Ecological Indicators (Sep 2024)
Measuring ecological well-being based on the degree of ecosystem service supply and demand matching in Shenzhen, China
Abstract
Measuring urban ecological well-being and achieving a comprehensive understanding of its spatial differentiation characteristics are important foundations for meeting the growing health needs of residents and improving the insufficient and unbalanced development of the urban ecological environment. However, the current framework for defining urban ecological well-being that considers the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) is unclear. The key to enhancing urban ecological well-being lies in measuring the level and patterns of ecological well-being in urban spaces through the degree of ES supply–demand matching; therefore, the present study aims to construct a measurement framework for urban ecological well-being based on this matching. The developed framework was applied to assess ecological well-being in Shenzhen in 2015 and 2020. This study summarizes the spatial patterns and analyzes their temporal and spatial distributions and influencing factors, showing that: (1) the spatial distribution of the comprehensive supply and demand of ESs in Shenzhen both have strong spatial heterogeneity; (2) the area of four types of relatively low ecological well-being patterns in Shenzhen was greater than that of five types of relatively low ecological well-being patterns in 2020, and the proportions of the areas of low, relatively low, and relatively sufficient well-being were the largest; (3) the overall trend of ecological well-being change is one of decline. The area in which Shenzhen’s ecological well-being has declined is far greater than the area in which it has improved. The main reasons for this are the increase in the urban vitality index, an increase in the demand for ESs, and an increase in impermeable surfaces, which have led to a decrease in the supply capacity of the ecosystem in some areas.
