Temporal and spatial assessment of natural resource use in China using ecological footprint method

China has about 20% of the world's population. With rapid economic development and substantial population increase, China is now faced with severe conflicts between limited natural resources and increasing resource requirements. In this study, we used the ecological footprint method to assess the resource demand and supply conditions of each land use in China between 1978 and 2003. In order to provide insight into the spatial heterogeneity of resource demand and supply conditions, we also assessed the ecological footprint at provincial level in 2002. An ecological footprint curve method was introduced to compare differences in natural resource use, economic development and technological progress among different countries and provinces. The results showed that the ecological footprint, biocapacity and ecological deficit per capita for China have all been increasing during 1978–2003. The ecological footprints per person in northern and eastern China were larger than those in southern and western China. The ecological deficits per person in southern and eastern China were more severe than those in northern and western China. Though the resource use efficiency has increased considerably during 1978–2003, it was still much lower than those of the Netherlands, France, South Korea, Mexico, the Philippines and India.     

Comparing indoor wastewater-fed aquaculture with two conventional wastewater treatment plants using adopted sustainable process indices

Highly aggregating 'Sustainable Process Indices' (SPI) were calculated for an indoor wastewater-fed aquaculture and two conventional wastewater treatment plants to make a direct comparison between the three facilities possible. The goal was to find out which technology would be better suited for use in a sustainable economy. The SPI provides a type of 'ecological footprint' for the three facilities on the basis that, in a sustainable economy, solar energy would be our main energy source and that surface area would become the limiting factor for economic development, because the transformation of solar energy into other forms of energy, products or services requires area. SPI calculations consider the area necessary for the sustainable dissipation of byproducts and wastes of a process into the environment. The SPI thus uses area as its basic unit for comparisons between different technologies, products or services.

Energy consumption, as well as treatment performance (both the quality and quantity of treated effluent), and multi-functionality of facilities were key variables in determining how much area a wastwater treatment plant would need to be embedded sustainably into the environment. The calculated SPIs reveal that the wastewater-fed aquaculture requires the least area to be embedded sustainably into the environment, therefore, it would be better suited for use in a sustainable economy compared to the two conventional wastewater treatment plants.     

基于生态足迹模型的贵州省生态可持续性动态分析

生态足迹是定量研究区域可持续发展的一种重要方法。运用生态足迹方法分析了贵州省1999—2008年生态足迹的动态变化,并利用生态足迹指数和生态足迹强度等指标对贵州省1999—2008年的生态可持续性进行了评估。结果表明：10年来,贵州省人均生态足迹由1999年的2.094 28 hm^2上升到2008年的3.613 48 hm^2;人均生物承载力由1999年的0.785 42 hm^2下降到2008年的0.734 81 hm^2;人均生态赤字由1999年的1.308 87 hm^2上升到2008年的2.878 68 hm^2;万元GDP生态足迹由1999年的8.287 91 hm^2下降到2008年的4.111 70 hm^2;生态足迹强度指数由1999年的2.666 46上升到2008年的4.917 61;生态足迹多样性呈现缓慢上升的趋势,社会发展指数总体呈逐年上升趋势;说明发展能力逐年提高,但这是以生态足迹增加为代价的。据此,提出减少了生态足迹和缓解生态环境压力的对策和建议。     

Ecological effects associated with land-use change in China's southwest agricultural landscape

Research on land-use and land-cover change, with associated effects on the ecoenvironment, is a key to understanding global change. The concept of 'ecosystem services' is also a hot issue in ecology and ecological economics. In this study, ecosystem service values are used to assess the ecological values of corresponding land-use types, so as to evaluate the ecological effects of regional land-use change. China's southwest agricultural landscape has unique ecological functions; but it also belongs to an ecologically fragile zone. Consequently, land-use change and associated ecological effects must be monitored to assure sustainable development of this area. Based on TM images in 1988, 1994 and 1999, the landscape classification maps of Yongsheng County were assessed using supervised classification and interactive modification methods. The transition matrix of land-use types and three indices of spatial patterns, patch-level, class-level and landscape-level indices, were calculated using models and GIS to examine the spatial patterns and dynamics of land use in the study area. The results show the influences of human activities and natural environmental elements, and that unused land has decreased rapidly, together with a continuous increase in forest during the past 11 years. There are also frequent intermediate transitions between farmland and unused land. An index for landscape diversity shows a tendency to increase, indicating that the proportions of each landscape element tended to average. Also, the decrease in the fractal dimension of unused land reveals that the effects of human activity are increasing. Ecological value calculations show that land-use change in Yongsheng County from 1988–1999 has resulted in positive ecological effects, with distinct spatial differences.     

