Pathways from the payment for ecosystem services program to ecological and socio-economic outcomes

• Published in: Ecological indicators Vol. 144; p. 109534
• Main Authors: Jia, Lei, Deng, Yuanjie, Hou, Mengyang, Li, Yuanyuan, Ding, Zhenmin, Yao, Shunbo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Ecological restoration; Loess Plateau; Payment for ecosystem services; Sloping land conversion program; Structural equation model; Ecological restoration; Payment for ecosystem services; Sloping land conversion program; Structural equation model; Loess Plateau
• ISSN: 1470-160X; 1872-7034
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109534

•We evaluated the ecological and socio-economic outcomes of SLCP implementation on the Loess Plateau.•We reveal the direct and indirect effects of SLCP implementation on selected ecological and socio-economic outcomes.•Our study helps test assumptions about SCLP programs and points to ways that future program design can be improved.•An improved payment for ecosystem services program can achieve both ecological and socio-economic objectives. As a new natural resource management tool based on financial incentives, payment for ecosystem services (PES) plays a vital role in balancing socio-economic development and ecological protection. China’s Sloping land conversion program (SLCP) is one of the most expensive PES programs in the world, and its implementation effectiveness has received much attention. However, the complex mechanism by which project implementation affects socio-economic development and ecosystem services remains elusive. To reveal the interaction pathways between PES programs, socio-economic development, and the natural environment, Loess Plateau, a key region for SLCP implementation in China, was selected as the subject of this study. Furthermore, the RUSLE model was adopted to evaluate the changes in soil conservation services between 2000 and 2015. Based on the Structural equation model (SEM), the links between SLCP, agricultural development, population transfer, urbanization, natural environment, and ecosystem services were investigated. The results showed that the soil conservation services in Loess Plateau were significantly improved after SLCP implementation, with a total increase of 13.88 × 108 t from 2000 to 2015. The long-term socio-economic impact of SLCP was not significant, except for the first stage of SLCP implementation where agricultural development was inhibited. The implementation of SLCP directly improved soil conservation services and improved soil conservation services through through its indirect effect on agricultural development. We also found that the different stages of SLCP implementation had different effects on the improvement of soil conservation services. The efficiency of the second stage was higher than that of the first stage. Socio-economic factors and natural environmental conditions had negative effects on soil conservation services. In addition, the socio-economic effects of SLCP implementation varied at different stages. Based on the study results, we suggest that the subsequent SLCP implementation should focus on maintaining the results, and the impact of different socio-economic factors should be considered. This study provides a framework for a better understanding of the complex mechanisms through which SLCP affects socio-economic, ecosystem services, and natural conditions.