Multi-scale coupling analysis of urbanization and ecosystem services supply-demand budget in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China

Rapid economic development and human activities have severely affected ecosystem function. Analysis of the spatial distribution of areas of rapid urbanization is the basis for optimizing urban-ecological spatial design. This paper evaluated the spatial distribution of urbanization in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, and then quantified the ecosystem services (ES) budget in the region based on an ES supply and demand matrix. The results showed that (1) urbanization patterns in the BTH region were relatively stable from 2000 to 2015, with clear patterns of low levels of urbanization in the northwest and high levels in the southeast; (2) areas with positive ES budget values were found throughout the region, except in built-up areas, with high ES supply areas concentrated in the northwest, and high ES demand areas in the southeast; (3) at both the county and prefecture-city levels, urbanization had negative, positive, and negative correlations with ES supply, demand, and budget, respectively; (4) the coupling coordination degree (CCD) increased, with high CCD values in the southeast. Based on these results, policy recommendations include strengthening rational land-use planning and ecosystem management, promoting the coordinated development of the economy and ecological function, and coordinating the provision of production-life- ecological functions.