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The unique high/cold environment of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) limits the natural distribution of the population living there and threatens local residents’ health. Thus, exploring the quality of human settlements in this area is of great significance. In this study, 5 first-level indicators and 25 second-level indicators were initially selected, and the entropy TOPSIS method was used to determine the weight of each indicator and evaluate the quality of the human settlements in each county of the QTP. Then, the coefficient of variation and spatial autocorrelation were used to analyze the spatial differences in human settlement quality. Finally, the obstacle degree model was used to identify those obstacles that affect the quality of the human settlements in the QTP. This study has gathered important findings. (1) The human settlement quality in these counties can be divided into 18 high-level areas, 45 mid- and high-level areas, 44 mid-level areas, 79 mid- and low-level areas, and 28 low-level areas. (2) In terms of spatial patterns, the north is higher than the south, the east is slightly higher than the west, and the surrounding area is higher than the interior. (3) In the clustering model, the high–high clustering trend is mainly concentrated in the north of the QTP, whereas the south-central part of the QTP and the zone where Tibet, Qinghai, and Sichuan meet exhibit obvious low–low clustering. (4) The variability of human settlement quality occurs in the order of Sichuan < Yunnan < Gansu < Xinjiang Autonomous Region < Tibet Autonomous Region < Qinghai. (5) The main first-level obstacles affecting human settlement quality in the counties of the QTP are living conditions, construction level of public service facilities, and infrastructure. The main second-level obstacles are the number of living service facilities, the number of residential districts, and the density of the road networks.

In fragile and impoverished areas, identifying the interrelationship between livelihoods and ecosystem services can help protect the ecological environment and improve human well-being. This study selected the “One River and Two Tributaries” region (ORTTR) in Tibet with a fragile, sensitive ecological environment as the study area. With the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 as the research time points, a coupled evaluation model of residents’ livelihood and land ecosystem services was constructed to study the relationship between the two. Results showed that from 2000 to 2020, the coupling degree and coupling coordination degree between the two continued to increase because of the improvement in residents’ livelihood and ecosystem services. The level of coupling coordination gradually changed from a reluctant coordination stage to a moderate coordination stage. The coupling coordination degree showed more revealing results than the coupling degree in time scale. The relative development type between the two was mainly of the type lagging residents’ livelihood. By considering the physical geography and socio-economic characteristics and the relative development types, the counties and districts in the ORTTR are divided into ecological conservation areas, ecological restoration areas, and ecological reconstruction areas. The coupled model can evaluate the relationship between livelihoods and ecosystem services from a systematic integration perspective and provide scientific support for the improvement of regional human well-being.

Scientifically measuring the quantitative coupling relationship between urban–rural construction land (URCL) and population and formulating URCL utilization countermeasures are needed for protecting cultivated land resources, intensive utilization of land resources, and sustainable socioeconomic development. This study proposed an improved transition process theory of URCL and population and a coupling model of polar coordinates. Then, the coupling model was applied to Henan Province in China to analyze the coupling relationship between URCL and population, showing that the coupling relationship between URCL and urban–rural population (URP) in the province was unreasonable. However, the coupling rationality between rural construction land (RCL) and rural population (RP) had a significant improvement tendency. Furthermore, the coupling relationship between URCL and the population of prefecture-level cities in Henan province was analyzed, and the coupling model of polar coordinates proposed in this study achieved satisfactory results. Thus, compared with the commonly used Tapio’s decoupling model of elasticity, the coupling model further extends the concept of coupling analysis to the coupling type, coupling strength, and coupling rationality. The extension makes the measurement of the quantitative coupling relationship between URCL and population more scientific, comprehensive, and accurate.

