeast to the northwest. (2) After considering spatial heterogeneity, the total value of ES in China decreases, including in some parts of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, whereas the ESV in the southeastern and northeastern regions increases significantly. (3) The spatial aggregation distribution of ESV in Chinese municipalities could be characterized, but if the spatial heterogeneity of ESV is not considered, the degree of spatial aggregation will be underestimated. ESV assessment based on spatial heterogeneity provides accurate and detailed basic data and a basis for the rational determination of compensation standards of ecological protection. Moreover, revealing the spatial aggregation characteristics of ESV in China provides a new perspective for effectively determining the supply and beneficiary areas in cross-regional ecological value trading.

Keywords

• Ecosystem service value
• Spatial heterogeneity
• Equivalent factor method
• Multi-source spatial data