Spatiotemporal variation and drivers of ecosystem service value: A case study in Ziwuling area, Loess plateau

The environmental conditions have been significantly improved through the implementation of ecological protection and restoration policies in the Loess Plateau, understanding the variations of ecosystem service value (ESV) is critical for formulating regional environmental strategies. The spatiotemporal variation and drivers of ESV in the Ziwuling area (ZWL) were analyzed using the total economic value method combined with geodetector at different spatial scales, and the spatial scale effects of ESV were further explored. The results showed that the total ESV increased by 176.6 × 10⁸ yuan or 16.4 % from 2006 to 2020, reaching 1250.9 × 10⁸ yuan in the ZWL. The ESV supply area expanded by 223.4 km² and shifting toward the central forest region. The ESV pairs showed spatiotemporal synergistic effects and increased with spatial scale. The nine and six ESV bundles were determined at grid and county scales, respectively. The integrated service bundles of multiple ESVs increased significantly at both scales, with the ecologically fragile bundle decreasing by 91.4 % at the grid scale and 74.5 % at the county scale. At the grid scale, land use (explanation degree (q) = 0.49), vegetation cover (q = 0.34) and evapotranspiration (q = 0.32) were the main drivers of ESV. At the county scale, evapotranspiration (q = 0.74), temperature (q = 0.69) and aridity index (q = 0.67) were the main drivers of unit ESV, and the total population (q = 0.75), precipitation (q = 0.72), and distance to water bodies distance (q = 0.69) were the main drivers of total ESV. There is a significant spatial scale effect on the ESV, and the increased spatial scale enhances the synergies of ESV pairs, weakens the differences in ESV aggregation patterns, and further strengthens the explanation degree of influencing factors, especially anthropogenic factors. Overall, ecological restoration increases the ESV. This study provides key information to visualize the environmental improvement and economic benefits of ecological protection measures, and provides scientific guidance for achieve regional sustainable development.