Ecological Security Assessment Research Articles

Overview of deltamethrin residues and toxic effects in the global environment.

Pyrethroids are synthetic organic insecticides. Deltamethrin, as one of the pyrethroids, has high insecticidal activity against pests and parasites and is less toxic to mammals, and is widely used in cities and urban areas worldwide. After entering the natural environment, deltamethrin circulates between solid, liquid and gas phases and enters organisms through the food chain, posing significant health risks. Increasing evidence has shown that deltamethrin has varying degrees of toxicity to a variety of organisms. This review summarized worldwide studies of deltamethrin residues in different media and found that deltamethrin is widely detected in a range of environments (including soil, water, sediment, and air) and organisms. In addition, the metabolism of deltamethrin, including metabolites and enzymes, was discussed. This review shed the mechanism of toxicity of deltamethrin and its metabolites, including neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, endocrine disruption toxicity, reproductive toxicity, hepatorenal toxicity. This review is aim to provide reference for the ecological security and human health risk assessment of deltamethrin.

A new multivariate index for ecological security assessment in the China-Myanmar border region

The coordination of development efforts and ecological conservation in China's border regions is a significant challenge due to the overlap of biodiversity hotspots, ecologically fragile zones, and impoverished areas. Achieving the harmonious integration of ecological preservation and economic development relies on the fundamental assessment of ecological security (ES). However, comprehensive assessments of ES in border regions remain limited. This study introduces a new index, the multivariate ecological security index (MESI), which integrates ecosystem vigor, organization, elasticity, services and risk. Here, the MESI was utilized to assess the temporal and spatial changes in ES and its associated impact factors in the China-Myanmar border region (CMBR) from 2000 to 2020. The MESI provides a clear representation of the actual ES status in the CMBR, exhibiting a significant correlation with the eco-environmental quality index (EEQI; p < 0.01). The ES status exhibited notable spatial heterogeneity in the CMBR, consisting primarily of both relatively safe and safe levels, which accounted for approximately 85% of the total area. From 2000 to 2020, the CMBR experienced a gradual improvement in ES status, with the area experiencing an increase in the ES level accounting for 23.41% of the total area, which exceeded the proportion of the area experiencing a decrease in the ES level (4.71%). The combined impact of multiple factors exerted a greater influence on ES than did individual factors alone. Notably, human factors increasingly influenced the ES status during the study period. The results of this study provide valuable insights for ecological preservation and sustainable management in the CMBR, and the MESI can be extended to assess the ES of other regions.

Coastal ecological security assessment in Laizhou Bay, China: from the perspective of demographic-social-economic-natural complex ecosystem.

Assessment of ecological security is essential for understanding the status of bay ecosystem and developing appropriate management strategy. Based on the driving force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model, the demographic, economic, social, and ecological data of Laizhou Bay and its three neighboring counties were selected for the period from 2015 to 2021. An ecological security evaluation index system of Laizhou Bay containing 26 indicators was established, and the weights of each indicator were determined by the methods of AHP and EWM, and a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological security of Laizhou Bay was carried out by ESI. Correlations between indicators were analyzed by the Spearman's rank coefficient of correlation. The results showed that there were significant correlations between marine conditions and indicators such as population size in the surrounding area, mariculture area, industrial and domestic wastewater discharge, and treatment rate. Overall, from 2015 to 2021, the ecological security of Laizhou Bay showed a favorable trend, from a relatively unsafe level to a generally safe level, and then to a relatively safe level. Through the comprehensive evaluation of the ecological security of Laizhou Bay, we can recognize the utilization of marine resources and ecological carrying capacity, guide the rational development and utilization of marine resources, and promote the sustainable development of the marine economy.

