Exploring the quality of ecosystem services and the segmental impact of influencing factors in resource-based cities

The changes in ecosystems of resource-based cities are closely related to human activities and resource extraction. Understanding the temporal and spatial differentiation characteristics of ecosystems and identifying the main influencing factors on ecosystem services are crucial for optimizing the spatial security pattern of resource-based cities. Previous studies have seldom examined how different factors affect various levels of ecosystem service value (ESV) in segmented ways. This study presents a case study of a typical resource-based city to examine the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of ecosystem services. Furthermore, it employs a spatial quantile regression model to investigate the differentiated impacts of various influencing factors on these ecosystem services. The results indicate that: (1) In the past two decades, the intensity of land use in Tangshan continued to increase, with significant transfer effects between arable land and construction land. The overall ESV in Tangshan showed a fluctuating decline. (2) The area of low-ESV clustering has significantly expanded, with regulating and supporting services being the primary types of ecosystem services, and there is a significant synergistic effect among various ecosystems. (3) Precipitation is the dominant factor enhancing ESV in the region, while mineral extraction activities are the main pressure source threatening high-ESV areas, and the integrity of land use presents a major barrier to improving low-ESV areas. It is crucial to effectively control the boundaries of mineral resource extraction, delineate key protected areas, and restricted development zones.