3.2. Changes of the ESV in Inner Mongolia from 1981 to 2010

The total ESV of Inner Mongolia decreased 67.16 billion yuan from 1981 to 2010 (Table 2), which was equivalent to 5.74% of Inner Mongolia's GDP in 2010. For different land use types, the ESV of forest and undegraded grassland decreased significantly, and the ratio of the total value of the two ecosystems dropped from 52.02% in 1981 to 44.18% in 2010. In addition, the ESV of desert also showed a downward trend with a rate of change of 19.12%. The increase of ESV mainly occurred in farmland and desertified land, and the ESV of desertified land had increased 19.97 billion yuan.

The ESV in Inner Mongolia had illustrated a great spatial heterogeneity (Figure 3); the ESV in eastern and southern part was higher than western and northern part. The high value area (500–110 million yuan) was mainly located in hlbr, and the unit grid (64 km<sup>2</sup> ) ESV reached more than 50 million yuan, while the unit grid ESV in alsh located in the western of Inner Mongolia was less than 5 million yuan, which was mainly attributed to the zonal distribution of vegetation. Compared with 1981, the ESV in northeastern hsdk and central hlbr had

decreased in 2010, while the ESV in northeastern erdos had increased, and other regions did

The Impact of Desertification Dynamics on Regional Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Inner Mongolia (China)

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From 1981 to 2010, the desertification dynamic (reversion and expansion) in Inner Mongolia had a great impact on the whole regional ESV, which had led to a loss of 15.89 billion yuan of the ESV (Tables 3 and 4), accounting for 23.7% of the total loss. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the change of ESV and the change of ESV caused by desertification reached

The increment of the ESV caused by desertification reversion was 32.43 billion yuan, which accounted for 6.25% of the total ESV in 2010. The increment of the ESV caused by desertification reversion among different degrees reached 10.05 billion yuan, and the reversion of high desertification had led to an increment of 4.17 billion yuan. The increment of the ESV caused by reversion from deserts and desertified land to non-desertified lands was about 2.2 times as much as the increment of the ESV caused by reversion between lands with different desertification degrees, and the reversion from deserts and desertified land to undegraded grassland alone increased the ESV by 10.65 billion yuan. In terms of desertification expansion, expansion between lands with different desertification degrees had led to 10.17 billion yuan loss of ESV.

3.3. The impact of desertification dynamics on regional ESV in Inner Mongolia

Figure 3. Spatial distribution of unit grid ESV in Inner Mongolia in 1981 and 2010. (a) 1981 and (b) 2010.

0.63 (p < 0.05), which showed a moderate linear correlation between them.

not change obviously.


Table 2. The total regional ESV and its change in Inner Mongolia between 1981 and 2010 (billion yuan).

The Impact of Desertification Dynamics on Regional Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Inner Mongolia (China) http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74817 19

lands accounts for 9.38% of total desertification area, which was dominated by the reversion to undegraded grassland. The expansion of desertification mainly occurred in central-northern Inner Mongolia, such as southwestern hlbr, hsdk, and char. The desertification expansion in hsdk accounted for the largest proportion of total desertification area, reaching 13.76%. The expansion area among differing degrees of desertification accounted for 12.28% of the whole deserts and desertified land, and the area of land that expanded from non-desertified lands to deserts and desertified land was nearly twice as much as the area of desertification expansion among different degrees, which was mainly attributed to the expansion from undegraded

The total ESV of Inner Mongolia decreased 67.16 billion yuan from 1981 to 2010 (Table 2), which was equivalent to 5.74% of Inner Mongolia's GDP in 2010. For different land use types, the ESV of forest and undegraded grassland decreased significantly, and the ratio of the total value of the two ecosystems dropped from 52.02% in 1981 to 44.18% in 2010. In addition, the ESV of desert also showed a downward trend with a rate of change of 19.12%. The increase of ESV mainly occurred in farmland and desertified land, and the ESV of desertified land had

The ESV in Inner Mongolia had illustrated a great spatial heterogeneity (Figure 3); the ESV in eastern and southern part was higher than western and northern part. The high value area

more than 50 million yuan, while the unit grid ESV in alsh located in the western of Inner Mongolia was less than 5 million yuan, which was mainly attributed to the zonal distribution of vegetation. Compared with 1981, the ESV in northeastern hsdk and central hlbr had

Land type ESV The ecological value change Rate (%)

Forest 304.97 229.35 75.62 2.48 Undegraded grassland 181.65 160.28 21.37 1.18 Farmland 15.38 18.25 2.88 1.87 Water areas 7.80 15.19 7.40 9.49 Desert 2.19 1.77 0.42 1.91 Low desertification 22.69 23.91 1.22 0.54 Medium desertification 34.42 51.21 16.79 4.88 High desertification 12.54 14.12 1.58 1.26 Severe desertification 4.65 5.03 0.38 0.82 Total 586.28 519.12 67.16 1.15

Table 2. The total regional ESV and its change in Inner Mongolia between 1981 and 2010 (billion yuan).

) ESV reached

(500–110 million yuan) was mainly located in hlbr, and the unit grid (64 km<sup>2</sup>

1981 2010

grassland to desertification.

18 Community and Global Ecology of Deserts

increased 19.97 billion yuan.

