The change of ecosystem resilience and its response to economic factors in Yulin, China

Abstract

Ecosystem resilience at a regional scale is an important indicator and component of ecological health assessment. Ecosystem resilience refers to the self-regulating and restoring capacity of an ecosystem to restore itself to its initial state after deviation from the equilibrium state due to disturbances. In this study, Fragstats and ArcGIS software were used to calculate various indicators of ecosystem resilience, then a model of ecosystem resilience was used to evaluate and analyze the characteristics of ecosystem resilience in 12 counties of Yulin Prefecture, China. The ecosystem resilience–economy responses were discussed using Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis accordingly. The results suggested that ecosystem resilience in Yulin increased steadily during 1995–2015, with the self-regulating and self-restoring capacity strengthened over time. The study also found that the total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery, fiscal expenditure and gross investment in fixed assets were significantly and positively correlated with ecosystem resilience, with correlation coefficients of 0.716 (p = 0.000 < 0.01), 0.589 (p = 0.002 < 0.01) and 0.411 (p = 0.046 < 0.05), respectively. The proportion of primary industry were negatively correlated with ecosystem resilience, with correlation coefficients of −0.445 (p = 0.029 < 0.05). The research revealed the development and changes of ecological resilience in Yulin and the response to the social economy. The findings provided support for ecological health diagnosis and decision-making concerning sustainable development in the study area and beyond.