Integrating ecosystem services and human well-being into management practices: Insights from a mountain-basin area, China

• Published in: Ecosystem services Vol. 27; pp. 58 - 69
• Main Authors: Wang, Bojie, Tang, Haiping, Xu, Ying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-10-2017
• Subjects: Ecosystem services; Local management; Mountain-basin area; Social perceptions; Subjective well-being; Subjective well-being; Local management; Ecosystem services; Mountain-basin area; Social perceptions
• ISSN: 2212-0416; 2212-0416
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.07.018

•We integrated ecosystem services and human well-being in a mountain-basin area.•The mountainous area showed high regulating services (carbon sequestration and soil retention), habitat quality and forest recreation, but a low level of well-being.•High provisioning services generally coincided with high well-being.•We developed a framework for integrating ecosystem services and human well-being into management practices.
The integration of ecosystem services and human well-being into local management and planning remains a challenge in mountain-basin areas. We described the spatial distribution of 8 ecosystem services and analyzed tradeoffs and synergies among them in 2005–2015 based on spatial data and statistical data. Using data from a questionnaire survey, we identified the perception of ecosystem services and assessed subjective well-being. We integrated ecosystem services and subjective well-being using a cluster analysis across townships in the Huailai mountain-basin area, located in a farming-pastoral area of China. Within the mountain-basin area, regulating services (carbon sequestration and soil retention), habitat quality and forest recreation were most represented in mountain areas, which had low levels of well-being. High provisioning services generally coincided with high well-being. From the perspectives of stakeholders, two provisioning services (crop and fruit) were perceived as important to well-being but not vulnerable, and four services (soil fertility, nature appreciation, carbon sequestration and fresh water) were critical. Five indicators in well-being (housing conditions, the public health system, natural hazard control, educational freedom and job freedom) were identified as important but not satisfied. Based on our findings, we developed a framework for integrating ecosystem services and human well-being into management practices.