Vulnerable Ecological Environment Research Articles

Optimization of land-use pattern based on suitability and trade-offs between land development and protection: A case study of the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos (HBO) area in Inner Mongolia, China

Determining comprehensive land-use suitability is crucial for effective zoning management. However, limited research on land-use multi-suitability and the trade-offs between land development and protection hinder optimal environmental management. This study focuses on the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos (HBO) area in Inner Mongolia, China, known for its unique geographical attributes, including abundant energy resources, potential arable land, and vulnerable ecological environment. The objective is to determine comprehensive land-use suitability for ecological protection, agricultural production, and urban construction, while addressing the trade-offs involved in land-use multi-suitability. Multi-scenarios were conducted based on multi-suitability using quantitative indicators, such as per capita space occupancy, patch density, and conductance index. The most suitable scenario, identified through these comparisons, was subsequently optimized for the HBO area by addressing land conflict zones using the InVEST model. The results revealed that: (1) Extremely suitable areas for ecological protection, agricultural production, and urban construction accounted for 47.75%, 18.19%, and 8.61% of the HBO area, respectively, indicating significant potential for ecological conservation. (2) Trade-offs were categorized into six scenarios based on land-use multi-suitability. The ecological-agricultural priority scenario demonstrated reasonable space allocation, the highest landscape agglomeration and connectivity, making it the most suitable option for optimizing the land-use pattern. (3) The optimized zoning delineated the ecological protection red line (EPR), which accounted for the highest percentage at 40.71%, while the urban reserve area (URA) was minimal, constituting only 1.28%. The primary goal of zoning management is to curb urban expansion and alleviate ecological degradation through effective strategies. Consequently, regulatory strategies focusing on management zoning were proposed. Overall, this study developed a comprehensive index system for land-use suitability, providing a method for balancing land development and protection. The findings offer a scientific reference for sustainable development in the HBO area and other regions with similar natural environmental backgrounds.

The effects of land use types on microplastics in river water: A case study on the mainstream of the Wei River, China

Microplastics are widely found in rivers and their sediments, which will cause harm to the water ecological environment. The Wei River is a first-class tributary of the Yellow River, the fifth largest river in the world, and has vulnerable ecological environment and most sediment in the world. However, understanding how anthropogenic activities and environmental factors affect the microplastics distribution in this river is not clear. Based on this, the spatiotemporal distribution of microplastics in the Wei River were investigated. The abundance of microplastics ranged from 1033 to 8333 items/m3 and from 120 to 840 items/kg in the water and in the sediment, respectively. Fibers and fragments were the main shapes of Wei River, microplastics less than 500 μm were the main sizes, and black and white/transparent were the main colors. In Wei River, the abundance of microplastics in urban areas was higher than that in agricultural areas and mountainous areas. Furthermore, the correlation analysis revealed that microplastic abundance in the water was related to anthropogenic activities (population density, per capita GDP and distance) and environmental factors (water temperature, NH3-N, ORP), while in the sediments was correlated with anthropogenic activities (per capita GDP) and environmental factors (water temperature and NH3-N). This study reveals new patterns in microplastic pollution in the Wei River, underscoring the need for targeted environmental strategies. Our findings provide novel insights into the characteristics and distribution of microplastics, significantly adding to the current understanding of riverine microplastic pollution.

Spatiotemporal Patterns and Coupling Coordination Analysis of Multiscale Social–Economic–Ecological Effects in Ecologically Vulnerable Areas Based on Multi-Source Data: A Case Study of the Tuha Region, Xinjiang Province

