Impacts of traffic accessibility on ecosystem services: An integrated spatial approach

The continuous degradation of ecosystem services is an important challenge faced by the world. Improvements in transportation infrastructure have had substantial impacts on economic development and ecosystem services. Exploring the influence of traffic accessibility on ecosystem services can delay or stop their deterioration; however, studies on its impact are lacking. This study addresses this gap by analysing the impact of traffic accessibility on ecosystem services using an integrated spatial regression approach based on an evaluation of the ecosystem services value (ESV) and traffic accessibility in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration (MRYRUA) in China. The results indicated that the ESV in the MRYRUA continuously decreased during the study period, and the average ESV in plain areas, areas surrounding the core cities, and areas along the main traffic routes was significantly lower than that in areas along the Yangtze River and the surrounding mountainous areas. Traffic accessibility continued to increase during the study period, and the high-value areas centred on Wuhan, Changsha, Nanchang, and Yichang were radially distributed. The global bivariate spatial autocorrelation coefficient between the average ESV and traffic accessibility was negative. The average ESV and traffic accessibility exhibited significant spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity. Spatial regression also proved that there was a negative association between the average ESV and traffic accessibility, and scale effects were evident. The findings of this study have important policy implications for future ecological protection and transportation planning.