Assessing the ecological security of the Three Gorges reservoir complex ecosystem based on the improved three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint model

The ecological security (ES) of the reservoir complex ecosystem (RCE) is one of the critical components of watershed water security and sustainable development. Hence, accurately assessing the ES of the RCE is of utmost importance. This study proposed a novel ecological security assessment model based on the improved three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint (ESM-IEEF3D), which integrated various emergy flows during the RCE's construction and operation into a three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint (EEF3D) calculation account. The Three Gorges Project (TGP) is selected as a case study to evaluate the ES from 1993 to 2022 comprehensively. The results showed that the Three Gorges RCE mainly showed an ecological remainder state, and the inflow runoff enormously promoted the TGP's sustainability. The EEF3D indicated a fluctuation decrease trend with a mean value of 7.18 × 102 ha, illustrating that TGP's ecological security and sustainability levels are gradually improving. Regarding the ES evaluation indicators, the TGP's resource dependency and ecological pressure on the natural ecosystem and the external socio-economic system are steadily relieved. Furthermore, the Three Gorges RCE's resource utilization condition is safe, the structural characteristics are healthy, and the eco-economic coordination degree is continuously enlightening. Finally, applicable policy implications for improving the ecological security of Three Gorges RCE were provided. This study helps to understand the complex relationship between humans and ecosystems. It provides a novel framework to be used as an evaluation index and policy insights for hydropower ecological security and sustainable development.

Study on the Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Factors of Ecological Security in Stages Based on the DPSIRM-SBM Model: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Scientific assessment of urban ecological security (ES) is an important prerequisite to realize regional sustainable development. Previous studies lack the consideration of quality and poor systematic correlation, which could not reflect the internal dynamic relationship. On the basis of considering the time lag, this study divided the research process into the natural operation stage and the management feedback stage based on the driving forces, pressures, state, impacts, responses, management (DPSIRM) framework model and DEA theory, so as to effectively overcome the above shortcomings. Finally, we analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of the ES level of 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) during 2005-2019. The results showed that: (a) both two stages showed a slow and fluctuating upward trend in time series, and the level of urban ES in the management feedback stage was significantly higher than that in the natural operation stage; (b) with the passage of time, the spatial distribution of ES in the natural operation stage gradually developed towards the middle and downstream of the YREB, while the management feedback stage mainly evolved from the midstream to the edge area; (c) the level of urban ES presented a different degree of spatial agglomeration phenomenon, and showed an increasing trend over time; and (d) the key influencing factors gradually changed from pressure to response during 2005-2019. This research aims to provide an innovative perspective for the measurement of urban ES, and provide scientific reference for improving urban ecological sustainable development.

Development of ice and snow tourism destinations in China: ecological security assessment and obstacle degree analysis

Development of ice and snow tourism destinations in China: ecological security assessment and obstacle degree analysis

Identification of ecological restoration areas based on the ecological safety security assessment of wetland-hydrological ecological corridors: A case study of the Han River Basin in China

In recent years, wetland resources have been threatened by human activities such as mining, agriculture and construction land expansion, and problems such as shrinkage of wetland area and deterioration of water quality have emerged, impeding the exchange of materials between wetlands and reducing the ecological function of wetlands. Water systems are important channels for material exchange between wetland sources, and evaluating the ecological safety of wetland–water system ecological corridors can aid in efficiently delineating ecological restoration areas and identifying ecological problems. In this paper, the ecological safety of wetland–hydrological ecological corridors in the Han River Basin was evaluated, and ecological restoration areas were delineated by adopting the method of “identification of source areas - construction of resistance surfaces - extraction of wetland–hydrological ecological corridors” with the watershed as the research unit. The study identified wetland–hydrological ecological corridors with a total length of 7,589.77 km and delineated 31 sections of wetland–hydrological ecological corridors with a total length of 1,076 km; these corridors were located in the Hanzhong Canyon area, tributaries of the Danjiang River and Tangbai River, and tributaries of the main streams below Danjiangkou. Among them, 8 sections of the primary corridor account for 27 %, 14 sections of the secondary corridor account for 33 %, and 9 sections of the tertiary corridor account for 39 %. This study breaks administrative boundaries, emphasizes the correlation between wetlands and water bodies, highlights the integrity of ecosystems, and establishes a multidimensional systematic restoration methodology of “points, lines and surfaces”, which provides guidelines for the long-term planning of ecological corridors of wetlands and water systems in large-scale regions.

