Land Use and Land Cover Change: A Key Driver of Ecosystem Service Supply and Trade-offs

Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) processes involve the conversion of natural ecosystems into croplands or pastures, as well as urban development encroaching upon high-quality croplands. These activities significantly alter the terrestrial biogeochemical cycles of the Earth's surface. Consequently, numerous studies have demonstrated that LUCC is a pivotal factor influencing the supply of Ecosystem Services. These studies have explored the impact of LUCC's structure, intensity, spatial pattern, and dynamics on Ecosystem Service supply. LUCC activities drive both positive and negative changes in various types of ecosystem services, leading to trade-offs or synergies among these services. For instance, some examples include water conservation services (Gao et al., 2017), food production services (Lorencova et al., 2013), carbon sequestration services (Kim et al., 2016), and soil conservation services (Wang et al., 2022), among others.