3.2. Changes of the ESV in Inner Mongolia from 1981 to 2010

Figure 3. Spatial distribution of unit grid ESV in Inner Mongolia in 1981 and 2010. (a) 1981 and (b) 2010.

decreased in 2010, while the ESV in northeastern erdos had increased, and other regions did not change obviously.

## 3.3. The impact of desertification dynamics on regional ESV in Inner Mongolia

From 1981 to 2010, the desertification dynamic (reversion and expansion) in Inner Mongolia had a great impact on the whole regional ESV, which had led to a loss of 15.89 billion yuan of the ESV (Tables 3 and 4), accounting for 23.7% of the total loss. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the change of ESV and the change of ESV caused by desertification reached 0.63 (p < 0.05), which showed a moderate linear correlation between them.

The increment of the ESV caused by desertification reversion was 32.43 billion yuan, which accounted for 6.25% of the total ESV in 2010. The increment of the ESV caused by desertification reversion among different degrees reached 10.05 billion yuan, and the reversion of high desertification had led to an increment of 4.17 billion yuan. The increment of the ESV caused by reversion from deserts and desertified land to non-desertified lands was about 2.2 times as much as the increment of the ESV caused by reversion between lands with different desertification degrees, and the reversion from deserts and desertified land to undegraded grassland alone increased the ESV by 10.65 billion yuan. In terms of desertification expansion, expansion between lands with different desertification degrees had led to 10.17 billion yuan loss of ESV.


Table 3. The impact of desertification reversion on regional ESV (billion yuan).


In this study, sensitivity coefficient was introduced to quantitatively analyze the sensitivity of the regional ESV change to desertification dynamics, and the results of the sensitivity degree showed a great spatial heterogeneity (Table 5). The ESV in horq and htpy was very sensitive to desertification dynamics, and the sensitivity coefficient reached 74.53 and 53.15, respectively. However, both hlbr and nmhs showed the same or opposite sensitivities, the coefficients all

ESV change caused by desertification dynamics

The Impact of Desertification Dynamics on Regional Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Inner Mongolia (China)

Sensitivity coefficient

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(SAF)

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(billion yuan)

hlbr 39.38 10.39 8.91E8 hsdk 18.19 17.21 2.38 char 2.26 2.08 4.21 horq 17.35 41.77 74.53 bash 1.77 2.50 4.52 wmt 1.56 1.00 9.83 htpy 0..07 0.28 53.15 nmhs 0.20 0.05 0.57 erdos 12.18 12.02 1.36 alsh 0.13 0.60 6.12

As one of the most important land degradation types in dry land, desertification dynamics can bring a great impact on regional ecosystem service supply and sustainable livelihoods, especially for the people living in rural area. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), livelihood activities in dry land tend to be more dependent on available ecosystem services than elsewhere [42]. In order to enhance the ecosystem services and sustainable development in dry land, UNCCD had launched a policy strategy called "Zero Net Land Degradation" (ZNLD) in 2012, aiming to prevent the degradation of productive land and restore already degraded land by sustainable land management. To achieve these goals, we need to investigate the impact of desertification dynamics on regional ecosystem services at

Due to the location and various driving factors, Inner Mongolia of China is a perfect place to study desertification dynamics and its impact on regional ecosystem services. According to our study, impacted by both climate change and human activities, desertification in Inner Mongolia had changed dramatically over the past three decades. Due to the implementation process of the "Three North" Shelterbelt Project, the Beijing-Tianjin sandstorm source project,

regional scale and identify the sensitive area to support the policy-making.

hovered around 0, and the sensitivity was relatively small.

Table 5. Sensitivity analysis of regional ESV to desertification dynamics.

4. Discussion

Subregion The total ESV change (billion yuan)

Table 4. The impact of desertification expansion on regional ESV (billion yuan).

Among them, the impact of low and medium desertification expansion was more obvious. The area of expansion from non-desertified lands to deserts and desertified land was 127,700 km<sup>2</sup> , which had led to 38.15 billion yuan loss of ESV, and was mainly induced by the expansion from forest and undegraded grassland to low and medium desertification.

#### 3.4. Impact of desertification dynamics on regional ESV in different subregions

The impact of desertification dynamics on regional ESV at the subregion level showed a significant spatial heterogeneity. From 1981 to 2010, the ESV in bash, htpy, and erdos was increased, and the desertification dynamics played a promoting role in this increment, which meant the increment of ESV of deserts and desertified land led to the increase of regional ESV. The ESV in hlbr, hsdk, char, and horq showed a decreasing trend, and the desertification dynamics also showed a promoting effect, which was mainly attributed desertification expansion in these subregions. However, the desertification dynamics in wmt, nmhs, and alsh had an opposite effect on the change of regional ESV.

The Impact of Desertification Dynamics on Regional Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Inner Mongolia (China) http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74817 21


Table 5. Sensitivity analysis of regional ESV to desertification dynamics.

In this study, sensitivity coefficient was introduced to quantitatively analyze the sensitivity of the regional ESV change to desertification dynamics, and the results of the sensitivity degree showed a great spatial heterogeneity (Table 5). The ESV in horq and htpy was very sensitive to desertification dynamics, and the sensitivity coefficient reached 74.53 and 53.15, respectively. However, both hlbr and nmhs showed the same or opposite sensitivities, the coefficients all hovered around 0, and the sensitivity was relatively small.
