Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationship
The relationship between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) is fundamental to the science and practice of sustainability. However, studies have shown conflicting results, which has been attributed to the influences of indicators, contexts, and scales. Yet, another potential factor, w...
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Geography and Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683924000750 |
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| author | Lumeng Liu Jianguo Wu |
| author_facet | Lumeng Liu Jianguo Wu |
| author_sort | Lumeng Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The relationship between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) is fundamental to the science and practice of sustainability. However, studies have shown conflicting results, which has been attributed to the influences of indicators, contexts, and scales. Yet, another potential factor, which has been overlooked, may be the mixed use of spatial and temporal approaches. Using twelve ES and seven well-being indicators and multiple statistical methods, we quantified and compared the spatial and temporal ES–HWB relationships for Inner Mongolia, China. The spatial and temporal relationships differed in both correlation direction and strength. Most relationships of economic and employment-related indicators with food provisioning and supporting services were temporally positive but spatially nonsignificant or negative. Some relationships of economic and employment-related indicators with water retention, sandstorm prevention, and wind erosion were temporally negative but spatially complex. However, the spatial and temporal ES–HWB relationships could also be similar in some cases. We conclude that although both the spatial and temporal approaches have merits, space generally cannot substitute for time in the study of ES–HWB relationship. Our study helps reconcile the seemingly conflicting findings in the literature, and suggests that future studies should explicitly distinguish between the spatial and temporal ES–HWB relationships. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-068b8825c54541219fc175bf1451f6d9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-6839 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geography and Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-068b8825c54541219fc175bf1451f6d92025-02-05T04:32:44ZengElsevierGeography and Sustainability2666-68392025-04-0162100221Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationshipLumeng Liu0Jianguo Wu1State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Geography and Remote Sensing, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China; Corresponding author.School of Life Sciences and School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USAThe relationship between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) is fundamental to the science and practice of sustainability. However, studies have shown conflicting results, which has been attributed to the influences of indicators, contexts, and scales. Yet, another potential factor, which has been overlooked, may be the mixed use of spatial and temporal approaches. Using twelve ES and seven well-being indicators and multiple statistical methods, we quantified and compared the spatial and temporal ES–HWB relationships for Inner Mongolia, China. The spatial and temporal relationships differed in both correlation direction and strength. Most relationships of economic and employment-related indicators with food provisioning and supporting services were temporally positive but spatially nonsignificant or negative. Some relationships of economic and employment-related indicators with water retention, sandstorm prevention, and wind erosion were temporally negative but spatially complex. However, the spatial and temporal ES–HWB relationships could also be similar in some cases. We conclude that although both the spatial and temporal approaches have merits, space generally cannot substitute for time in the study of ES–HWB relationship. Our study helps reconcile the seemingly conflicting findings in the literature, and suggests that future studies should explicitly distinguish between the spatial and temporal ES–HWB relationships.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683924000750Ecosystem servicesObjective human well-beingSpace-for-time substitutionSpatial relationshipTemporal relationship |
| spellingShingle | Lumeng Liu Jianguo Wu Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationship Geography and Sustainability Ecosystem services Objective human well-being Space-for-time substitution Spatial relationship Temporal relationship |
| title | Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationship |
| title_full | Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationship |
| title_fullStr | Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationship |
| title_full_unstemmed | Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationship |
| title_short | Space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services-human wellbeing relationship |
| title_sort | space cannot substitute for time in the study of the ecosystem services human wellbeing relationship |
| topic | Ecosystem services Objective human well-being Space-for-time substitution Spatial relationship Temporal relationship |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666683924000750 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lumengliu spacecannotsubstitutefortimeinthestudyoftheecosystemserviceshumanwellbeingrelationship AT jianguowu spacecannotsubstitutefortimeinthestudyoftheecosystemserviceshumanwellbeingrelationship |