Study of the spatial connection between urbanization and the ecosystem—A case study of Central Yunnan (China)

This study provides new perspectives on urban development and conservation by exploring the spatial interaction between ecosystem services and urbanization. Limited studies have discussed the interaction between ecosystem services and urbanization; therefore, in this research, the spatial relationship between ecosystem services and urbanization is explored by taking the urban agglomeration in Central Yunnan as an example, and land-use data and economic and social data from 2009 and 2018 are used to determine the interactive impact of urbanization on the urban ecosystem. It is shown that (1) the spatial distribution of the urbanization level of the urban agglomeration in Central Yunnan has significant regional differences, showing a decreasing trend from the urbanized area to the surrounding areas. (2) Another factor with obvious regional differences is the spatial distribution of ecosystem services, which is similar to urbanization in spatial distribution. This difference is mainly caused by the impact of the urbanization level and the change in land use. (3) The spatial distribution and local agglomeration of urbanization and the ecosystem service value of urban agglomeration in Central Yunnan are very similar, and there is a significant negative correlation between the urbanization level and ecosystem service value. The research results have guiding significance for future urban and ecological development in Central Yunnan city.