ASSESSING LANDSCAPE SUSTAINABILITY BY COUPLING ECOSYSTEM SERVICE SUPPLY-DEMAND AND ES-SDG LINKAGES: A CASE STUDY OF YIXING CITY IN THE TAIHU LAKE BASIN

Understanding the coupling relationship between ecosystem service (ES) supply-demand matching and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is crucial for achieving landscape sustainability in rapidly urbanizing regions. This study focuses on Yixing City, a typical urbanizing area within the Taihu Lake Basin, and constructs a "Landscape Sustainability Assessment Framework Coupling ES Supply-Demand and ES-SDG Linkages". Using the InVEST model and socioeconomic data, we quantified the supply-demand levels of five key ESs, evaluated SDG attainment across Yixing’s townships based on ES-SDG linkages, and comprehensively characterized their landscape sustainability (LS). Key findings include: (1) Significant spatial variability in ES supply-demand balances across townships, with carbon sequestration showing the most pronounced imbalance; (2) SDG 8 (Economic Growth) consistently outperformed other SDGs, while SDG 7 (Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) exhibited lower attainment levels; (3) Among the 18 townships, 12 displayed improving trends in landscape sustainability. Xinzhuang achieved the highest sustainability, whereas Yicheng and Qiting ranked lowest; (4) Targeted strategies—such as ecological restoration tailored to local ES deficits, enhancing critical ES supplies, and prioritizing key SDGs—are needed to improve regional landscape sustainability.