Ecologically fragile areas are confronted with the contradiction between economic development and ecological protection, especially in the Tuha region (Turpan and Hami), where the extremely vulnerable ecological environment limits local sustainable development. To address this, this study utilizes POI (Point of Interest) data, land use, and socioeconomic statistical data to achieve spatial quantification of indicators on a kilometer grid scale, constructing a multi-factor, multi-dimensional evaluation system for the socioeconomic and ecological effects of sustainable development based on SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The entropy method, comprehensive evaluation method, coupling coordination degree model, and geographical detector method are used to analyze the coupling relationships between systems at different scales and the factors influencing the system’s coupling coordination degree. The results indicate that from 2010 to 2020, the economic, social, and ecological systems of the Tuha region, as well as their comprehensive scores, exhibited spatial similarity. The economic system showed an upward trend, the social system displayed an inverted U-shaped trend of rising then declining, while the ecological system presented a U-shaped trend of declining then increasing. At the county scale, the coupling coordination degree closely approximates the trend of the comprehensive coordination index, showing a continuous upward trajectory. Compared with Turpan city, Hami city, especially Yizhou district, exhibits the best development in coupling coordination degree, while the growth in coupling coordination degree is most significant in Gaochang district. The main factors influencing the degree of coupling coordination are grain production and GDP (gross domestic product). This study provides a new perspective on the quantification of sustainable development indicators, which is of great significance for balancing economic and social development with ecological protection and promoting the coupled and coordinated development of society, economy, and ecology in ecologically fragile areas.

What psychological factors lead to the abandonment of cultivated land by coastal farmers? An interpretation based on the psychological distance

For a long time, the research on the cultivated land abandonment behavior of farmers, caused by natural constraints such as coastal ecological environment vulnerability and frequent extreme climates, has received extensive attention. However, few scholars pay attention to the impact of psychological construction of farmers’ environmental risk perception on abandoned farming behavior, especially the use of psychological distance (PD) to quantify this abstract psychological process. Taking Shankou Town, Guangxi, China as an example, this study combines the PD in the field of sociology with the construal level theory to build a PD framework for coastal farmers. A structural equation model was used to explore the influence mechanism of the social, temporal, hypothetical, and spatial distances on farmers’ cultivated land abandonment behavior. We found that coastal land abandonment is affected by social trust and the probability of extreme weather, although the risk preference under the ‘discount rate’ is not significantly affected. At the same time, the closer the spatial distance between the residence and the coastline, the higher the abandonment of cultivated land, although with a different impact. In addition, population mobility and human-sea connection were found to play a mediating role in the effect of psychological distance on cultivated land abandonment. We confirmed that the direction of the effects of the four types of psychological distance on land abandonment behavior is not consistent. This study is helpful to understand the cultivated land abandonment behavior of farmers in coastal zone, and tries to provide reference for coastal zone planting planning.

Status and prospects of tree-ring research in Central Asia

Central Asia is the world’s largest non-zonal arid area, with rare and uneven precipitation. As a sensitive area of global change and with a vulnerable ecological environment, Central Asia is largely affected by global change. Various long-lived conifer species widely distributed in the mountains of Central Asia have become an important proxy for studying historical climatic, hydrological, and vegetation changes in this region. This paper reviews research progress on tree rings in Central Asia; specifically, the current state of research is addressed, highlights and bottleneck problems associated with the research are analyzed and discussed, and suggestions and prospects for further study of dendrochronology in this area are proposed.

Promotion and sustainable development of beef cattle farming industry in agro-pasture ecotone areas, Inner Mongolia of China: A comparison between two fattening systems

The agro-pasture ecotone is distributed all around the world. In these areas, the productive land forces are decreasing, and due to the irrational economic activities and the vulnerable ecological environment in these regions occurs land degradation. This study focuses on the effect of two different fattening approaches of beef cattle and output from the economic point of view by using a cost-benefit analysis technique in the eastern agro-pasture ecotone of Inner Mongolia, China. This study considers the environmental, social, and economic costs as input factors and concludes that both fattening systems have different characteristics. The result shows that the intensive farming system has more fluctuation and instability in terms of the number of animals due to the feed shortage in the local area. In comparison, the continuous fattening system is much more efficient and sustainable in terms of cost management and benefit analysis due to the local condition of the area. The empirical results indicate that the beef cattle industry has a high marginal return. Our research highlights the need to prioritize local resources and incorporate feed-intensity analysis in livestock.

