Lancang Mekong River Basin (LMRB) forms a link between six countries in Southeast Asia. To support the ecological, economic and social sustainable development of LMRB, low carbon management services must be implemented in each country within the basin. However, there is still a lack of a science-based, effective evaluation framework to identify the relationship between carbon sequestration services (CSS) supply–demand and flow.
In a study published in Ecological Indicators, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) and their collaborators explored the key challenges in implementing an effective carbon neutrality plan under global climate change and focuses on the balance of supply and demand for carbon sequestration services (CSS). They developed a spatiotemporal assessment framework based on the Service Path Attribute Networks (SPANs) model to quantify the CSS supply-demand balance under land use changes.
By combining GIS technology and the spatial distribution characteristics of carbon sequestration services, the researchers first tracked the flow path of CSS from supply areas to demand areas by spatial visualization technology, and then defined the path and quantity of CSS flow.
It was found that there was a significant imbalance in the supply and demand of carbon sequestration services in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin, manifested as a decrease in supply and an increase in demand. From 2000 to 2020, the total supply of CSS decreased by 1.14 million tons, while the total demand increased by 8.10 million tons.
The surplus area of CSS was mainly concentrated in forest areas; while deficit areas were dominated by cultivated land and artificial surfaces. Significant changes have also occurred in the flow of carbon sequestration services. CSS mainly flowed from north to south, with higher CSS in Thailand and lower flow in China.
" Our novel evaluation framework can be used as a standard decision support model for quantifying CSS supply and demand, rational land use planning, promoting international cooperation on carbon neutrality targets, and ensuring that carbon offset policies achieve regional low-carbon management and equitable development among regions,"said BAI Yang of XTBG.

Contact
BAI Yang Ph.D Principal Investigator
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
E-mail:baiyang@xtbg.ac.cn
First published: 12 June 2024