Quantifying ecosystem service loss from wind farm-induced landscape fragmentation using remote sensing

Wind energy, a clean and renewable resource, is crucial for sustainable development. However, wind farm construction results in vegetation destruction and leads to negative ecological consequences. This study aims to quantify how wind farm-induced fragmentation alters ecosystem service value (ESV) estimates using a novel morphospatial pattern analysis (MSPA)-based remote sensing framework. Using multi-source, multi-temporal remote sensing imagery and a knowledge-enhanced change detection model, changes were analyzed at the land parcel level. Fragmentation was quantified via MSPA and integrated into ESV calculations. The model achieved high accuracy (F1: 0.9581; IoU: 0.9195), outperforming baselines. Results show that fragmentation significantly alters ESV estimates. Before construction, fragmentation-adjusted ESV (LFESV) was CNY 1063.13 million—12.44% lower than traditional estimates. After construction, LFESV dropped to CNY 1005.66 million—15.50% lower than the standard post-construction ESV. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating landscape fragmentation into ecological impact assessments of wind energy projects.