Exploring the Spatiotemporal Changes and Driving Forces of Ecosystem Services of Zhejiang Coasts, China, Under Sustainable Development Goals

Ecosystem services (ESs) refer to the continuous provisioning of ecosystem goods and services that benefit human beings. Over recent decades, rapid urbanization has exerted significant pressure on coastal ecosystems, resulting in biodiversity and habitat loss, environmental pollution, and the depletion of natural resources. In response to these environmental challenges, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were proposed. Given the pressing need to address these issues, understanding the changes in ESs under the SDGs is crucial for formulating specific ecological strategies. In this study, we first analyzed land use and cover change in the Zhejiang coasts of China during 2000–2020. Then, we investigated the spatiotemporal configuration of ESs by integrating carbon storage (CS), soil retention (SR), habitat quality (HQ) and water yield (WY) using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. The driving mechanisms of ESs, which varied by space and time, were also explored using the Geo-detector method. The results revealed that, over the past two decades: 1) the Zhejiang coasts have experienced a significant increase of 2783.72 km² in built-up land areas and a continuous decrease in farmland areas due to rapid urbanization; 2) owing to higher precipitation, extensive vegetation cover, and reduced anthropogenic disturbances, forests emerge as a crucial land use type for maintaining ecosystem services such as HQ, CS, WY, and SR; 3) ESs have generally declined across the entire Zhejiang coasts, with a significant decrease observed in the northern areas and an increase in the southern areas spatially; 4) the expansion of built-up land areas emerged as the primary factor affecting ecosystem services, while the vegetation factor has been increasingly significant and is expected to become predominant in the near future. Our study provides insights of understanding of ecosystem service theory and emphasizing the importance of preserving biodiversity for long-term sustainable development, and valuable scientific references to support the ecological management decision-making for local governments.