Revealing the Spatiotemporal Changes in Land Use and Landscape Patterns and Their Effects on Ecosystem Services: A Case Study in the Western Sichuan Urban Agglomeration, China

Jing Wang, Peihao Peng (), Tao Liu, Juan Wang, Shiqi Zhang and Pengtao Niu
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Jing Wang: College of Geography and Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Peihao Peng: College of Geography and Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Tao Liu: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Juan Wang: College of Geography and Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Shiqi Zhang: School of Emergency Management, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
Pengtao Niu: College of Geography and Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-36

Abstract: Land use change significantly influences landscape pattern adjustments, thereby altering ecosystem functions and service flows, ultimately impacting ecosystem service value (ESV). However, previous studies have often examined the impacts of land use change and landscape patterns on ecosystem services from a one-dimensional perspective, overlooking the complex interactions among these factors. This study proposes a “process–structure–value” response framework and applies it to a case study of the western Sichuan urban agglomeration. Its aim is to identify the spatial and temporal characteristics of land use and landscape pattern evolution. Additionally, it quantitatively evaluates the synergistic effects of these changes on ESV evolution from 2000 to 2020 using a correlation analysis. The results show that, over the past 20 years, the study area experienced a significant expansion of construction land by 184,729.41 hm 2 , leading to the dispersion and fragmentation of arable land, grassland, and waters, resulting in an overall trend of fragmentation and diversification in landscape patterns. The ESV increased by CNY 2.619 billion, primarily due to the increased ESV associated with forest land and waters. This study found that the synergistic effects of land use processes and landscape pattern structures significantly enhanced ESV. The transition from construction land and arable land to forest land and waters notably improved the ESV. Meanwhile, increased landscape diversity and patch connectivity further enhanced the ecosystem service function. Furthermore, the ecological environment of the study area remained vulnerable despite the increased ESV. Overall, the results highlight the significant correlation between changes in land use processes, landscape patterns, and ESV, emphasizing the necessity of integrating the “process–structure–value” framework in future research to comprehensively assess the responses of land use and landscape patterns to ESV, providing a more comprehensive reference for land use planning and policy development.

Keywords: ecosystem service values; landscape pattern; land use change; mountain urban agglomerations; process–structure–value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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