Ecological risk assessment based on freshwater consumption dynamic analysis of Xiamen City,China

Freshwater is the lifeline of a city. Shortages in urban water supply and ecological losses occur when freshwater supply capacity and demand are imbalanced. Therefore, systematic research on the risk of freshwater consumption in urban areas is urgently demanded. A scientific understanding of the risk of urban water consumption will contribute to the efficient use of freshwater resources and ensure the stability and sustainable development of cities. Taking Xiamen City as the study area, we evaluated the ecological risk of freshwater consumption scenarios in the years 2020 and 2030 using a multilevel characterization method for urban ecological risk, stepwise regression analysis, and a gray prediction model. The results of our evaluation show that freshwater consumption in Xiamen is highly correlated with the total population, the crop acreage, the proportion of secondary industry, and the treatment rate of domestic sewage. In the 2020 and 2030 scenarios, freshwater consumption in Xiamen City is predicted to increase. Meanwhile, with the construction of water conservancy facilities, the supply capacity of freshwater in Xiamen City will be greatly improved. Therefore, the ecological impacts of freshwater consumption in the 2020 and 2030 scenarios were at the middle and low levels. In this study, the validity of the multilevel characterization method described herein for urban ecological risk has been confirmed. However, calculation of scenario probability is a difficult problem in the framework of this method, and future research should address this issue.     

Ecological restoration,social-economic changes and sustainable development in the Three Gorges Reservoir area: A case study in Yunyang,Chongqing Municipality

The Three Gorges Reservoir area contains high mountains and deep valleys. The fragile mountainous ecosystems are facing problems such as overpopulation, less available farmland, ecological degradation and poverty. The construction of the Three Gorges Project and a series of ecological restoration activities and social-economic changes have influenced the present and future viability of this area. The measures which have been taken indicate that restoring and renewing the degraded ecosystems and improving the economy is a prerequisite and is possible. Yunyang, a typical county, both in terms of poverty and ecological degradation in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of Chongqing Municipality, was chosen for the case study. This paper discusses the impacts of the Grain-for-Green project, ecological agriculture, urban and infrastructure building and ecological immigrants on the regional sustainable development through detailed field investigation and a questionnaire survey.     

Evaluation for sustainable land use in coastal areas: A landscape ecological prospect

Evaluation of sustainability is the core of research on sustainable land use. To a certain extent, traditional social, economic and ecological evaluation for sustainable land use can be regarded as an appraisal on the temporal scale without evaluation of spatial patterns. Landscape ecology can help to realize spatial evaluation for sustainable land use. In this paper, we construct landscape ecological indicators for evaluating sustainable coastal land use from the aspects of landscape productivity, threats and stability, to realize a synthetic temporal-spatial evaluation. These cover the five pillars of sustainable land use, i.e. productivity, security, protection, viability and acceptability. The results of applying landscape ecological evaluation to a case study in Wudi County in China show that land use sustainability is somewhat low and there are great regional differences between its 11 villages. We classified the 11 villages into 5 grades: strong sustainable land use, sustainable land use, weak sustainable land use, weak unsustainable land use, and strong unsustainable land use. Each grade has different land use characteristics and differs in the counter-measures required. But the core countermeasures in all the grades are to improve landscape productivity, to reduce human threats and to optimize landscape patterns.     

