Mitigating Soil and Land Degradation: Socio‐Ecological Perspectives on Ecosystem Service Trade‐Offs

ABSTRACT Globally, mangrove forests offer a wide range of ecosystem services that are vulnerable due to land degradation and climate change. Mangrove protection and their restoration strategies have been getting more attention for restoring these significant ecosystem services. Land management practices play a crucial role in balancing ecosystem services with agricultural needs. The present study investigates the trade‐offs and synergies among key ecosystem services in the Dongzhaigang Mangrove Nature Reserve, northeast Hainan province, China. This study analyzes the different indices (i.e., normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI], normalized difference water index [NDWI]), Random Forest algorithm for mangrove cover area and land use land cover (LULC) classification from 2017 to 2024. The study period found maximum NDVI mean values that is, 0.162 and 0.157, in the years 2021 and 2022. In contrast, NDWI showed a declining trend that is, 14.39%, showing rising pressure on aquatic ecosystems. The results of mangrove cover area increased by 43.1% during the study period from 2017 to 2024. The LULC classification highlights that the water surface decreased, while both the tree‐covered area and built‐up area increased in the studied region. In conclusion, overall findings reveal a clear trade‐off: expansion of mangrove cover enhances regulating and supporting ecosystem services, while the loss of water bodies leads to challenges to provisioning services. These trends highlight the need for targeted, evidence‐based interventions, including optimizing irrigation scheduling to reduce moisture stress and strengthening mangrove conservation zones to sustain coastal protection. This situation emphasizes the necessity for integrated land and water management to maintain a balanced ecosystem service for long‐term sustainability.