长江三角洲生态环境脆弱带生态修复技术研究进展

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 长江三角洲生态环境脆弱带生态修复技术研究进展 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201912312842 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 南京市政府重点科技专项（长江生态文明发展史与战略研究（043013005001））；国家科技部重点专项目（2018YF0800201） Research progress on ecological restoration technology of ecological fragile zone of the Yangtze River Delta Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:我国长江三角洲作为中国第一大经济区，综合实力最强的经济中心，其城市化和工业化发展迅速，但在人类活动的高强度影响和干预下，该地区的资源环境问题日益突出：生态环境脆弱性程度的增高，脆弱性发展趋势的加快等等一系列问题严重影响着长江三角洲的可持续发展，该区域生态环境呈现出的脆弱性特征已成为我国新的生态环境脆弱带。基于长江三角洲自然、经济、社会和环境状况的数据基础，及国内外脆弱性综合评价指标（自然因素和人为因素），对长江三角洲进行生态环境评估发现该区域具体的生态环境问题主要为土壤污染、城区大气污染、水环境污染，以及地面沉降等。通过剖析长江三角洲4类生态环境问题（土壤污染、大气污染、水环境污染、地面沉降）的现状、形成的具体原因及带来的影响，结合国内外生态修复技术的研究成果，详细论述了该区域4类生态环境问题的生态修复技术类型（物理方法、化学方法、生物方法、生态方法）、基本原理及各自的优缺点，同时评估了不同生态修复技术在污染治理过程中的可行性、安全性、经济性，旨在以上述理论研究为参照标准评估该区域环境污染治理过程中生态修复技术的修复潜力，为长江三角洲生态环境问题的治理修复提供方案及理论参考。长江三角洲生态环境的健康发展需要多方面的努力，需要全体社会成员增强生态环境保护意识，需要建立健全的生态修复相关政策及法律法规，需要运用多学科交叉综合修复技术，需要修订生态修复理论体系和技术规范，以上措施旨在为我国长江三角洲生态文明建设和可持续发展提供技术保障，促进该区域生态环境保护与经济社会的协调发展。 Abstract:As the largest economic zone and the economic center with the strongest comprehensive strength in China, the Yangtze River Delta has developed rapidly in urbanization and industrialization. However, under the high-intensity influence and intervention of human activities, the resource and environmental problems in the region have become increasingly prominent:the increase of ecological environment vulnerability, the acceleration of vulnerability development trend and a series of problems have seriously affected the sustainable development of the Yangtze River Delta, the fragile characteristics of the regional ecological environment have become a new ecological environment fragile zone in China. Based on the data of the natural, economic, social and environmental conditions of the Yangtze River Delta and the comprehensive vulnerability assessment indicators at home and abroad (natural and human factors), the ecological environment assessment of the Yangtze River Delta was carried out. It was found that the specific ecological and environmental problems in the region mainly included soil pollution, urban air pollution, water environment pollution, land subsidence and so on. By analyzing the current situation, specific causes and impacts of four types of eco-environmental problems (soil pollution, air pollution, water environment pollution and land subsidence) in the Yangtze River Delta, combined with the research results of ecological restoration technology at home and abroad, the types of ecological restoration technology (physical method, chemical method, biological method and ecological method), basic principles, advantages and disadvantages of four types of eco-environmental problems in the region were discussed in detail. At the same time, the feasibility, safety and economy of different ecological restoration technologies in the process of pollution control were evaluated aiming to evaluate the restoration potential of ecological restoration technologies in the process of environmental pollution control in the region with the above theoretical research as the reference standard, so as to provide a scheme and theoretical reference for the treatment and restoration of ecological environmental problems in the Yangtze River Delta. The healthy development of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River Delta requires various efforts, all members of society need to enhance their awareness of ecological and environmental protection, establish sound policies, laws and regulations related to ecological restoration, apply interdisciplinary comprehensive restoration technology, and revise the theoretical system and technical specifications of ecological restoration. The above measures were designed to provide technical guarantee for the construction of ecological civilization and sustainable development in the Yangtze River Delta, and promote the coordinated development of ecological and environmental protection and economy and society in the region. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Study on Spatio-Temporal Changes of Land Use Sustainability in Southwestern Border Mountainous Provinces in Recent 20 Years Based on Remote Sensing Interpretation: A Case Study in Yunnan Province, China