A study on vertical greening practice emphasizing ecological benefits in Xiamen City of China

Through the practice of vertical greening, which is an important method for modern city greening, a city’s natural geographic conditions and rich plant resources can be efficiently utilized. Using vertical greening to shape the characteristics of a city is a promising method for sustainable development. Integration of vertical greening with urban characteristics offers huge ecological and cultural benefits. Vertical greening was adopted in China much later than other developed cities in the world and is still in the exploratory stage in most of the cities. As one of the pioneer cities to carry out vertical greening in China, Xiamen has managed to project it as one of the city highlights. In this study, we analyzed the problems that Xiamen City faced during its development and the important role vertical greening has played in the urban landscape. In addition, humanistic and ecological benefits of vertical greening are illustrated through an experimental study.     

基于改进模型的1992—2010年中国省域生态足迹核算

生态足迹可以从生物生产角度定量评估区域社会经济发展的可持续程度。本文运用改进的生态足迹模型对我国各省级行政区1992—2010年的生态足迹进行核算及聚类和相关性分析,以衡量各区域发展的差异及相似程度和分析各省域生态足迹变化的主导因素,并根据核算结果建立了各省区市的生态足迹预测模型,进一步明确各省级行政区的生态足迹变化趋势,以期为区域社会经济发展决策提供参考和借鉴。研究结果显示：近20年来,我国各省域社会经济发展对自然资源的依赖程度及对环境的总体影响存在较大差异。生态足迹的变化可以分为3种类型,即逐渐下降型、明显上升型和基本平稳型。北京和上海的生态足迹变化属于逐渐下降型,分别受对化石燃料用地和耕地需求的减少所主导,其中北京市生态足迹与化石燃料用地的相关系数为0.96,上海市生态足迹与耕地的相关系数为0.703,这2个城市在过去20年中的社会经济发展对自然资源的依赖程度逐渐降低;以内蒙古、山西为代表的化石燃料资源较为丰富的省域生态足迹呈明显上升趋势,这些省域生态足迹的增长受区域化石燃料生产的影响较大,个别省级行政单位生态足迹与化石燃料的相关系数为1;东北三省、东南沿海地区及西部自然资源相对匮乏省区的生态足迹属于基本平稳型。     

A framework designation for the assessment of urban ecological risks

Urban ecological risks stemming from urbanization are increasing and limiting the capability of China to effectuate sustainable urban development. Therefore, addressing urban ecological risks is an urgent need. Numerous factors are involved in urban ecological risks, including air, water, and soil. Additionally, risk sources and risk receptors are complex and diverse. In this study, urban ecological risks are defined as adverse effects and possibility of impacts on urban ecosystem services resulting from urbanization. Urbanization is recognized as the risk source, and the urban ecosystem is considered the risk receptor. Based on this understanding, the components of urban ecological risks are defined, and the relationships between the components of urban ecological risks are illuminated by establishing an indicator system. Based on previous studies on urban ecological risks, an explicit framework for identification, assessment, and management of urban ecological risks is proposed. For purposes of identification, there are three types of risk sources: population growth, industrial development, and the expansion of built land. Stressors include the accumulation of contaminants, consumption of resources, and occupation of space. Assessment endpoints are divided into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. In response to urban ecological risks having multiple stressors and multiple assessment endpoints, we assessed risks both with a single stressor/single endpoint and comprehensive ecological risks. In our framework, the physical or material assessment of ecosystem services is adopted as the core method for the analysis of urban ecological risk, because it is believed that the analysis of urban ecological risk should be based on the physical or material assessment of ecosystem services instead of the value assessment of ecosystem services. The results of the single value assessment of urban ecosystem services will cause the deviation from the purpose of urban ecosystem services assessment. The purpose of urban ecosystem services assessment is to maintain and/or improve the capability of urban ecosystems of providing physical or material services, and further to reduce or avoid the occurrence risks of unsustainable cities. Additionally, a multi-level characterization method was adopted for the results of urban ecological risk assessment. In this study, we established a platform to manage urban ecological risks based on landscape ecology and environmental internet of things technologies, and to effectuate online urban ecological risk identification, assessment, and management via this platform.     

