Work

Assessing synergies and trade-offs among water yield, sediment retention, and carbon storage in Yunnan Province, China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and interactions of ecosystem services (ES) is critical for regional ecological governance. Taking Yunnan Province, a key ecological barrier in southwestern China, this study quantified water yield (WY), sediment retention (SR), and carbon storage (CS) from 1980 to 2022 using the InVEST model, analyzed their trade-offs and synergies, identified driving factors, and developed ES functional zoning. Results showed that CS and SR exhibited fluctuating upward trends, while WY declined after an early 1980s peak. High-value zones of all three services concentrated in western alpine valleys and southern border regions. In terms of total service volume, the Southwest International Rivers Basin contributed over 68% of WY and 71% of SR, and forests supplied approximately 80% of CS and 84% of SR. Synergies dominated among services, except for the trade-off relationship between WY and SR. Driving factor analysis revealed that precipitation and land cover jointly explained WY variation (both q = 0.28), land cover showed dominant explanatory power for CS (q = 0.67), and the interaction between precipitation and soil type strongly explained SR variation (q = 0.54). In terms of spatial area, the All-high synergy zone covered 22.5% of the province, while the High CS zone represented the most dominant type (36.3%). These findings provide scientific references for local ecological conservation and sustainable development, while offering a methodological framework for similar studies.

Source: Journal of Environmental Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.130962

Authors: Yunning Kong, Chiyuan Miao, Xiaoyong Bai, Xin Cheng, Jiajia Su, Jinlong Hu