The Yellow River Basin assumes an important ecological and economic function in China. The study of carbon emissions from land use in the nine provinces (regions) of the pathway is important to achieve carbon reduction. Based on the dynamic data of land use, energy, and economic changes in nine provinces (regions) for the past 30 years from 1990 to 2018, this study analyzed the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of land-use carbon emissions by using the carbon emission coefficient method in the IPCC inventory method and evaluating the low-carbon development model of the nine provinces (regions) by land-use carbon emission intensity. Finally, the LMDI model was used to analyze the factors influencing land-use carbon emissions. The results showed that: (1) in the past 30 years, the net carbon emissions have shown a continuously increasing trend, and the difference in the spatial distribution of carbon emissions in different periods was obvious. The carbon sink effect was not significant enough to offset the carbon emissions generated. (2) The continuously decreasing carbon emission intensity values per unit of GDP indicate that the coordination between land-use and economic development was getting better. (3) The factors of population size, economic size, and land-use structure accelerated land-use carbon emissions, whereas land-use efficiency limited land-use carbon emissions. Accordingly, this paper puts forward some corresponding policy suggestions.

The continuous supply of ecosystem services is the foundation of the sustainable development of human society. The identification of the supply–demand relationships and risks of ecosystem services is of considerable importance to the management of regional ecosystems and the effective allocation of resources. This paper took the Yihe River Basin as the research area and selected water yield, carbon sequestration, food production, and soil conservation to assess changes in the supply and demand of ecosystem services and their matching status from 2000 to 2018. Risk identification and management zoning were also conducted. Results show the following: (1) The spatial distribution of the four ecosystems service supply and demand in the Yihe River Basin was mismatched. The food production supply levels in the middle and lower reaches and the upstream water yield, carbon sequestration, and soil conservation supply levels were high. However, most of the areas with high demand for ecosystem services were concentrated downstream. (2) From 2000 to 2018, the supply of water yield and carbon sequestration in the Yihe River Basin decreased, while that of food production and soil conservation increased. The demand for the four ecosystem services also increased. (3) Water yield faced considerable supply–demand risks. Fifty percent of the sub-basins were at a high-risk level, and the risk areas were concentrated in the middle and lower reaches. The three remaining services were mainly at low-risk levels. The Yihe River Basin was divided into eight types of supply–demand risk spatial management zones based on the ecosystem service supply and demand levels, which will help promote refined regional ecosystem management and sustainable development. The supply and demand assessment of ecosystem services from a risk perspective can integrate the information of natural ecosystems and socio-economic systems and provide scientific support for watershed spatial management.

Analyzing the temporal variation of runoff and vegetation and quantifying the impact of anthropic factors and climate change on vegetation and runoff variation in the source area of the Yangtze River (SAYR), is of great significance for the scientific response to the ecological protection of the region. Therefore, the Budyko hypothesis method and multiple linear regression method were used to quantitatively calculate the contribution rates of climate change and anthropic factors to runoff and vegetation change in the SAYR. It was found that: (1) The runoff, NDVI, precipitation, and potential evaporation in the SAYR from 1982 to 2016 all showed an increasing trend. (2) The mutation year of runoff data from 1982 to 2016 in the SAYR is 2004, and the mutation year of NDVI data from 1982 to 2016 in the SAYR is 1998. (3) The contribution rates of precipitation, potential evaporation and anthropic factors to runoff change of the SAYR are 75.98%, −9.35%, and 33.37%, respectively. (4) The contribution rates of climatic factors and anthropic factors to vegetation change of the SAYR are 38.56% and 61.44%, respectively.

With the rise of the strategy of Coordinated Development for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, it is necessary to evaluate the trade-offs/synergies of the survival environment and human well-being in Hebei, the capital region of China. However, existing methods cannot analyze and express trade-offs/synergies of two or more variables simultaneously. Therefore, this paper proposes a new framework to express the trade-offs/synergies among land-use intensity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. In this paper, we first identified the land-use intensity change and land-use transformation and evaluated ecosystem services and human well-being in Hebei from 2000–2015 under the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework. Then, the trade-offs/synergies of the three indicators were determined by GIS-based methods and MATLAB. The results show that land-use intensity and human well-being mainly present a synergistic relationship, while ecosystem services and land-use intensity mainly present a trade-off relationship, and ecosystem services and human well-being also present a trade-off relationship in Hebei during 2000–2015. In addition, some regional solutions to achieve sustainable development were proposed: region 1 needs to adjust land-use structure, region 2 needs to protect the ecological environment to improve the supply of ecosystem services, and region 3 needs to commit to improving the regional comprehensive human well-being. This study not only proposes a new framework for analyzing trade-offs/synergies of land use intensity, ecosystem services, and human well-being, but it also provides regional solutions for Hebei to achieve sustainable development.

