Trade-Offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration

Since ecosystem services (ESs) have become effective tools for urban planning, spatiotemporal analysis of regional ESs and a deep understanding of the trade-offs among ESs are of great significance to regional governance. In this study, the spatial and temporal changes of four basic ESs were analyzed by combining statistical data with the InVEST model across the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration, China. The trade-offs among the related ESs were analyzed at the urban agglomeration scale and the city scale by correlation analysis. The results showed that: (1) Construction land increased by 6.78% from 2000 to 2018, while cultivated land and forest decreased. (2) Water yield showed an increasing trend, while carbon storage, food production, and habitat quality showed a downward trend from 2000 to 2018. (3) The four ecosystem services were significantly correlated, with synergies existing between water yield and food production, and between habitat quality and carbon storage, while other relationships are trade-offs. What is more, the scale has little influence on the direction of ES trade-off or synergy but influences the degree of the relationship. This empirical evidence on ES relationships in urban agglomerations can provide a reference for the sustainable development of ESs and efficient management of urban agglomerations.