The basic characteristics of mountain areas are that the innate ecological environment is relatively fragile, the acquired ecological environment is severely damaged and degraded, the whole economy and society are still relatively backward, and the degree of sustainable development is relatively low. At present, it has not been seen that land use sustainability evaluation (LUSE) research lasting for many years based on RS and GIS in mountainous provinces. It is urgent to build a suitable, feasible, operable and applicable LUSE system for mountainous regions so as to provide a basic foundation for strategic planning and management of sustainable land use in mountainous provinces. This study integrated “RS and GIS + multi-phase LUCC + LUSE theory and quantitative practical methods” based on mountain provinces, firmly grasped the basic characteristics of mountain areas—the vulnerability of ecological environment, and conducted the study on mountain LUSE. According to the outcomes of RS of land use in the study area in three phases (2000, 2010 and 2020), a comprehensive indicator system is established from the three dimensions of ecological friendliness of land use (EFLU), the economic viability of land use (EVLU) and social acceptability of land use (SALU). Using the Delphi method to determine weights and combining the AHP method and the comprehensive analysis method, this paper quantitatively measures the overall sustainability of land use (OSLU) of 129 counties in Yunnan province in 2000, 2010 and 2020, revealing the spatio-temporal characteristics of the OSLU of Yunnan province and all counties from 2000 to 2020, and aiming to provide a basic and foundation for strategic planning and management of sustainable land use (SLU) in mountainous provinces. The degree of ecological friendliness (DEF), degree of economic viability (DEV), degree of social acceptability (DSA) and degree of overall sustainability (DOS) in Yunnan province and all counties have been significantly improved. Accordingly, the OSLU has been improved to a certain extent, with a 0.66% annual growth rate. It indicates that the development and construction from 2000 to 2020 have significantly improved the OSLU. However, regional differences are large. At present, EFLU, EVLU, and SALU in Yunnan province are not high as a whole. The basic situation reflected that there are obvious deficiencies in EFLU, EVLU and SALU in Yunnan province. Land exploitation and use activities have caused certain influences and the destruction of the ecological environment.

Land Use and Land Cover Changes and Prediction Based on Multi-Scenario Simulation: A Case Study of Qishan County, China

Research on land use change is helpful to better understand the processes and mechanisms of land use changes and provide a decision base for reasonable land development. However, studies on LUCC were mainly conducted for megalopolises and urban agglomerations in China, but there is a gap in the scholarly community when it comes to shrinking small cities where the population decreased sharply under the influence of the urban expansion of megacities. Hence, it is necessary to investigate the evolution rule of land use in these regions. This study takes Qishan County in Shanxi Province as the research subject and analyzes the land use change over the last 20 years with remote sensing technology. Comparing the two LUCC models of the CA-Markov Model and the LCM Model, an optimal model is used to predict and simulate land use change under three potential scenarios in 2030. The conclusions are stated as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the cultivated land area increased originally and subsequently decreased, and forest land continued to decrease at a progressively slower speed. In contrast, the urban land area expanded significantly. (2) The comprehensive dynamic change in water land is the most significant, indicating that this is an unstable land resource in the region and more attention should be given to this matter. (3) The scenario of water area protection indicates that the inhibition of the transition of water areas can protect their vulnerable ecological environment without negatively impacting economic development. Furthermore, the ongoing focus on economic development in the region is related to the rapid disappearance of cultivated land, which is not an optimistic perspective for the area’s ecosystem. The results of this study implied land transition features and mechanisms in Qishan County, providing novel insights for decision support for county-level land use planning.

An Analysis of the Driving Factors of the Desertification in the Desert-Oasis Transition Zone Utilizing the Perspective of the Marx’s Concept of Nature: A Case Study of the Ulan Buh Desert

The Ulan Buh Desert is in an arid and semiarid area in China, which features an exceedingly vulnerable ecological environment and has severe desertification. Based on Marx’s explanations for the human-nature relationship, this research applies the remote sensing data and meteorological and socioeconomic data from 2006 to 2018 to conduct a quantitative analysis of the desertification driving factors in the Ulan Buh Desert by adopting the method called multivariate random forest regressor. The findings of the research suggested that the average model employing a random forest algorithm is found to be 84.20%. The desertification in the Ulan Buh Desert showed a declining trend from 2006 to 2018, and the reversed desertification areas mainly are expanded into the hinterlands of the Ulan Buh Desert and along the Yellow River. While the main driving factor of desertification was found to be related to human activities, which were undertaken based on natural factors, the regional desertification was mainly attributed to human economic activities, population density, and altitude. Thus, lessening the excessive impact of human activities on the desert ecosystem would be crucial to protecting the local desert resources and increasing the ecological capacity of the desert ecological capacity. As a consequence, to reduce pressure on land, expand environment capacity, protect vegetation cover in the region, and lower the probability of triggering desertification, the interaction between human beings and nature should be carefully managed and observed.

