Unbalanced social-ecological development within the Dongting Lake basin: Inspiration from evaluation of ecological restoration projects

The targets of ecosystem restoration have gradually transformed from a narrow focus on single or a few ecosystem services to a compound mode focusing on ecological, social and economic benefits. The social-ecological system provides an integrative perspective to promote this transformation by reestablishing the relation between human and natural systems. Over the past 30 years, several ecological restoration projects have been implemented in the Dongting Lake basin to reverse ecological deterioration and improve agricultural production. This paper investigates the spatio-temporal dynamics of social-ecological changes in the Dongting Lake basin based on land use/cover and NDVI change trends. Results showed that the large-scale ecological restoration projects did not evidently increase the area of forest and grass in the basin, however, NDVI showed a significant growth trend. The social-ecological changes and its relevance to ecological restoration were also identified. From 2000 to 2015, water retention had the largest increment (95.70%), followed by soil conservation (25.90%), whereas carbon sequestration decreased slightly (−1.49%). At the same time, the economy and agriculture in the basin also developed. Although the ecological restoration projects had promoted the overall socio-economic development and ecosystem restoration in Dongting Lake basin, their distribution and influence were disequilibrium within the basin. It seemed difficult for most counties to achieve rapid socio-economic development and improve ecosystem services at the same time. The benefit evaluation of ecological restoration projects based on social-ecological system can help to build on and reinforce existing restoration initiatives, and promote the sharing of experiences and good practices in ecosystem conservation and restoration practices.