Ecological conservation and restoration projects are crucial to addressing global ecological degradation. Diverse ecological projects have been implemented, yet their ecological and socio-economic outcomes remain inadequately understood, hindering the optimization of conservation strategies and regional sustainable development. This study examined the Yellow Sea Migratory Bird Habitat Project in Dongtai City, a World Heritage Site, employing multi-model approaches to assess ecosystem services (ES) supply-demand dynamics at grid, town, and city scales from 2010 to 2020. The multi-scale changes in ES flows and socio-ecological systems during the project period were analyzed. The results reveal significant scale-dependent heterogeneity in the observed patterns: while citywide potential ES supply increased by 52.41%, with 83.3% of this increment concentrated in ecological conservation area (Jianggang Town). At the local scale (500 m-3000 m), the proportion of areas where ES supply meets demand decreased by 3%. The study period was characterized by widening disparities between ES supply and demand at local scales and the emergence of more pronounced long-distance ES flow patterns. The findings underscore the necessity of focusing on scale-specific impacts and potential inequities in conservation decision-making to advance sustainable regional development. • Scale dependence of ecological project impact assessment • Heterogeneity of ecological project has intensified the regional imbalance • Ecological project enhances regional ecosystem services and flows pattern • Ecological project intensified functional differences in regional development
Zhang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.