Land Use Optimization from the Perspective of Multiple Stakeholder Groups: A Case Study in Yongsheng County, Yunnan Province, China

With China’s rapid economic development in recent years, enhancing the sense of well-being among citizens has become a critical objective. However, the interests of various stakeholder groups are often overlooked in decision-making surrounding land use. In this study, Yongsheng County, Yunnan Province serves as a case study for land use scenario simulations. The equivalent factor method is combined with Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) to investigate the relationship between ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) and the equity index of multiple stakeholder groups in various land use scenarios. We also explore whether an optimal combination of land use types exists. The results indicate that (1) The current ecosystem service value in Yongsheng County is primarily driven by climate regulation and biodiversity conservation, with a relatively high functional value index but a comparatively low equity index; (2) Different stakeholder groups mainly prioritize food production and ecosystem services impacting food production, such as water resource provision and climate regulation; (3) A land use allocation pattern of 20% farmland, 4% water bodies, 21% mixed forest, 20% coniferous forest, and 35% grassland appears to provide the optimal EMF index while simultaneously achieving the optimal equity index across stakeholder groups. This research may offer valuable insights for optimizing land use planning while taking into account the well-being of diverse stakeholder groups. It also may have practical implications for the formulation of innovative land use management strategies.