Identification and management of priority regulation areas based on the supply–demand relationship of ecosystem services: A case study of the Loess Plateau

Effectively identifying and managing the priority regulation areas (PRAs) of ecosystem services (ESs) are very important for improving the supply–demand relationship (SDR) of ESs and promoting regional sustainable development. Based on the InVEST model, geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis and statistical methods, this study assessed the supply and demand of five types of ESs in the Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2020, namely, water yield, food supply, carbon storage, soil conservation and recreation. The quantitative and spatial relationships between the supply and demand were analyzed, and the PRA with a severe imbalance between ES supply and demand was identified. According to the regulation index, the importance of different types of PRAs was identified. Then, the potential constraints of the trade-off and synergy on the regulation of the SDR were discussed, and specific regulation suggestions were proposed. The results showed that from 2000 to 2020, the supply and demand of the five types of ESs on the Loess Plateau increased except for water demand, and the spatial distribution was mostly low in the northwest and high in the southeast, or low in the center surrounded by high values. The degree of surplus of recreation in the study area decreased, while that of the other types of ESs increased. Regarding carbon storage and recreation, the high supply–low demand clustering areas were the largest; regarding the other types of ESs, the low supply–low demand clustering areas were the largest. The low supply-low demand clustering areas for water yield, carbon storage, and soil conservation showing a spatial trend of narrowing to the northwest. The PRAs are mostly high-demand deficit areas, and there are various types. In each province, the areas where there is no overlap in the PRAs for specific type of ES has the highest priority of regulation. For the areas where the PRAs of several types of ESs overlap, targeted regulation measures need to be formulated in combination with the trade-offs and synergies between SDRs.