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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Ecological compensation for the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration based on ecosystem service
Ying Chen1, Kejun Li1, Yina Lu1
1College of Public Administration, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074China.
Abstract:
Under the background of rapid urbanization, imbalances and spatial mismatches between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ES) have become major constraints on regional sustainable development. Accurately identifying ecological compensation areas and establishing scientifically sound compensation standards are critical for alleviating the conflicts between economic development and ecological conservation. This study takes the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration (MYUA) as the study area and focuses on three key ES in 2023-carbon sequestration (CS), air purification (AP), and water purification (WP). Centered on the questions of what to compensate, who should compensate, and how much to compensate, this study conducts a quantitative assessment of ecosystem service supply and demand, a spatial analysis of ecosystem service flows (ESF), and a systematic estimation of ecological compensation standards. The results indicate that: (1) The overall supply-demand matching of ES in the MYUA is relatively good, with the degree of matching ranked as WP > CS > AP; (2) Significant differences exist in the spatial flow characteristics of the three services. The CS forms 16 intercity flow pathways, with transfer distances ranging from 32.51 to 339.40 km. The AP constitutes a flow network composed of 26 pathways, with transfer distances between 22.32 and 445.58 km. The WP exhibits 21 instances of spatial transfer, among which the flow from Changsha to Jingzhou is the largest (640.73 t), while the flow from Xiangtan to Ezhou is the smallest (0.27 t); (3) The total ecological compensation amounts reach 1.411 billion CNY (≈ 0.20 billion USD) for CS, 678 million CNY (≈ 95.50 million USD) for AP, and a relatively lower 7.6002 million CNY (≈ 1.07 million USD) for WP. This study provides a theoretical basis and decision-making support for formulating scientifically grounded ecological compensation policies and promoting coordinated green development in the MYUA.
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