Urban ecological risk assessment management platform

Due to rapid socioeconomic development in recent years, the influence of human activities on the urban ecosystem and environment is becoming more pronounced, causing increases in accumulated pollutants, resource consumption, and built-up land area. At this time, cities are facing complex ecological threats. We designed a platform to classify and assess the various types of ecological risks that cities and urban agglomerations may encounter. We used PHP to develop a web-based application, with nginx as the platform server, and MySQL to manage the background database. The platform provides users with a clearly structured, visual platform to manage ecological risk. By using this platform, users can quickly identify regional risk sources, find and describe risk factors, and predict possible consequences caused by these risks based on simulation modeling. The forecasting model and database can be synchronously updated and adjusted according to the actual situation. The visual web management platform and user security login system employ the MD5 encryption algorithm. The platform is designed to provide convenient, accurate, and scientific decision-making services for urban planning, construction, environmental protection, and other related areas.     

城市绿地系统建设的生态对策——以长春市为例

绿色空间是所有城市实现可持续发展的物质载体和市民接触自然的主要场所。几乎所有城市不同程度地存在着绿地被挤占、破坏、污染严重等各种问题。以长春市为例，提出了大城市进行绿地系统建设的总量控制、构建经色空间网络体系等生态对策，并针对大城市内部用地紧张的矛盾，探讨了市区内部的绿化用地潜力。     

基于属性识别理论的城市生态安全评价——以广州市为例

城市生态安全评价可以使管理者和公众及时了解城市发展中生态环境压力的严重态势,为城市可持续发展战略的制定和生态系统的管理提供依据和指导。文章构建了由活力、组织结构、恢复力、生态系统服务功能和人类健康状况5个要素构成的城市生态安全评价指标体系。在有序分割类和属性识别准则的基础上,建立了城市生态安全评价的属性识别模型。采用层次分析法（AHP）和熵权法赋予指标权重,充分利用了主观和客观评价方法的优势。根据此模型对广州市1991—2007年间的生态安全状况进行了实证分析。结果表明城市生态安全状况呈现出,从＂较不安全级＂上升到＂临界安全＂级。在5个评价要素中,除人群健康状况外,其他4个评价要素呈现出逐年改善的趋势。属性识别理论能对事物进行有效识别和比较分析,且原理直观、计算简便、评价结果准确,在评价、预测、决策等领域中具有广泛的适用性。     

An approach to evaluation of sustainability for Guangzhou's urban ecosystem

Guangzhou has ambitions to build itself into a world class metropolis by 2010. Sustainable development is the only way to achieve this magnificent goal. Based on the ecological perspective of sustainable development and the principles of ecosystem integrity, this paper develops an approach for evaluation of sustainable development in Guangzhou between 1986 and 1995. A hierarchical evaluation system of four tiers of sustainability indicators was established. Using the method of fuzzy multistage synthetic evaluation, sustainability development level index, QIx, was calculated for the indicators at the B, C, D, and E tiers. Development stages were identified based on these index values. The coordination degree among the economic, social, and natural subsystems was also computed. Further, an overall sustainability index for each year was computed by combining the development level index and the coordination degree. It was found that the urban ecosystem in Guangzhou had generally become more sustainable, in spite of fluctuations in coordination degree. The development level index of the economic subsystem has surpassed that of social and natural subsystems since 1995. Appropriate measures must be taken to ensure coordinated development among the subsystems for the purpose of sustainable development.     

城市生态可持续发展指标的进展

建设生态城市是一种国际趋势,也在中国受到关注。为了监测评估城市的生态可持续发展,要有一套科学的指标体系。文章讨论了生态城市的特点;评述了国外的3类指标体系和国内采用世界银行“真实储蓄率”指标在城市一应用研究,提出了建立这类指标的一些原则与方法。     

