Ecosystem services and land use change research in the mountain regions of China: a systematic review

Land use/land cover (LULC) change driven by anthropogenic activities has increasingly threatened mountain ecosystem services (MESs). Yet, a systematic understanding of this issue in the mountains of China remains limited. This study aims to synthesize the current state of knowledge on Chinese MES and LULC research, identify key research trends, and inform future research and policy directions in Chinese mountains. We systematically reviewed 203 peer-reviewed articles published between 2007 and 2024, including 82 in Chinese and 121 in English. Although most studies (79%) are historically oriented, the attention to future scenario-based assessments is growing rapidly. English-language literature tends to adopt broader regional scales and longer time durations, focusing on ecological processes through biophysical models. In contrast, Chinese studies primarily operate at a smaller regional or local scale and rely heavily on statistical analysis and mapping, especially based on the value transfer method for ES valuation. Despite growing academic attention since 2018, major research gaps remain: The lack of a unified multiscale framework has led to fragmented and poorly comparable ES assessments; the use of time-series approaches or studies with over three temporal observations remain limited (33%), constraining the analysis of MES and LULC evolution, trade-offs, and system feedbacks; and the lack of futural scenario-based evolution under different land policies and extreme environmental changes. Our findings contribute to the scientific guidance for the implementation of future ecological restoration planning in China and other mountainous regions.