Quantifying Spatial Resilience of Yanhe Watershed to Foster Ecosystem Sustainability

Abstract

Ecological regime shifts occur when resilience is exceeded, and then ecosystem enters a new local equilibrium which differs in both structure and functioning from the previous state. Recently, interest in the influence of spatial characteristics of landscapes on resilience has increased. In this research, we both apply the concept of, and present a way to quantify spatial resilience in Yanhe watershed of China to foster regional sustainability. From the general assumption that when considering the spatial aspects of system resilience, it is important to grasp which system configuration and determine what the key challenges and uncertainties in the study area are. Spatial resilience in this situation focuses on the importance of ecological sensitivity and vegetation cover as Yanhe watershed is a fragile ecosystem and a typical agro-pastoral transitional zone. We then consider two criteria of ecological management in the study area, protection and recovery. Spatial resilience is then quantified through an indicator-based system, multi-criteria evaluation method, and spatial visualization based on a geographic information system (GIS). Then, ecological functioning zones, e.g., protection or recovery, are created according to the different degrees of spatial resilience. We believe that the results can be used by local governments to foster regional sustainable development through advancing protection and recovery activities, for instance, Grain for Green, in Yanhe watershed.