The non-significant correlation between landscape ecological risk and ecosystem services in Xi'an Metropolitan Area, China

As critical prerequisite for sustainable development research of social ecosystem (SDSE), the relationship between landscape security pattern and ecosystem services should be explicitly evaluated to support SDSE research. However, the existing evaluation system lacking of integrating analysts of the factors led to vague knowledge of the SDSE mechanism. To tackle this issue, this study, therefore, explored the relationship between landscape ecological risk and ecosystem services (e.g. carbon sequestration, soil conservation, water yield, crop production and residential support) at Xi’an Metropolitan Area using remote sensing data in 2010 and 2020. The results show that the overall landscape ecological risk decreased from 0.2618 to 0.2479. Although the rapid development of urban leading improvement for landscape ecological security and residential support, the total ecosystem services has declined due to the decline in water yield and crop production. Preventing the landscape ecological risk on landscape fragmentation cannot improve the level of ecosystem services. Notably, the stronger interference of human activities overwhelmingly caused a single advantageous ecosystem services with extreme risk, while the less caused multiple advantageous ecosystem services of ecological regulation with medium–low level ecological risk. Additionally, the competitive relationship between the crop production and residential support would not produce higher risk led by the intervention of human activity. The integrating of crop production and carbon sequestration (or soil conservation) resulted in high risk. Using these results, a potential spatial plan of Xi'an Metropolitan Area is then made based on multiple advantageous areas of ecosystem services. This study benefits decision-making for regional comprehensive risk prevention, future spatial pattern planning and development orientation, and sustainable development research of social ecosystem.