青藏高原不同牧草人工草地对土壤线虫群落的影响

为缓解草蓄矛盾，青藏高原人工草地得到快速发展。土壤线虫对环境变化敏感，是草地生态系统的重要组成部分。然而，不同牧草人工草地对土壤线虫群落的影响尚不明确。2016年7月，对多年生禾本科（垂穗披碱草Elymus nutans Griseb.、老芒麦Elymus sibiricus L.、早熟禾Poa annua L.和羊茅Festuca ovina L.）、一年生禾本科燕麦Avena sativa L.和多年生豆科紫花苜蓿Medicago sativa L.等6种单播牧草人工草地（建植期4年）和天然草地（对照）的土壤线虫群落进行了调查。结果表明：（1）土壤线虫隶属于2纲8目32科58属，平均密度为1754个/100 g干土；紫花苜蓿样地的线虫密度最低，为949个/100 g干土；燕麦样地最高，为3267个/100 g干土；（2）与天然草地相比，燕麦样地的线虫群落总密度、多样性以及植食性和杂食-捕食性线虫密度显著增加，而其他人工草地的线虫群落密度、多样性以及植食性、食真菌和食细菌线虫密度均无显著变化；（3）土壤线虫总密度以及各营养类群密度在不同人工草地间差异显著，且均在燕麦样地最高；（4）建植人工草地改变了土壤线虫的群落组成，冗余分析（RDA）表明土壤全钾、碳氮比、全磷和有效钾是影响线虫群落组成的重要因子。研究表明青藏高原建植人工草地通过改变植物群落和土壤理化性质对土壤线虫群落产生影响，其中种植燕麦短期内可显著提高土壤线虫群落的密度和多样性。青藏高原生态环境脆弱，在大面积建植人工草地前应对地下生态过程进一步深入研究。;Artificial grassland with higher productivity has developed rapidly in recent years in order to balance available pasture and stocking rates on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Soil nematodes are sensitive to environmental changes, which are important components of grassland ecosystems. However, little is known about the effects of the artificial grasslands with the different forage species on the diversity of soil nematode communities. Soil nematode communities in the natural grasslands (control) and artificial grasslands were investigated in July 2016. Four perennial grass (Elymus nutans Griseb., Elymus sibiricus L., Poa annua L., and Festuca ovina L.), one annual grass (Avena sativa L.), and one perennial legume (Medicago sativa L.) were selected. Forages were grown for four years in monoculture in this study. Soil nematodes were extracted from 50 g of fresh soil using Baermann funnels for each composite soil sample. The composite samples were comprised of three soil cores taken from the upper 0-15 cm soil. Soil nematodes were identified into 2 classes,8 orders,32 families,and 58 genera. The results showed that:(1) the average nematodes abundance was 1754 ind./100 g dry soil, ranging from 949 ind./100 g dry soil in the M. sativa to 3267 ind./100 g dry soil in the A. sativa. (2) The total abundances, taxonomic richness, Shannon diversity index of the soil nematodes communities, and the abundances of herbivores and omnivores-predators were significantly higher in the A. sativa grasslands compared to the natural grasslands. However, no significant difference was observed in the total abundances and diversity of the nematode communities and the abundances of fungivores, bacterivores and omnivores-predators between the rest artificial grasslands and natural grasslands. (3) The abundances of the soil nematode communities and each trophic group differed significantly among the different artificial grasslands, with the maximum values occurring in the A. sativa grasslands. (4) Redundancy analysis results showed that soil total K, C/N, total P and available K were the important factors affecting the composition of the soil nematode communities. The results suggested that establishing artificial grasslands with changes in plant communities and soil physico-chemical properties led to the change of soil nematode communities on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and the abundances and diversity of soil nematode communities were significantly increased by planting A. sativa. Given the vulnerability of ecological environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the changes in soil nematode communities depicted here indicate that underground process should be further studied before the area of artificial grasslands has been greatly increased.

SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY: HOW TO FEED AN INCREASING POPULATION? A REVIEW

Achieving food security along with combating poverty, meeting climate goals, and reducing pressure on the environment has been a major challenge: rapidly growing population amid dwindling natural resources and an increasingly vulnerable ecological environment. This paper reviews some relevant paperwork to explore the present situation of the food system and the probable solutions for sustainable food security. Today, 690 million people are hungry and overall food demand is estimated to rise by 50% with the increase in population reaching about 10 billion by 2050. Meanwhile, the supply system loses 1.3 billion tons of food produced every year. Also, the world is facing the problem of hunger and obesity simultaneously. By 2050, adequate feeding of the growing population will necessitate an extra 593 million ha generating 7.4 quadrillion calories, which is more than 1.5 times as produced in 2010. Furthermore, 1/4th of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributed to the agriculture sector alone so, we have the dare to meet the increasing global food demand while minimizing adverse environmental impact. The paper’s main contribution lies in the analytical study of different food security approaches. The paper shall help the policymakers to focus on the best measures while formulating a strategy to combat hunger and climate change at the same time. It suggests giving major attention to the breeding programs, increasing cropping intensity, intercropping, rediscovering NUS, more plant-based diet, reduction of food loss and reforestation, peatland restoration, and efficient water utilization for sustainable food security.

Evaluation, spatial analysis and prediction of ecological environment vulnerability of Yellow River Basin

Evaluation, spatial analysis and prediction of ecological environment vulnerability of Yellow River Basin

Spatiotemporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of a typical river located in the Loess Plateau, China: Influence of human activities and land-use changes

The Loess Plateau, as the key energy base of China, has sensitive responses to the global changes, and receives polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from anthropogenic activities. However, understanding how anthropogenic and climate factors affect synergistically the PAHs distribution in this vulnerable ecological environment is deficient. Here the spatiotemporal distribution of PAHs in sediments from a typical river of the Loess Plateau were investigated. The PAHs were mainly from coal combustion in the range of 194–514 ng g−1, and their concentrations were generally higher in normal season than wet season as the dilution effect of high river discharge and strong precipitation. The interactive effects of land-use and precipitation showed PAHs enriched in forest-grass land were transferred into rivers through surface and subsurface runoff during light rainfall, resulting in the increase of the PAHs concentrations in river sediments. In contrast, large precipitation in wet season would obscure any spatial variations. In addition, human activities, especially energy production, directly enhanced PAHs accumulation in river sediments due to the emission from the production processing of oil and coal, and indirectly influenced the PAHs by impacting the per capita GDP. These findings had important implications for the management and prediction of PAH accumulation.

Vulnerability assessment and management planning for the ecological environment in urban wetlands

As a special ecosystem in cities, urban wetland parks have important environmental regulation and social service functions. This paper proposes a new methodology of urban wetland planning and management based on the vulnerability of the ecological environment. The Jixi National Wetland Park (JNWP) was taken as the research area to analyze the ecological, geological and environmental factors that affect urban wetlands. A remote sensing image, digital elevation model, and environmental quality interpolation processing were used to generate the factor layer, and a comprehensive evaluation index system was established. The fuzzy Delphi analytic hierarchy process (FDAHP) method was used to calculate the comprehensive weight of each evaluation factor. A model to evaluate the ecological environment vulnerability of the JNWP was established. Then, an improved k-means clustering algorithm was used to classify the ecological environment of the study area. The ecological environment vulnerability of the wetland was evaluated. The results showed that the vulnerability of the ecological environment in the study area could be divided into five levels, including very low, low, medium, high and very high vulnerability areas. According to the vulnerability level and the results of k-means++ cluster analysis, the JNWP is divided into five areas. The wetland buffer zone is the main factor that determines the distribution of ecological environment vulnerability in urban wetlands. However, cultivated land development and ecological environmental restoration are the main factors that determine the evolution of ecological environment vulnerability in urban wetlands. The FDAHP and geographic information systems (GIS), combined with cluster analysis, are effective methods to evaluate the vulnerability of the ecological environment of urban wetlands, which provides a scientific and accurate methodology for the management and sustainable development of urban wetlands.

