Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (9): 1527-1536.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.09.16

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles    

Identification of priority areas for ecological compensation under soil and water conservation in Ningxia

SHEN Cao1(),REN Zongping1(),LI Peng1,WANG Kaibo2,LU Kexin1,REN Zhengyan3,WEI Xiaoyan3   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710054, Shaanxi, China
    2. Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi, China
    3. Soil and Water Conservation Monitoring Station, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan 750000, Ningxia, China
  • Received:2023-04-03 Revised:2023-06-05 Online:2023-09-15 Published:2023-09-28
  • Contact: Zongping REN E-mail:1342152765@qq.com;renzongping@163.com

Abstract:

Identifying priority areas for ecological compensation under soil and water conservation is an important reference for establishing a suitable compensation system to support local ecological development. In this study, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is taken as the study area, and the InVEST model is employed to evaluate three major soil and water conservation service functions: water connotation, soil conservation, and carbon storage. Their respective value amounts were assessed. Additionally, the ecological compensation priority and ecological vulnerability index of each district and county are considered to conduct a spatial identification of priority areas for ecological compensation for soil and water conservation in Ningxia. Research has shown that the value of soil and water conservation in Ningxia has steadily increased each decade from 2000 to 2020, reaching 247.89 billion yuan, 266.17 billion yuan, and 295.85 billion yuan, respectively. Geographically, the southern regions generally exhibit higher values, whereas the northern regions show lower values, with Jingyuan County, Guyuan City, and Jinfeng District, Yinchuan City, representing the highest, and lowest values, respectively. Over the years, the priority compensation areas for soil and water conservation have experienced relatively minor changes. These areas are mainly located in the southern regions, characterized by high ecological value but economic backwardness. The secondary priority areas for ecological compensation are located in the central and northern regions, characterized by low ecological value but high economic development. Compensating these priority areas can effectively improve the efficiency of ecological compensation, foster the regional ecological environment, and promote sustainable economic, and social development.

Key words: ecological service value, ecological compensation priority zone, soil and water conservation, InVEST model