Assessing the value and sensitivity of ecosystem services based on land use in the middle and lower reaches of the Shiyang River

In response to increasing ecological and environmental challenges in arid areas, it is of great significance to investigate the ecosystem service value (ESV), accompanying the changes in ecological sensitivity for the protection of ecologically vulnerable areas. Our analysis seeks to elucidate the ESV and ecological sensitivity changes in the middle and lower reaches of the Shiyang River to determine the trends and influencing factors of ESV under changing land use patterns. The key findings include: (1) From 1995 to 2020, the ESV in the study area witnessed fluctuations, culminating in an overall decline of 1.249 × 108 yuan. (2) In 2020, sensitivity coefficients (CSs) for ESV were as follows: 0.4335 for grassland, 0.2586 for farmland, and 0.1170 for unused land within the study area. Furthermore, coefficients of improved cross-sensitivity (CICSs) for the reciprocal transformation of farmland, grassland, and unused land were 1.10, 1.18, and 1.54, respectively, indicating the pivotal role of the three land types in driving ESV fluctuations.