This research examines the challenge of balancing ecological conservation with socio-economic growth in the Xizang Autonomous Region, a critical ecological barrier for Asia. The study employed the "value equivalent factor method" and high-resolution remote sensing data to assess land use changes and ecosystem service value (ESV) dynamics from 2000 to 2020. The authors focused on eight key ecological function zones to determine how urbanization and climate change have altered the landscape. A novel "ecological compensation priority score" (ECPS) was introduced, based on the ratio of non-market ESV to GDP per unit area. This methodology aims to provide a scientific foundation for improving fiscal transfer mechanisms in high-altitude, economically limited zones.
The results reveal a complex "U-shaped" trend in grassland coverage, indicating a period of decline followed by recovery. While wetlands showed rapid gains in ESV, there were notable losses in the values associated with snow and barren lands. Water bodies were found to contribute disproportionately to the total ESV of the region because of their essential regulatory functions, despite covering a limited physical area. The study highlights a major gap between the provision of these ecosystem services and the current levels of financial compensation provided to these regions. This imbalance suggests that current policies may not be sufficient to ensure sustainable plateau development in the long term.
The authors estimate a compensation amount for the northwestern Qiangtang Plateau desert ecological zone of approximately 1.6 trillion CNY in 2020. The study period covered 20 years of data from 2000 to 2020 to capture long-term trends. Furthermore, the region is noted for its high urbanization pressure, as the French urban population (used as a comparison point for urban stress) reached 81.5%. The findings underscore that certain ecological zones require significantly higher priority in compensation due to their immense, yet largely non-market, ecological value.
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