Quantifying ecosystem services of dominate forests in the Beijing mountain area

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2020-08, Vol.27 (22), p.27773-27785
• Main Authors: Mo, Lichun, Liu, Jiakai, Chen, Jiancheng, Xie, Yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Afforestation; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Beijing; Biodiversity; Carbon Sequestration; China; Coniferous forests; Conservation of Natural Resources; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecological function; Ecosystem; Ecosystem management; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Forest management; Forests; Mountain regions; Mountains; Research Article; Soil conservation; Soil water; Soils; Trees; Waste Water Technology; Water conservation; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water resources
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09013-7

In this study, the forest landscape in the Beijing mountain area is assessed using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model. The results showed the natural forests have higher functional capital than the planted forests and different species contribute to different ecological functions. Specifically, Larix gmelinii forests have the highest water resources and soil conservation function which are about 334.14 m 3  hm −2  year −1 and 115.92 t hm −2  year −1 ; Betula allegansis forests have the highest carbon storage and biodiversity function which are about 128.46 t hm −2  year −1 and 0.76. Besides soil, water is conserved more within coniferous forests than within broadleaf forests. Carbon sequestration and the functional capacity for biodiversity within a unit area of coniferous forests are much smaller than those within a unit area of a broadleaf forest. Previous studies highlight the forest management strategies will influence the ecosystem functions while in the current studies we also found the species option during the afforestation is equally important and protecting of the natural forests is more important than afforestation for maintaining the ecological functional capitals.