Quantifying and Mapping the Effects of Ecosystem Services on Agricultural Competitiveness: A Case Study in Shandong Province, China

Quantifying and mapping how ecosystem services impact agricultural competitiveness is crucial for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations. However, few study quantified agricultural competitiveness and mapped the effects of ecosystem services on agricultural competitiveness using multiple models. In this study, multi-source data from 2000 to 2020 were utilized to establish the indicator system of agricultural competitiveness; five ecosystem services were quantified using computation models; Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis was used to explore the spatial patterns of agricultural competitiveness and ecosystem services; geographic detector models were applied to investigate the effects and driving mechanisms of ecosystem services on agricultural competitiveness. Shandong Province of China was selected as the case study area. The results demonstrated that: 1) there was a significant increase in agricultural competitiveness during the study period, with high levels observed mainly in the east region of the study area. 2) The spatial distribution patterns of ecosystem services and agricultural competitiveness primarily exhibited High-High and Low-Low Cluster types. 3) Habitat quality emerged as the main driving factor of agricultural competitiveness in 2000 and 2020, while water yield played a substantial role in 2010. 4) The coupling of two ecosystem services exerted a greater effect on agricultural competitiveness compared to individual ecosystem service. The innovations of this study are constructing an indicator system to quantify agricultural competitiveness, and exploring the effects of ecosystem services on agricultural competitiveness. This study proposed an indicator system to quantify agricultural competitiveness, which can be applied in other regions, and explored the effects of ecosystem services on agricultural competitiveness. The findings of this study can serve as valuable insights for policymakers to formulate tailored agricultural development policies that take into account the synergistic effects of ecosystem services on agricultural competitiveness.