Characterizing+changes+in+ecosystem+service+values+in+Chinas+eastern+Loess+Plateau.pdfVIP

Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions Volume 7, Issue 3, June, 2015 Citation: Li JC, Liu HX, Su ZZ, et al., 2015. Characterizing changes in ecosystem service values in Chinas eastern Loess Plateau. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 7(3): 0272–0281. DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2015.00272. Characterizing changes in ecosystem service values in Chinas eastern Loess Plateau JinChang Li 1*, HaiXia Liu 1, ZhiZhu Su 2, Yong Liu 1, YongGang Yang 1 1. Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China 2. Historical Culture School, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China *Correspondence to: Dr. JinChang Li, Associate Professor of Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University. Xiaodian District, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China. Tel: +86-351-7010700; E-mail: lijch@ Received: December 5, 2014 Accepted: February 10, 2015 ABSTRACT Human activities such as the implementation of ecological protection projects and expansion of construction land can cause complex land use changes that affect ecosystem service values (ESV). In this study, we investigated changes in ESV in response to land use changes in Ningwu County, in eastern Loess Plateau of China. Our aim is to provide guidance for sustainable land use planning in this region. We used remote sensing to evaluate land use changes, and applied a fast, proxy-based method for evaluating ESV at three points in time: 1990, 2000, and 2010. More than 89% of the total ESV in Ningwu County was attributable to woodland and grassland. The ESV in western mountain areas show the greatest increase