Integrated assessment and prediction of ecological security in typical ecologically fragile areas.

In order to safeguard and restore ecological security in ecologically fragile regions, a regionally appropriate land use structure and ecological security pattern should be constructed. Previous ecological security research models for ecologically fragile areas are relatively homogenous, and it is necessary to establish a multi-modeling framework to consider integrated ecological issues. This study proposes a coupled "PLUS-ESI-Circuit Theory" framework for multi-scenario ecological security assessment of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR). Firstly, the PLUS model was used to complete the simulation of four future development scenarios. Secondly, a new ecological security index (ESI) is constructed by synthesizing ecological service function, ecological health, and ecological risk. Finally, the Circuit Theory is applied to construct the ecological security pattern under multiple scenarios, and the optimization strategy of ecological security zoning is proposed. The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2030, the NHAR has about 80% of grassland and farmland. The built-up area is consistently growing. (2) Between 2000 and 2030, high ecological security areas are primarily located in Helan Mountain, Liupan Mountain, and the central part of NHAR, while the low ecological security areas are dominated by Shapotou District and Yinchuan City. (3) After 2010, the aggregation of high-security areas decreases, and the fragmentation of patches is obvious. Landscape fragmentation would increase under the economic development (ED) scenario and would be somewhat ameliorated by the ecological protection (EP) and balanced development (BD) scenarios. (4) The number of sources increases but the area decreases from 2000 to 2020. The quantity of ecological elements is on the rise. Ecological restoration and protection of this part of the country will improve its ecological security.

Ecological security assessment of urban park landscape using the DPSIR model and EW-PCA method

Ecological security assessment of urban park landscape using the DPSIR model and EW-PCA method

Regional Ecological Security Assessment Based on the Pressure–State–Response Framework: The Demonstration Zone of Yangtze River Delta as an Example

Ecological security is related to human well-being, is closely linked to a region’s sustainable development, and is an essential cornerstone of any national security system. The Demonstration Zone of Green and Integrated Ecological Development (DZGIED) of the Yangtze River Delta is a critical point in implementing the integrated development strategy of the Yangtze River Delta. This paper used the Pressure–State–Response (PSR) framework to evaluate the regional ecological security (RES) in the DZGIED based on multi-source remote sensing and GIS data. And the analysis was conducted from the overall and administrative division perspective. The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2020, the ecological security of the DZGIED shows a slight decline overall. The RES decreased from 0.60 to 0.53. The RES level is kept above the critical security level and needs further improvement. (2) Significant differences in the RES across townships, with more pronounced changes in extreme values. The ecological security status of more than 80% of the townships shows solid positive spatial correlations. The ecological security of the DZGIED is more critical to the central area. (3) Human disturbance is the most important factor causing the decline in ecological security and the impact of environmental safety on the central area is more enormous. (4) The ecological security state of the DZGIED shows an improving trend, but it is still necessary to promote the construction of various demonstration projects. This paper aims to ensure the sustainable development of the DZGIED in the future and to provide guidance for policy formulation on ecological safety in the DZGIED from the perspective of administrative divisions. It also provides a reference for small-scale regional ecological safety evaluation studies such as townships.

Dynamic assessment of ecological security in the Yangtze River Economic Belt based on three-dimensional ecological footprint

Dynamic assessment of ecological security in the Yangtze River Economic Belt based on three-dimensional ecological footprint

Carbon ecological security assessment based on the decoupling relationship between carbon balance pressure and ecological quality in Xuzhou City, China.

