Quantifying the difference between supply and demand of ecosystem services at different spatial-temporal scales: A case study of the Taihu Lake Basin

Understanding the relationship between the supply and demand for ecosystem services (ESs) is critical for ecological management and decision-making. However, it is unknown whether demand and supply for ESs vary in terms of time and space. In this study, the InVEST model was used to spatially quantify the supply and demand for ESs in the Taihu Lake Basin (TLB) between 2010 and 2020. We compared the difference in supply and demand for ESs at four spatial scales. We found that: (1) The high deficit areas are mainly located in densely populated towns in the eastern and central regions, while the high surplus areas are mainly located in forested areas in the southwest. From 2010 to 2020, the surplus area shrank while the deficit area expanded. (2) The comprehensive supply-demand ratio of ESs in the TLB decreased from −0.03 to −0.05, especially the contradiction between carbon sequestration service and heat regulation service. (3) The mismatch between supply and demand on a small scale will have an impact on the overall supply and demand, and expanding the scope can also help to alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand on a small scale. Therefore, we recommend that decision-makers and managers incorporate scale analysis into ecosystem management decisions, realize the balance between supply and demand through reasonable ecological protection and ecological restoration and strengthen the analysis of ecosystem service flows and stakeholders.