Trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services and their drivers in the forests of the South China Karst

A decline in ecosystem service values of up to 9.77% has been observed in the forests of South China Karst, primarily driven by trade-offs between services such as water yield and soil conservation, which increased by 13.44% and 4.94%, respectively, while carbon storage and biodiversity declined. The study reveals that these changes are influenced by both internal and external drivers, with precipitation and temperature positively affecting ecosystem services, whereas population density has a negative impact. These findings suggest that adopting a framework based on these drivers could guide optimal forest management strategies in this region.

He, C., Xiong, K., & Rong, L. (2025). Trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services and their drivers in the forests of the South China Karst. Npj Heritage Science, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01847-z