Substantial Divergence in the Evolutionary Trajectories of Water Conservation Function under Different Land-Use and Climate Change Scenarios

Focusing on contrasting climate and land-use pathways, this analysis explores the changing trajectories of water conservation functions over time. An integrated framework combining the PLUS and InVEST models with Spearman’s correlation analysis and geographically weighted regression(GWR) was applied to examine the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and underlying drivers of water conservation function in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone during the period 2000–2020.Thus, it further predicted the evolution trend under two scenarios, namely SSP1-1.9 (Sustainable Development Pathway) and SSP2-4.5 (Medium Development Pathway), for the period 2030–2050. The findings reveal that: (1) Between 2000 and 2020, the spatial distribution of water conservation function shifted markedly, with low-value areas contracting and high-value zones expanding, alongside a progressive transition toward a predominantly medium-to-high functional structure. (2) Precipitation (PRE) and forest coverage proportion (FCP) were primary positive drivers, whereas evapotranspiration (PET) and built-up land proportion (BUP) served as significant negative drivers. (3) Future simulations revealed that under the sustainable development pathway (SSP1-1.9), the combined area of high and extreme functional zones would recover by 2050, whereas under the moderate development pathway (SSP2-4.5), such extreme functional zones were nearly eliminated. These results underscore the substantial impact of development pathways on regional water security and sustainability.