Quantitative assessment of ecological stress of construction lands by quantity and location: case study in Southern Jiangsu, Eastern China

Abstract

China has rapidly expanded economically and spatially in recent years; the booming construction industry necessary to support this growth has significantly impacted the country’s ecological future. This study was conducted to determine the ecological stress of construction lands in terms of quantity and spatial locations under the landscape ecology concepts of “Quantity-Oriented Ecological Stress” (QOES) and “Location-Oriented Ecological Stress” (LOES). We first provide a brief introduction of the study area (Southern Jiangsu, Eastern China) followed by a discussion of the methodology and data processing techniques applied. We next examine the spatial heterogeneity of ecological suitability (ES) from the perspective of ecological process analysis and divide Southern Jiangsu into five ecological zones with different ES levels. We then classify construction lands based on their spatial distribution in different ecological zones. We calculated county-level LOES and compared it against QOES; we also discuss our research contributions and policy implications in regard to the spatial allocation of construction lands. The locations of construction lands are of significance to ecological safety, and location effects correspond to the spatial heterogeneity of regional ecosystems. A location-oriented evaluation more objectively reflects the ecological stress of construction lands expansion than a quantity-oriented evaluation. Optimizing land development practices serves not only to control the quantity of construction lands but also the construction lands concession and ecological restoration in areas with high ES.