Exploring the complex trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services in the Tibet autonomous region

A clear understanding of complex trade-off and synergy (TOS) relationships among different kinds of ecosystem services (ESs) is vital for promoting regional sustainable development, especially for the Tibet Autonomous Region. However, the relevant systematically study of this region is still lacking. Here we quantified six key ESs dynamics, explored the relationships between paired ESs using Pearson correlation coefficient, identified the TOS bundles using K-means cluster analysis, and investigated the social-ecological drivers by redundancy analysis (RDA). We found that: (1) from 1995 to 2015, the ESs of food production and livestock supply increased, despite half kinds of ESs decreased. Soil conservation service remained basically unchanged; (2) the synergistic relationships were always more pronounced than the trade-off relationships on the two study scales (Tibet and county). Both of the relationships between water yield and net primary productivity and that between water yield and livestock supply shifted from synergistic dominance toward trade-off dominance; (3) Six kinds of TOS bundles at the county scale clearly expressed different combinations of relationships among paired ESs. Different TOS bundles represented different ecological function characteristics. The spatial distribution pattern of these bundles basically unchanged; (4) The drivers that affected the distribution and changes in ESs and TOS bundles differed over time, but rainfall was always an important driver. Rainfall and temperature are key factors affecting the changes in TOS bundles. These findings can provide an updated understanding of the complex trade-offs and synergies among ESs, and provide a reliable basis for the classified management of sustainable ecological development at the county level.