Integrating landscape ecological risk with ecosystem services in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia

It is a novel approach to linking landscape ecological risk (LER) and ecosystem services (ESs) for environmental management and sustainable development, since it enables real-time decision-making. This study used 12 natural factors relevant to LER and 11 ESs factors to analyze spatio-temporal changes and establish a relationship between them in Tatarstan, Russia, for the years 2010, 2015, and 2020. The statistical tests (Global Moran's I, Getis-Ord Gi*), analysis of habitat vulnerability, and ecological loss in the ArcGIS platform reveal a consistent variance in factor clustering and pattern as well as the impact of governmental policies in the studied area. According to analysis findings, 2015 had the best ecological conditions of the three years because 44.79 % of the research area had decreased landscape ecological risk, which increased ecosystem services. Additionally, the results show that both maps have significant spatial disparities and that LER and ESs are negatively impacted by high human-socioeconomic activity. The integration of LER and ESs through the overlap of both maps provides a significant amount of spatial information for mapping, monitoring, management, and the protection of the fragile environment for sustainable landscape development and management.