The impact of mining changes on surrounding lands and ecosystem service value in the Southern Slope of Qilian Mountains

Abstract Surface mining can destroy the ecosystems and result in the loss of the service values of the surrounding ecosystems through direct occupation and indirect impact on the neighboring ecosystems. In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), where the ecological system is fragile and sensitive, the mining development has led to a series of ecological and environmental issues and social controversies and aroused much attention in the recent years. This paper selected six typical open-pit coal mines in the Southern Slope of Qilian Mountain (SSQM) in the northern QTP to monitor the changes of mining extent and the surrounding land cover from 1975 to 2016 and estimate the surrounding ecosystem service value (ESV) changes by considering spatial adjacency effects. A trade-off analysis is finally employed to compare the mining benefit and ESV loss associated with the development of mining areas. Results showed that the mining areas increased in six regions, especially after year 2000, which resulted in the decline of wetland, meadow and grassland areas. The regional ecosystem service values decreased with the expansion of mining areas, and the spatial adjacency effect has accelerated with the loss of ecosystem service value, especially the service value of wetlands and hydrological regulation function. The larger the mining extent and unit area value of the surrounding ecosystem services, the greater the ESV loss due to mining activities, and the dispersive and disorderly exploitation of mining areas will also result in a rapid increase in ESV loss, while mining development in areas with lower ESV is more beneficial. The results of this paper are instructive to the development and planning of mineral resources in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and other ecologically fragile areas.