Spatiotemporal dynamics and drivers of forest ecosystem service value in China based on the equivalent factor method
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction To assess forest ecosystem service value (FESV) in China and support ecological conservation and high-quality forest ecosystem development, this study examined FESV from 2000 to 2023 from a geographical perspective. Methods The equivalent factor method was applied with coefficient adjustments at the provincial and county levels. County-level FESV estimates were aggregated to obtain provincial and national estimates for each year, and the center-of-gravity model, standard deviational ellipse, and Geodetector were used for analysis. Results The results showed that: (1) FESV in China followed an overall upward trend with fluctuations, increasing by 12% from 2000 to 2023. Regulating services accounted for the largest share, exceeding 66% in every year. (2) Total FESV was highest in western China, which accounted for more than 46% of the national total on average over the study period. Central and northeastern China occupied intermediate positions, while eastern China had the lowest total FESV. FESV per unit forest ecosystem area was highest in eastern China, while central China generally ranked second, with relatively lower values in northeastern and western China. Provinces in the highest FESV class (Level 5) were mainly located in western and northeastern China, and their number increased from two to four. The distribution of low-value provinces remained relatively stable. (3) The spatial distribution of FESV exhibited an overall northeast–southwest orientation, with a relatively stable distributional shape. The center of gravity remained within Henan Province and shifted predominantly northward, with a slight eastward component. Its locations in 2000 and 2023 were 88.42 km apart. (4) Among the natural factors selected in this study, slope and elevation had the greatest explanatory power for the spatial variation in FESV within the Geodetector framework. All pairwise factor interactions exhibited either bivariate enhancement or nonlinear enhancement in each representative year. Discussion These findings can inform the spatial allocation of forest resources and the formulation of ecological conservation and management policies.
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,353
OpenAlex ID: W7223308178