Building a carbon ecological security (CES) framework helps to scientifically evaluate and manage the regional carbon cycle and eco-environment and support regional ecological security patterns. This paper adopted the pressure-state-response-immune (PSRI) model and the carbon balance index method to evaluate the ecological quality and carbon balance pressure. Then, based on the decoupling model and the improved four-quadrant model, the CES framework was constructed to evaluate the changing trend of the CES of Xuzhou City from 2005 to 2020. The results showed that the carbon balance pressure of Xuzhou City showed a pattern of "low-high-low" from east to west, and most areas tended to have a carbon balance and surplus in 2020. The ecological quality showed an overall upward trend during the study period. Protection and restoration drove the response and immune index growth from 2010 to 2020. In the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan stage, the nine districts of Xuzhou City were in a stable decoupling state, and the overall decoupling process was ideal. The CES of districts showed individual differences in the general upward trend. The carbon balance pressure of Gulou and Quanshan Districts was the main factor restricting the districts' CES. Therefore, based on the empirical results, this research proposes relevant suggestions to enhance carbon ecological security to achieve regional green and low-carbon development.

Integrating ecological security assessment and problem area identification: Simulated annealing and multi-model fusion

Accurately identifying ecological problem areas is crucial to prevent the expansion and exacerbation of ecological issues. However, existing methods for ecological security assessment and ecological problem identification struggle to precisely delineate ecological problem areas. This study comprehensively utilized a projection pursuit model optimized by simulated annealing, an obstacle degree model, and parameter-optimized geo-detectors to integrate and define ecological problem areas in the Chengdu Plain region. The research findings indicate: (1) The projection pursuit model optimized by simulated annealing increased the verification accuracy of ecological security assessment to 79.48%. (2) After approximately 2000 iterations, the model achieved the optimal balance between time cost and efficiency in precision enhancement. (3) The Chengdu Plain region, on the whole, is in a relatively secure ecological state. The ecological security level is closely related to topography, economic conditions, and urban-rural disparities. (4) The primary ecological issue in this area is environmental pollution, while ecological degradation is mainly associated with new urban development and urban expansion. (5) Relevant authorities should pay special attention to pollution emissions in urban built-up areas and take preventive measures against potential ecological degradation caused by new urban development.

Ecological Security Assessment of “Grain-for-Green” Program Typical Areas in Northern China Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data

The Inner Mongolia segment of the Yellow River basin (IMYRB) is a typical area for ecological restoration in China. At the end of the 20th century, influenced by climate and human activities, such as mining, grazing, and farmland abandonment, the ecological security of the IMYRB was under more significant pressure. To alleviate the pressure on natural ecosystems and improve the fragile ecological situation, China implemented the “Grain-for-Green” (GFG) project in 1999. However, the evolutionary characteristics of the ecological security of the IMYRB in the first two decades of the 21st century are still lacking. Quantitative and long-term ecological security information of “Grain-for-Green” is needed. Based on this, this study used the “Pressure (P)-State (S)-Response (R)” method and proposed an ecological security assessment and early warning system based on multi-source remote sensing data. The evaluation results indicated a significant improvement in ecological security in the IMYRB from 2000 to 2020. Compared to 2000, the ecological security of the IMYRB had improved significantly in 2020, with an increase of 11.02% (ES &gt; 0.65) and a decrease of 8.89% (ES &lt; 0.35). For the early warning aspect of ecological security, there was a 26.31% growth in non-warning areas, with a 5% decrease in warning areas. Based on the analysis of ecologically critical factors, we proposed the implications for future ecological management as follows. (1) In ecologically fragile areas such as the IMYRB, continued implementation of the GFG was necessary. (2) Vegetation restoration should be scientific and tailored adaptive. (3) The protection of arable land also showed necessity. (4) The grazing management skills should be upgraded. Our study demonstrated that the ecological benefits derived from the “GFG” project are not immediate but cumulative and persistent. The continuous implementation of “GFG” will likely alleviate the pressure exerted by human activities on the natural environment.

