Impacts of natural and human factors on water-related ecosystem services in the Dongting Lake Basin

Correctly identifying and understanding the drivers of ecosystem change and their impacts on ecosystem services (ESs) could provide comprehensive supporting information for ecological governance decisions. This study aimed to identify the key drivers and influencers of natural and human factors on water-related ecosystem services (WESs) in three aspects: spatial heterogeneity contribution, driving relationships, and constraining relationships. The study area included the Dongting Lake Basin, which was divided into 2816 sub-basins as the spatial unit. The WESs of water production, soil conservation, and water purification (output nitrogen) from 2000 to 2020 were quantified, and the impact of environmental factors on WESs and ES enhancement potential were assessed. The results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the three WESs increased in varying degrees; water production, soil conservation, and nitrogen export increased by 27.60%, 43.20%, and 1.50%, respectively. (2) Precipitation (PRE), slope (Slope), and percentage of ecological land (ELP) were the dominant factors influencing the spatial heterogeneity pattern of water production, soil conservation, and nitrogen output, respectively; PRE, Slope, and ELP had evident nonlinear relationships with the WESs and displayed segmental regression relationship characteristics. (3) Natural and human factors had significant constraining effects on the WESs, even though the driving effects were not significant. (4) Potential measurement results that integrate the driving and limiting effects of factors showed significant heterogeneity, which allows for the screening of efficient ES enhancement measures and locating the implementation space. Therefore, comprehensively considering the effects of multiple drivers and obtaining a multilateral understanding of the impact of the driving factors on ESs will help refine and optimize environmental management decisions. • The three water-related ecosystem services showed an overall increasing trend. • PRE, Slope, and ELP were dominant factors in forming spatial heterogeneity pattern. • Key drivers had a significant nonlinear driving effects on WESs. • Natural and human factors had a significant constraining effect on WESs.