基于生态足迹模型的区域可持续发展定量评估——以东江流域东源县为例

可持续发展定量评价方法研究是当前可持续发展研究的前沿和热点.生态足迹分析模型是通过对区域人口对自然利用程度的测度,确定区域的发展是否处于生态承载力范围之内.运用生态足迹理论和计算方法,采用2004-2007年东源县统计年鉴、历年年初土地面积、2002世界粮农组织(FAO)和世界自然基金会(WWF)的相关数据,对重点饮用水源地--东源县14 a(1994-2007年)来人均生态足迹和人均生态承载力进行实证计算和分析.结果表明:2007年的东源县人均生态足迹需求为0.856 1 hm~2·cap~(-1),而实际人均生态空间面积(均衡承载力面积)为1.641 8 hm~2·cap~(-1),人均生态盈余为0.588 7hm~2·cap~(-1).14 a来东源县的生态承载力总体上几乎都是大于生态需求(除了1995年、1996年生态需求略大于生态供给外),处于生态盈余状态且生态盈余呈现稳中增长的趋势,区域生态系统处于一种相对可持续状态.其中,林地生态承载量最大,生态盈余最多,呈现逐年减少的态势;耕地生态承载量次之,生态足迹最大,生态赤字大,生态压力严重;水域和草地的生态压力逐年增大.     

Land-use planning of Minoo Island,Iran, towards sustainable land-use management

Land-use planning is one aspect of sustainable development that determines the integrity of socioeconomic and ecological nuance. Land evaluation is an approach to sustainable land-use planning, which predicts the capability of the land-use system. This means that a specific land area should be under specific use, considering certain factors and characteristics of the land and its location. In other words, lack of proper information on land capability and rational and irrational use of land leads to destruction of land resources. This paper discusses the findings of ecological and socioeconomic resource issues for Minoo Island and the surrounded zone. The study covers an area of about 172km² in southwest Iran. To establish environmental unit maps, digital layer maps of the soil texture were overlapped. The study empirically established that the area has the capability to accommodate ‘levels two’ urban and industrial development. Moreover, Minoo Island is considered to have potential for conservation and ecotourism, with a 60% potentiality for dryland farming.     

Urban expansion of oasis cities between 1990 and 2007 in Xinjiang,China

An oasis is not only the most concentrated area of human activity in an arid area but also the largest area where artificial disturbances occur at a regional scale. The study of oasis urban expansion and related factors is important to understand the development of cities in arid areas, guide the evolution of rational urban expansion and promote sustainable development of oasis cities. Although there have been several studies on urban expansion in Xinjiang over past decades, a lack of quantitative data and methods impedes further research. In this paper, urban expansion of the studied area in 1990, 2000 and 2007 is evaluated using 39 Landsat satellite images, a geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). We also analyse the related factors of urban expansion using quantitative and qualitative methods. We found that economic development and the area of the urban administrative region greatly effect urban expansion. Too rapid growth and outward urbanized expansion paradigms should not be applied blindly in arid areas from the point of view of sustainability. Historic–geographic features of oases and urban planning influence oasis urban morphology. Compact urban morphology is relatively better for protecting precious water and arable resources, and reducing ecology damage to the surrounding oasis. The relationship between urban expansion and population growth was not coordinate before 2000, and effectively only improved after that date. City growth should be moderated, with lower elastic coefficients, slower expansion and higher elasticity coefficients. Oasis cities in Xinjiang are expanding under the combined effects of urbanization, economic development, transportation, environment, resources, policy and planning.     

2010年亚运会对广州市可持续发展的影响

2010年举办的第16届亚运会将是广州有史以来承办的最大型的综合性体育赛事。分析了亚运会的举办将对广州市经济、社会发展、城市与环境建设等方面的影响,并提出了全面贯彻可持续发展思想,进一步办好亚运会的建议:立足长远,社会效益与经济效益并重;加大生态环境建设力度;加大宣传力度,推动公众参与;加强区域合作,协调区域发展。     

仙居县城乡居民消费差异的生态足迹分析

根据生态足迹理论，以浙江省仙居县为例，利用统计调查和问卷调查资料，分别计算了城乡居民生活消费的生态系统占用情况。计算结果表明，该地城市居民的生活消费所占用的生态系统是农村居民所占用的1．73倍，差异最大的是草地，其次是水域、建筑用地、化石能源和耕地，对于林地的占用则是农村居民大于城市居民。