Investigating the historical dynamics, interactions and driving factors of multiple ecosystem services (ES) is crucial to realize ES sustainability. The mountain-oasis-desert system (MODS) is a coupled socio-ecological system, and the Manas River Basin is a typical representative of the MODS and faces a sharp conflict between socioeconomic development and ecological conservation. Based on historical documents, meteorological data, hydrological data and remote sensing data, we identified long temporal variations (approximately 60 years) and relationships of eight ES in the study area. A gray relational analysis (GRA) was applied to quantify the influence of climate and anthropogenic factors on eight ES. The results showed, since the large-scale reclamation of the study area in 1949, that the provisioning services (i.e., grain, cotton and livestock) and most regulating services (i.e., sandstorm control and climate regulation) improved markedly, but the supporting services (i.e., soil conservation and habitats) had declined. The linear fit charts indicated the synergies between the provisioning services and most regulating services but tradeoffs between provisioning services and supporting services (especially the habitats service). The dramatic population growth and intensified human activities (e.g., large-scale reclamation and the deforestation) were the main drivers of most ES, while climate fluctuation (e.g., temperature and strong wind days) was the main factor affecting certain regulating services (e.g., hydrological regulation and sandstorm control). The declines in supporting services and ES tradeoffs caused by the intensified human activities threatened the sustainability of other ES and should attract close attention. Investigating the ES historical dynamic in the Manas River Basin can help us further understand the socio-ecological system development of the typical mountain-oasis-desert region and provide valuable information for ES management.

Understanding the relationship between land use change and ecosystem services is critical for achieving sustainable ecosystem services and for developing scientifically effective eco-conservation policies. The Zhifanggou watershed is a typical hill and gully region on the Loess Plateau that has experienced a process of serious damage and rapid recovery in recent decades, and the accompanying land use changes have been dramatic. Taking the Zhifanggou watershed as an example, this study built an energy flow model for the watershed considering croplands, woodlands and grasslands as components. This study evaluated the changes in ecosystem service values before and after the implementation of a Grain for Green (GFG) program using the method of equivalent value factor per-unit of ecosystem area. Then changes in ecosystem service values in the Zhifanggou watershed were simulated. The results were as follows: (1) the total value of ecosystem services showed a linear increase (P

Identifying the links among ecosystem services (ES) supply, social demand and human well-being is important to realize sustainability, especially in mountain–oasis–desert (MOD) areas, which are facing an intense conflict between socioeconomic development and ecological conservation. Using a biophysical model, we mapped six ES in the Manas River Basin, which is a typical MOD area. A questionnaire survey was employed to evaluate social demand for ES and human well-being in four different regional units (i.e., high mountain, low hills, oasis and desert) in our site. Spider diagrams were applied to identify the links among ES supply, social demand and human well-being. The results showed that a high supply of provisioning services occurred in the oasis, while a high supply of regulating services existed in the high mountain region. The ES social demand was not completely accordant with the biophysical supply in spatial distribution, and the factors from the supply side and demand side could both cause ES supply–demand mismatches. The total well-being level of all indicators was higher in the oasis and desert than in the upstream areas (i.e., the high mountain region and low hills region), but some indicators (e.g., water consumption) were the inverse. The supply–demand mismatches in provisioning services had a strong impact on human well-being, while the supply–demand mismatches in regulating services had a low impact on human well-being. This can be explained by the ES social demand questionnaire results, which showed that the level of social importance was higher for provisioning services than for regulating services at our site. In accordance with our results, we recommended several policies to promote ecological conservation and improve human well-being in the Manas River Basin, and these policies could also be applied in other MOD areas.

