Correlation Analysis of Ecosystem Service Value and Land Use Carbon Emissions Based on Four-Quadrant Model: A Case Study of the Loess Plateau Region

Human activities cause land use change and affect ecosystem service value and carbon emissions. It is of great significance to explore the relationship between ecosystem service value and land use carbon emissions to promote regional low-carbon development and promote the construction of ecological civilization. The Loess Plateau is selected as the study area, and the ecosystem service value (ESV) and land use carbon emissions in the study area are estimated by using the land use data of five periods from 2000 to 2020. The spatio-temporal characteristics and correlation between the two are analyzed, and the sustainable development capacity of the ecosystem is evaluated based on the four-quadrant model. The results show that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the ecosystem service value of the Loess Plateau increased from 579.032 billion yuan to 582.470 billion yuan, an overall increase of only 0.15%. (2) The carbon emissions from land use in the Loess Plateau increased from 1.37 ×108t during the study period increased to 4.58×108t, with an average annual growth rate of 6.20%. Energy consumption in the process of industrialization and urbanization is the main factor for its growth. (3) There is a certain spatial positive correlation between ecosystem service value and land use carbon emissions, and the regional scope and distribution of significant correlation between 2000 and 2020 have little change. (4) The intensity of ecosystem service value and land use carbon emissions at the county scale change steadily over time. Most counties are located in the general area of ecosystem sustainable development capacity, indicating that there is a certain room for improvement in ecosystem sustainable development capacity. The research results can provide reference for the formulation of regional refined ecological management and differentiated carbon emission reduction policies.