Changes in ecosystem service values in Zoige Plateau, China

Climate change and human activities in high-altitude, cold pasture areas with fragile environments can cause land use changes that significantly affect ecosystem services and functions. Our study investigated changes in ecosystem services in response to land use changes caused mainly by climate change and human activities on the Zoige Plateau, a region in the eastern fringe of the Tibetan Plateau with large areas of grassland and wetland. The aim was to provide guidance for sustainable management of high, cold pasture areas. We used remote sensing to evaluate land use changes, and then applied a fast method for evaluating ecological service values in 1975, 1990, and 2005. The value of ecosystem services dropped from 61.46 × 109 yuan in 1975 to 58.61 × 109 yuan in 2005, exhibiting an accelerating rate of decrease, mainly due to the degradation of wetlands and, to a lesser extent, high-cover grassland. Waste treatment and water supply were the two largest service functions, contributing about 42% of the total service value. The results suggest that future land use planning should emphasize the protection of wetlands, high-cover grassland, and woodland, which have the highest ecosystem service values and showed the greatest degradation during the study period.