Integrating Ecosystem Service Assessment, Human Activity Impacts, and Priority Conservation Area Delineation into Ecological Management Frameworks

The comprehensive protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts is critical for enhancing ecological environmental quality and fulfilling the aspirations of ecological civilization in the modern era. Centered on the key project area of the Mountain-River Project within the Luohe River Basin of the Eastern Qinling Mountains, this study employs the InVEST model to assess spatiotemporal variations in habitat quality (HQ), water yield (WY), carbon sequestration (CS), and soil retention (SR) for the years 2000, 2010, and 2020. This study further examines the trade-offs and synergies among these ecosystem services, integrates the Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) and GIS methodology with human activity patterns, determines the optimal management scenario, and offers targeted recommendations for optimization. The findings reveal that areas of high habitat quality, carbon sequestration, and soil retention are predominantly concentrated in the western and southwestern regions of the basin, whereas high-value zones of water yield are primarily situated in the southern and southwestern sectors. Habitat quality demonstrates significant synergies with other ecosystem services, whereas water yield presents a notable trade-off with soil retention. By conducting a comparative analysis of protection efficiency, we identified priority conservation areas predominantly located in the southern and southwestern regions of the basin. Moreover, through overlaying the priority conservation zones with the Human Footprint Index (HFI), the priority conservation area was precisely delineated to encompass 5.41 × 105 hectares. This methodology provides critical guidance for the implementation of the Mountain-River Project and offers substantial value in scientifically advancing ecological restoration initiatives.