Research on the Spatiotemporal Dynamic Relationship between Human Activity Intensity and Ecosystem Service Value in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area

Guiyuan Li (), Zhanneng Wu, Guo Cheng, Yixiong Yuan, Yu He and Hechi Wang
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Guiyuan Li: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Zhanneng Wu: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Guo Cheng: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Yixiong Yuan: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Yu He: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Hechi Wang: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-23

Abstract: The Three Gorges Dam project and other human activities, including regional urbanization and industrialization, have had a substantial influence on the biological environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA). They have changed the surface land use pattern, disrupted ecosystem structure and function, and influenced changes in the value of ecosystem services. The human activity intensity (HAI) assessment model, the ecosystem services value (ESV) assessment model, and the bivariate spatial autocorrelation model were used based on the spatiotemporal evolution data of towns along the Yangtze River in the TGRA in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. At the same time, the spatiotemporal impact of the HAI on land use patterns was evaluated and the magnitude of the spatiotemporal influences on the ESV was investigated. The findings demonstrate the following: (1) The TGRA’s higher reaches are occupied by forested land, while the middle and lower portions are characterized by agricultural land. Land change in the reservoir region has mostly featured transitions between wooded land, agricultural land, grassland, and building land during the last 25 years. Because of differences in natural geography and administrative divisions, the intensity of human activity in the TGRA changes throughout the Yangtze River, with higher intensity in Chongqing and lower intensity in Hubei. By comparing the ESV and the HAI and validating with Moran scatter plots, it was determined that there is a negative relationship between the value of ecosystem services and the intensity of human activities. (2) The ESV rose from CNY 1017.16 × 10 8 in 1995 to CNY 1052.73 × 10 8 in 2020, suggesting that the policies of converting farmland back into forests, eliminating outdated production capacity, and developing green industries, among other ecological conservation measures, are effective. (3) In the research area, the effect coefficient of HAI on ESV ranges from −0.02 to −0.032 to −0.031. This coefficient represents the correlation between the HAI and ESV and can preliminarily judge the change in the degree of correlation between the HAI and ESV. The increase in HAI leads to a decrease in the value of ecosystem services, and there is a clear negative spatial correlation between the two. The low human activity area and low ecosystem service value area in the Chongqing section have been transformed into a high ecosystem service value area through years of returning farmland to forest and ecological management measures for sustainable development.

Keywords: ecosystem service value; human activity intensity; bivariate spatial correlation; geographically weighted regression; Three Gorges Reservoir Area (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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