The relationship between LUCC (land-use and land-cover change), ecosystem services and human well-being is not only an important cross topic in studies of natural ecological and social economic systems but also the key research direction and content of the GLP (Global Land Project) and Future Earth program, indicating its significance to the development of regional policy and the promotion of regional sustainable development. In the present study,“3S” (GIS, RS, GPS) technology, the Equivalence Factor Evaluation Method of Ecosystem Services and the Index System Evaluation Method of Human Well-being were separately used to analyze land use changes, ecosystem services and human well-being in the Manas River Basin in 2003 and 2013 and to characterize the relationship between these factors. The following conclusions were drawn: 1. In the past ten years, driven by the market economy, the structure of land use in the basin has obviously changed. Croplands and developed lands markedly increased, leading to a marked reduction in aquatic, grassland and woodland regions. 2. The land use changes resulted in a large increase in human economic income, in contrast with the obvious decrease in the value of climate regulation, gas regulation and other various types of ecosystem services influenced by the decrease in grasslands, woodlands and aquatic regions. 3. Most aspects of human well-being were improved. The most important aspect was the economic income well-being as a result of land use changes. However, the well-being associated with natural ecological resources showed a significant decline. 4. The extreme increase of croplands and developed lands has resulted in a structural imbalance of the ecosystem services and abnormal development of the structure of human well-being. Thus, to enhance the stability of the “nature-society-economy” system of the basin and pursue sustainable development, it is imperative to slow down or even stop the existing development trend of land use, and it is urgent to improve the structure of ecosystem services and human well-being.

As a result of the unsustainable way in which natural resources are consumed, the gaps between the supply and social demand of ecosystem services (ES) are gradually widening. In this regard, studies have increasingly assessed both ES supply and demand comprehensively. This current review covers recent case studies about the integrated assessment of ES supply and demand (IAESSD), which is defined as the application of ES supply and demand assessments in one case study. By combining some key words (e.g., ES, supply or capacity, demand or flow), 38 IAESSD case studies were selected. The “indicator-method-mismatches” in the case studies were then analyzed in detail. The results show that different indicators are applied to distinguish supply and demand. Mapping, participatory methods, and modeling are often used in IAESSD. ES supply–demand mismatches, which have a strong impact on human well-being by causing unsatisfied demand, are influenced by natural and anthropogenic factors. Because of the complex and interactive nature of ecological and economic systems, IAESSD faces challenges regarding the clarification of different ES components from supply to social demand and the provision of promising methods for the identification of ES mismatches. Thus, a framework for further IAESSD research is proposed. This framework highlights the importance of identifying multi-dimensional mismatches and matching ES supply and demand in practice.

Knowledge of ecosystem services (ES) supply and demand is highly important in formulating an effective and sustainable environmental policy. Since the 1980s, the Chinese government has implemented a series of nature conservation policies in the Loess Plateau, which has experienced heavy losses of soil and water. Based on this background, studies of ES supply in the Loess Plateau have received much attention, but local farmers’ demand for ES have been neglected. In the hilly and gully catchment of the Loess Plateau, we selected indicators, including key provisioning services (grain production and livestock), key regulating services (soil protection and water conservation) and local farmers’ income derived from ES, and constructed the supply and demand index of ES to examine changes from 1938 to 2010. The results show that the supply pattern of ES at our site was dominated by the government, especially after 1985. In recent years, the most concerning demand for ES by local farmers shifted from direct provisioning and regulating services to ES-related incomes. However, household surveys showed that the economic demand of most farmers could not be satisfied by the incomes derived from ES (e.g., livestock sales and subsidies from the Grain for Green policy), and a growing number of local farmers have left the catchment to become migrant workers, thus threatening the social stability of local villages. For future development of the Loess Plateau, the benefits of ES improvement should be offered more widely to local farmers who are the main forces of ecological restoration and ES sustainability.

