Ecosystem Services Evaluation and Its Spatial Characteristics in Central Asia’s Arid Regions: A Case Study in Altay Prefecture, China

Qi Fu, Bo Li, Linlin Yang, Zhilong Wu and Xinshi Zhang
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Qi Fu: College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Bo Li: College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Linlin Yang: College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Zhilong Wu: College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Xinshi Zhang: College of Resources Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Ecosystem services are important foundations to realize the sustainable development of economy and society. The question of how to quantitatively evaluate ecosystem services in a scientific way is a hot topic among international researchers. Studying the spatial characteristics of ecosystem services in arid regions can provide the theoretical and practical basis for coordinating a sustainable man-land relationship. Altay Prefecture of China, a typical arid region in Central Asia, was taken as the study area. It is on the Silk Road economic belt, which is a key region in the program of developing Western China. Three ecosystem services: water yield, soil conservation, and net primary productivity were quantitatively evaluated. The results show that (1) the spatial distribution pattern has a distinct characteristic of zonality; (2) mountain zone and mountain-oasis ecotone are the hotspots of ecosystem services; and (3) the correlation between water yield and net primary productivity shows a gradual increasing trend as altitude decreases. Objective analysis from the aspect of mechanism is given by discussing the causes of this particular pattern. It is found that altitude and slope have great influence on spatial distributions of ecosystem services, zones with the most amount of services are distributed in 1.5–2 km-altitude and 15–25°-slope. Different human activities in different regions and spatial distance decay of ecosystem services also contribute to the formation of spatial pattern. Thus, overgrazing, logging and mining are prohibited in mountain zones and mountain-oasis ecotones. Scholars are encouraged to focus on desert-ecosystem services in the future.

Keywords: ecosystem services; sustainability; mountain-basin system; spatial pattern; Central Asia’s arid regions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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