Improving Ecosystem Services Production Efficiency by Optimizing Resource Allocation in 130 Cities of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Wenyue Hou, Xiangyu Zheng, Tao Liang, Xincong Liu and Hengyu Pan ()
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Wenyue Hou: Institute of Modern Agricultural Equipment, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
Xiangyu Zheng: College of Environmental Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Tao Liang: Institute of Modern Agricultural Equipment, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
Xincong Liu: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China
Hengyu Pan: College of Environmental Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: China has adopted extensive restoration practices to improve ecosystem function. The efficiency of these restoration efforts remains unclear, which may hinder the supply of ecosystem services (ESs). In this context, this study first employed InVEST models to clarify spatio-temporal changes in five key ESs. The static and dynamic efficiencies of ecosystem service production in 130 cities from 2015 to 2021 in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) were then measured using the Super-SBM-Malmquist model, with ESs considered as outputs. The results indicated that water conservation (WC), water purification (WP), and soil retention (SR) exhibited overall declining trends, decreasing by 28.32%, 3.22%, and 10.00%, respectively, while carbon storage (CS) and habitat quality (HQ) remained steady. More than 70% of studied cities exhibited static efficiency levels below 50%, which were attributed to inefficient utilization of labor, capital, and technology. Significant spatial heterogeneity was observed, with high-efficiency cities mainly located in mountainous areas and low-efficiency cities concentrated in flat regions. The downward trend in dynamic efficiency has been reversed from a 39.02% decline in 2015–2018 to a 38.31% increase in 2018–2021, despite being adversely affected by technological regression. Finally, several policy implications are proposed, including optimizing resource allocation, introducing advanced technology and setting the intercity cooperation and complementarity mechanisms.

Keywords: efficiency evaluation; ecosystem services; the Super Slack-Based Measure model; malmquist index; Yangtze River Economic Belt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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