Land transfers are an important approach to Chinese farmland management and intensive crop production as well as a primary government strategy to promote Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region development; these transfers are expected not only to generate social, economic, and ecological benefits but also to further Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei’s regional development by means of more efficient and sustainable resource use. However, together with the challenges associated with this process, several contradictions and problems have arisen that are now critical political and social concerns. Therefore, a modern demonstration zone of sustainable agriculture in Yi County, Hebei Province, China, was selected as a case study for emergy-based performance and sustainability evaluation of the associated social, economic, and ecological benefits before and after land transfer. The results suggest that land transfers have induced fundamental changes to land use, which improved performance in terms of resource use and sustainability indicators (based on the emergy approach) and have produced ecological, economic, and social benefits mainly based on the increased link to the surrounding larger scale economic system via the increased demand for labor and services from outside. Therefore, the emergy results, while highlighting the achieved or potential benefits, also indicate that local improvements cannot be fully achieved if the entire supply chain of goods and resources is not suitably improved as well and that the local system is heavily affected by the larger-scale functioning of the economy as a whole, such that all links across scales need to be monitored and carefully addressed.

The current understanding of how ecosystem services flow affects human well-being is not sufficient. As an important component of the biogeochemical cycle, carbon flows through various natural and artificial processes. Therefore, carbon can be used as a research vector to explore the relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being. This study proposed a method for a quantitative assessment of “ecosystem services-human well-being” based on carbon flows. The assessment of the changes in ecosystem services and human well-being based on carbon in the Manas River Basin from 1990 to 2015 revealed the complex relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being. The results were as follows: (1) The development of ecosystem services was uneven, with increasing provisioning services and decreasing regulating, supporting and cultural services. (2) The basic materials for a good life and health in human well-being showed an upward trend, and the security indicator showed a downward trend. (3) The indicators of the basic materials for a good life and health were significantly positively correlated with provisioning services and were significantly negatively correlated with the other three services. Moreover, the internal structure of the security and health indicators were malformed. (4) Over time, the impact of provisioning services on the well-being indicators has gradually weakened, and the influence of regulating, supporting and cultural services has continually increased. In general, this study evaluated the complex relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being through carbon flow quantification, which can not only unify the dimensions for comparison, but also eliminate the impact of subjective factors to achieve a scientific nature. It is not only helpful to provide theoretical and practical basis for scientific management of Manas River Basin, but also to explore a larger scale and a wider area in the world through selecting indicators according to local conditions.

Accurately identifying the spatiotemporal variations and driving factors of ecosystem services (ES) in ecological restoration is important for ecosystem management and the sustainability of nature conservation strategies. As the Green for Grain project proceeds, food provision, water regulation and climate regulation services in the Northern Shaanxi Loess Plateau (NSLP) are changing and have caused broad attention. In this study, the dynamic pattern of the normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) and the main drivers of grain production (GP), water yield (WY) and net primary production (NPP) in the NSLP from 2000–2013 are identified by incorporating multiple data and methods, in order to provide a better understanding of how and why ES change during ecological restoration. WY was simulated by hydrological modeling, and NPP was estimated with the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model. The results show that vegetation restoration continued from 2000–2013, but fluctuated because of the comprehensive influence of climate and human activity. GP and NPP both exhibited significantly increasing trends, while changes in WY occurred in two stages: decline (2000–2006) and growth (2007–2013). Spatially, significantly increasing trends in NPP and WY were detected in 52.73% and 24.76% of the region, respectively, in areas that correspond with the Green for Grain project and high precipitation growth. Correlation and partial correlation analyses show that there were different dominant factors (i.e., natural vs. anthropogenic) driving ES change in the NSLP from 2000–2013. The change in WY was mainly driven by precipitation, while the improvements in GP and NPP can be attributed to investments in natural capital (i.e., chemical fertilizer, agricultural machinery power and afforestation). We also found that vegetation restoration can produce positive effects on NPP, but negative effects on WY by using response analyses of WY or NPP change to NDVI change, demonstrating that additional research on the role of water in vegetation restoration is needed. Our results provide support for ES management and the sustainable development of ecological restoration in the NSLP.