Spatio-temporal analysis of human wellbeing and its coupling relationship with ecosystem services in Shandong province, China

Rapid economic and social change promotes to improve human wellbeing (HW), but poses threats to ecosystems and the environment. Studying the coupling relationship between HW and ecosystem services (ES) is crucial for informing high-quality development. Firstly, we built a comprehensive index system for HW assessment, and evaluated HW for 17 prefecture-level cities in Shandong province, China, from 2000 to 2018. Then, we quantified ES based on land use data. Finally, we assessed the coupling coordination degree and analyzed the relationships between HW and each type of ES value. The results were as follows: (1) HW values increased overall in Shandong, with the highest value in Jinan (0.8034) and the lowest value in Heze (0.4965) in 2018. (2) The total ES values for the 17 cities increased slightly. The ranking of 17 cities according to the ES value per unit area was different from the ranking according to the total ES value. (3) All 17 cities in Shandong were in the coordinated development phase after 2015, with increasing coupling coordination degrees. There were clear positive relationships between HW and ES. General and specific policy recommendations were proposed, providing scientific evidence and a reference for Shandong’s urban management and policy formulation.