A Framework for Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning Based on Ecosystem Service Synergy/Trade-Off Analysis: Application in the Qinling–Daba Mountain Area

Mingjie Song, Shicheng Li (), Basanta Paudel and Fangjie Pan
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Mingjie Song: College of Public Administration, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Shicheng Li: Department of Land Resource Management, School of Public Administration, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Basanta Paudel: Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
Fangjie Pan: School of Management, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: The multifunctionality of green infrastructure (GI) can be enhanced through intentional planning that promotes synergies among various functions while minimizing trade-offs. Despite its significance, methodologies for implementing this approach remain underexplored. This paper presents an application-oriented framework for GI planning that emphasizes the relationship between GI functional performance and the provision of ecosystem services. By reframing the issues of multifunctional synergies and trade-offs as quantifiable and spatially explicit problems associated with ecosystem services, the framework offers both a conceptual foundation and technical protocols for practical application. This framework was implemented in the Qinling–Daba Mountain Area (QDMB) in China to evaluate its practicality and identify potential challenges. The planned GI system aims to fulfill multiple functions, including biodiversity maintenance, water and soil conservation, eco-farming, and ecotourism development. Additionally, 73 wildlife corridors were established to connect GI elements, thereby enhancing habitat services for biodiversity. Furthermore, the analysis identified 245 townships and 273 sites as strategic areas and points requiring targeted intervention to mitigate potential multifunctional trade-offs. These locations are characterized by their location within protected areas, protected buffer zones, or wildlife corridors, or at the intersection of wildlife corridors with existing transportation infrastructure. The findings validate the framework’s practicality and highlight the necessity for additional research into the capacity of GI to support diverse human activities and the approaches to enhance GI elements’ connectivity for multifunctionality.

Keywords: nature-based development; ecosystem services; natural and semi-natural assets; mountainous region (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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