Temporal and spatial variations of ecological security on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau integrating ecosystem health-risk-services framework

Ecological security is a critical guarantor of human security and indeed human survival and is closely associated with sustainable development. Yet exploration of ecological security assessment in alpine pastoral regions is lacking, and many studies have failed to perform validation analyses on ecological security assessment results, weakening the reliability of their assessment results. In this study, an ecosystem health-risk-services framework is developed to assess the ecological security of the Gannan alpine pastoral region (GAPR) on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2020. Then, the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and high-resolution images are then introduced to verify and compare the results’ reliability. Our study results indicate: (1) The assessment framework can better reflect the actual ecological security state in GAPR, and the correlation coefficient (R2) of the comprehensive ecological security index (CESI) and RSEI is between 0.426 and 0.555 (p < 0.001). (2) The CESI value of GAPR shows a fluctuating and increasing trend from 2000 to 2020, with a spatial distribution pattern of high values in the south and low values in the north. The ecological security levels in GAPR are dominated by medium, medium-high and high security levels. (3) The centers of gravity of low and medium-low security levels show a northward movement trend, while that of medium-high and high security levels show a southward movement. Our framework provides a new perspective for ecological security assessment methods, which can be extended to other regions, and the results contribute useful references to decision-makers for socioeconomic development and eco-environmental protection in GAPR.

Evolution of marine ecology-industry symbiosis patterns and ecological security assessment: New evidence from coastal areas of China

Marine ecological security is an important precondition and foundation for the development of marine business. Scientific and effective assessment of marine ecological security is of great significance for promoting the sustainable development of marine economy and building an ecological civilization. Based on the symbiosis theory, this paper focuses on the key role of human economic activities in the evolution of ecological security from the perspective of eco-industrial symbiosis and constructs a symbiotic system of indicators considering human economic activities and all subsystems with the help of the “Driver-Pressur-State-Impact -Response (DPSIR) model” analysis logic. This paper adopts the Lotka-Volterra symbiosis model to dynamically analyze the causes of the symbiotic coupling relationship of marine ecological security in China's coastal areas from 2006 to 2019. The research results show that the socio-economic development index shows a stable upward trend, the environmental capacity index basically remains stable, and the ecological impact index shows a fluctuating and undulating trend. During the sample period, there were only four modes of mutualism symbiosis, ecological single damage, industrial single damage, and mutual harm symbiosis in coastal areas. Hebei, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces are dominated by the optimal ecological security state. Tianjin, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Fujian are mainly in the security transition area; Shandong and Liaoning provinces are in a state of ecological security dominated by non-safe areas. Finally, relevant policy suggestions are put forward, in order to provide decision-making reference for improving marine ecological security and promoting the healthy development of the marine industry.

Spatio-temporal pattern and driving factors of tourism ecological security in Fujian Province

The scientific assessment of tourism ecological security holds significant theoretical and practical importance in promoting the sustainable development of the tourism economy and the ecological environment in the region. This study focuses on 84 counties within Fujian Province as its research scope. By utilizing the DPSIR model and integrating the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), we have established an evaluation index system for assessing tourism ecological security in the region. The tourism ecological security index was quantitatively determined using the SBM-DEA model. Subsequently, a combination of methods, including spatial autocorrelation, exploratory regression analysis, and the GWR model, was employed to explore the spatial and temporal evolution patterns, as well as driving factors affecting tourism ecological security from 2010 to 2019. The findings reveal the following insights: (1) Overall, the level of tourism ecological security within Fujian Province is low, with a decreasing disparity in the security index across different regions. The tourism ecological security mainly falls within the “unsafe” and “relatively unsafe” categories; however, regions with higher security levels are exhibiting an expanding trend. Moreover, the tourism ecological security of each county is improving, with Southern and Central Fujian outperforming other regions. (2) Notably, there is significant spatial correlation among the tourism ecological security of each county in Fujian Province, indicating pronounced agglomeration characteristics. (3) Key drivers contributing to the spatial–temporal disparities in tourism ecological security encompass tourist-related disturbances, income levels of local farmers and herders, tourism-generated income, and government interventions. Among these factors, higher income levels for farmers and herders, increased tourism income, and proactive government intervention have a positive impact on tourism ecological security, whereas tourist disturbances exert a negative influence. Additionally, the impact of each factor on tourism ecological security displays noticeable spatial heterogeneity.

