Spatiotemporal characteristics and socio-ecological drivers of ecosystem service interactions in the Dongting Lake Ecological Economic Zone

Uncovering the spatiotemporal characteristics of ecosystem services and their complex interactions is a prerequisite for managing multiple simultaneously. However, the prior research has predominantly overlooked cultural service objects and neglected the indirect socio-ecological impact pathways on ecosystem services. To delve into the dynamics and developmental trends of ecosystem alterations prior to and following the inception of an Eco-Economic Zone, this study quantitatively assessed four pivotal ecosystem services within the Dongting Lake Ecological Economic Zone spanning from 2000 to 2020. These services encompassed:crop production(CP), carbon sequestration(CS), habitat quality(HQ), and forest recreation (RS). The trade-offs and synergies between them were explored, and the driving mechanism of ecosystem services was explained based on the partial least squares-structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that: (1) during the study timeframe, the crop production witnessed a pronounced upward trajectory, whereas the carbon sequestration, habitat quality and forest recreation remained relatively stable. Notably, the low habitat quality area (HQ <= 0.3) has been expanding, with a growth rate of 29.4 %; (2) the most trade-offs were observed between crop production and other ecosystem services, among which the trade-off effect between crop production and habitat quality was the strongest, with the highest average proportion of trade-off area, reaching 57.8 %. Among the six ecosystem service pairs, two are in a state of deterioration: the crop production and forest recreation, the carbon sequestration and habitat quality; (3)topographic factors were identified as the primary drivers of crop production, carbon sequestration, and habitat quality, whereas forest recreation was chiefly influenced by landscape configuration factors. Land use intensity and landscape configuration played crucial intermediary roles, with socio-economic elements adversely impacting all four ecosystem services directly, yet significantly contributed to the crop production and carbon sequestration through Suppression Effects. The research endorses the combined utilization of lake area land to improve human welfare, based on the principle of protecting the primary services of various functional sub-regions.