The Gaoligong Mountains, renowned for their ecological significance and rich biodiversity, play a vital role in maintaining regional ecological balance. However, systematic studies on its ecosystem services remain scarce.
In a study published in Journal of Environmental Management, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed the complex spatiotemporal relationships among multiple ecosystem services (ESs) in the Gaoligong Mountains, a transboundary biodiversity hotspot straddling China and Myanmar.
The researchers used a gradient-based approach to assess the distribution patterns of four key ecosystem services—water yield, carbon storage, net primary productivity (NPP), and habitat quality. By analyzing data from 2001 to 2020, they examined the variations in services across different altitudinal gradients and explored the natural and human factors influencing the relationships among services.
Additionally, they combined field surveys and remote sensing techniques to obtain data on land use, vegetation cover, and environmental conditions, thereby gaining deeper insights into the interplay among services.
They found that the ecosystem services in the Gaoligong Mountains are significantly spatially heterogeneous and temporally dynamic when considering both the impacts of climate change and human activity.
On the southern slopes, water yield and NPP exhibited significant trade-offs due to climatic constraints and monoculture plantation expansion. While single-species plantations boosted NPP and reduced soil permeability, undermining water retention capacity.
Furthermore, mid-elevation forests demonstrated strong synergies between carbon storage and habitat quality. Pristine mid-montane evergreen broadleaf forests supported carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. However, high-intensity human activities (e.g., cropland fragmentation, invasive species) shifted the relationship to a trade-off, highlighting conflicts between short-term provisioning and long-term regulatory services.
The study underscores the urgency of prioritizing ecological restoration in trade-off-prone areas. “To achieve sustainable mountain management, it is necessary to prioritize constructing mid-altitude ecological corridors and promote adaptive agroforestry systems to balance the need for short-term provisioning and long-term regulating services,”said XU Guorui of XTBG.
Available online: 10 May 2025
