Identifying the supply-demand mismatches of ecorecreation services to optimize sustainable land use management: A case study in the Fenghe River watershed, China

Recreation is one of the basic needs of humans. Assessments of supply-demand matching can provide a scientific basis to optimize land use. In this study, the Fenghe River watershed was investigated, the supply of ecorecreation services (ERSs) was assessed based on the effective supply capacity (ESC), the demand for ERSs was evaluated using the average recreational frequency from a questionnaire survey and spatialized population data, and the supply-demand matching of ERSs on weekdays and weekends was analyzed. The results show that 1) the supply and demand of ERSs increased from 2000 to 2018, but the increase in demand was higher than that in supply; 2) the supply-demand matching of ERSs differed with spatial scale, and ERS supply deficits mainly occurred in urban areas; and 3) there was a supply deficit in some subwatersheds on weekends in 2018, but there were no ERS supply deficits in 2000 or 2018 for the entire watershed. According to these results, considering the overall state of the supply and demand of ERSs at a relatively large scale while implementing more accurate management measures at a smaller scale can make the management of ERSs more effective. Developing agriculture-based cultural landscapes is an effective approach to support sustainable land use management.