Urban Ecological Security Assessment Based on Sentinel-2A and Landsat 8 Image Data: A Case Study in Surakarta City and its Surroundings

A healthy ecosystem is the foundation of social and economic development. It is crucial to conduct ecological security assessments in rapidly urbanizing areas. Surakarta City is one of the cities in Central Java undergoing significant growth, driven by an increasing population year by year. This has led to changes in land use accompanied by shifts in environmental quality. This research aims to assess the urban ecological security of Surakarta City and its surroundings using remote sensing technology from satellite systems. The research methodology employs Sentinel-2A and Landsat 8 TIRS imagery to extract indicators of urban ecological security. The modeling method utilizes Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The findings of this study provide the distribution of urban ecological security levels within the research area.

Integrating ecological risk, ecosystem health, and ecosystem services for assessing regional ecological security and its driving factors: Insights from a large river basin in China

Watershed ecological security (ES), which is fundamental to regional sustainable development, consists of ecological risk (ER), ecosystem health (EH), and ecosystem services (ESs). It remains unclear how to describe the status of regional ES by integrating the three key characteristics, and little is known about the differences among the factors driving ER, EH, ESs, and ES. Here, we established an integrated assessment system of regional ES based on the cause–effect relationship of ER, EH, and ESs. We quantified the ES characteristics in the Huaihe River Basin of China in 2020 and pinpointed the factors (i.e., natural environment, urbanization, accessibility) driving their spatial differentiation using the Geodetector model. Results showed that: (1) in the study area, ER and EH were at the average level, and ESs and ES were at the high level. (2) ER, EH, ESs, and ES had positive spatial correlations (Moran’ I > 0.60), with ER and EH having the strongest spatial dependence. (3) Natural environmental factors predominantly influenced ER, EH, and ESs. Slope was the primary driver for ER and ESs (q-value = 0.492 and 0.395, respectively), and vegetation coverage was the major driver for EH (q-value = 0.506). (4) ES was mainly influenced by urbanization factors, the proportion of construction land area exhibiting the highest explanatory power (q-value = 0.751), and the interaction with vegetation coverage being the strongest (q-value = 0.836). This study provides new ideas and methods for the assessment of regional ES, and holds positive implications for the protection and management of regional ecosystems.

Impact assessment of cascade freshwater reservoir using the ecological security assessment (ESA) model across a four-year timescale

The existence of cascade reservoirs in complex ecosystems not only assists humans to regulate and use water resources efficiently, but the presence of hydropower also contributes to reducing carbon emissions. In recent decades, the ecology of the water sources comprising cascade reservoirs has been subject to a wide range of threats. Assessing these threats is essential for sustainable operation and management strategies of cascade reservoirs. This paper aimed to propose an ecological security assessment framework using an improved Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response model to assess a typical riverine cascade reservoir located in the subtropical region of Zhejiang, China. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods to describe the indicators involved in social, economic, ecological, and management. Simultaneously, the degree of deviation from the standard state of ecological security in the study area is assessed with the help of the ecological security index. The analysis shows that the ecological security index of the study area for the four years increased from 81.67 in 2019 to 90.14, where the lowest value has been the socio-economic impact index, indicating that the study area is in a state of ecological security with a score higher than 90.00, but the impact of socio-economic activities on the study area is more pronounced in comparison with other aspects. The model shows that control management with a score of 92.70 in 2022 plays a vital connecting role. Good control management increases socio-economic growth by 16.82%, improves ecological health by 10.23%, and enhances ecosystem services by 5.25% compared to 2019.