Evaluation method of ecosystem service value under complex ecological environment: A case study of Gansu Province, China

Scientific assessment of regional ecosystem service value (ESV) is helpful to make scientific ecological protection plan and compensation policy. The evaluation method has not been established that is adapted to the complex and diverse characteristics of the ecological environment. This paper takes Gansu Province as an example, on the basis of fully considering the regional differences of ecosystem service function, the five correction index of value equivalent factor per unit area were constructed in the provincial scale, and the regional difference adjustment index of 11 kinds of ES was constructed in regional scale, in the way, the value evaluation model based on regional difference was established. The results show that in 2015, the total ESV reached 2239.555 billion Yuan in Gansu Province, ESV gradually increased from the northeast to the southwest, and the high-value areas of service function located in Qilian Mountain and Longnan Mountain, of which the forest and grassland ecosystem contributed the most to the value. From the perspective of value composition, local climate regulation and biodiversity maintenance function are the main service functions of Gansu Province. From 2000 to 2015, ESV increased by 3.426 billion Yuan in Gansu Province, the value of forest and urban ecosystem continued increasing, while the value of cultivated land ecosystem continue decreasing. From the spatial characteristics of service value change, the area of value reduction gradually moved from the central part of Gansu Province to the surrounding area. In general, although this study needs further improvement, the constructed evaluation method provides a relatively comprehensive evaluation scheme for the spatiotemporal dynamic evaluation of ESV in Gansu Province. This study provided a more overall research idea for the evaluation of ESV under complex ecological environment.