Sulphate supergene minerals: An intuitive indicator for deep deposit in plateau regions

The world‐class Rongna Cu(Au) deposit, located in the Duolong mining district, is the first epithermal‐porphyry deposit along the Bangong–Nujiang metallogenic belt. The acidic spring developed in the centre of the Rongna Deposit and its basin has a high amount of heavy metals. Therefore, metal elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Cr and Hg), pH, SO42− of the Rongna River and the composition of its supergene minerals are studied to discuss the environmental influence and provide a theoretical basis for the comprehensive utilization and environmental management of the Rongna Deposit. The result shows that there are eight kinds of supergene minerals: natrojarosite, hexahydrite, tamarugite, anhydrite, pickeringite, bloedite, gypsum and naujakasite, among which, naujakasite is discovered for the first time in China. The material sources of these sulphate minerals and acidic water are from the sulphate in the ores that experience the leaching process and oxidation. The spring is severely acidified, whose pH values are 2.70–3.08, the single pollution index of Cr, Cd, Pb, Hg and As are less than 1, but the index of Cu and Zn exceed the Class III National Water Standard by about twice, showing a mild pollution, its comprehensive pollution index values 0.8 ~ (<2.5), showing good quality. The pH of Rongna River water values are 7.70–7.92, the single pollution index is less than 1, indicating no pollution, and the comprehensive pollution index is less than 0.8, indicating good quality. However, considering the vulnerable ecological environment in Tibet, the acidic spring still needs manual intervention. An open‐air reservoir can be built upstream of the acidic spring, and the pollutants can precipitate by natural evaporation and then be recycled.

Can agricultural biomass energy provide an alternative energy source for karst rocky desertification areas in Southwestern China? investigating Guizhou Province as example.

Karst in southwestern China forms a rocky desertification area with a particularly vulnerable ecological environment. Studying the potential of agricultural available biomass energy in this region is of great significance for the construction of the rural energy industry and ecological environment protection in karst mountains. This study investigated three regions with different degrees of rocky desertification in the karst mountains of southwestern China. The characteristics of rural energy consumption and their impact on the ecology of Karst region were analyzed. Moreover, the total available agricultural biomass energy resources in the study area were estimated via residue to product ratio, ecological returning coefficient, collection coefficient, conversion coefficient, and by-product coefficient. The research results indicate that the fragile karst ecological environment and the over-consumption of fuelwood resources are the most important reasons for the evolution of rocky desertification in this region, which exposes karst rocky desertification areas and increases the risk of rocky desertification. Given abundant agricultural biomass energy reserves in karst regions of southwestern China, promoting biomass energy as an alternative for fuelwood carries great significance for ecological protection of karst regions. This can serve as an important measure to promote ecological restoration in karst rocky desertification areas.

China starts the world’s hardest “Sky-High Road” project: Challenges and countermeasures for Sichuan-Tibet railway

Abstract The Sichuan-Tibet railway of China starts from the western Sichuan basin and subsequently runs across the “Roof of the World”-Tibet plateau, which is dubbed “Sky-high road”. However, several challenges, including the world's most remarkable topographic relief, active tectonic movement, frequent mountain hazards and vulnerable ecological environment, exert significant effects on railway construction and operation. This epic railway project, thus, has always been the world’s toughest problem. Here, we provide an overview of the existing challenges and discuss the relevant countermeasures. We highlight that an intelligent monitoring and early warning system is the top priority for eliminating the high hazard risks threatening the railway. Also, new materials and building structures are indispensable for railway surviving from active fault dislocation and earthquakes. For protecting the ecological environment, we are head for realizing humankind-nature-railway harmonious intergrowth. Completing the Sichuan-Tibet railway will promote the scientific and technological development of China and even the world.

Wetland Changes and Their Relation to Climate Change in the Pumqu Basin, Tibetan Plateau.

Wetland ecosystems play one of the most crucial roles in the world. Wetlands have the functions of ecological water storage, water supply, and climate regulation, which plays an indispensable role in global environmental security. The Pumqu River Basin (PRB) is located in an area with extremely vulnerable ecological environment, where climate change is obvious. Understanding wetland distribution, changes and causes in the PRB are of great importance to the rational management and protection of wetlands. Using the Landsat series satellite images, wetlands of this area in 2000, 2010, and 2018 were extracted. The results showed that (1) there were obvious regional differences in wetland types and their distribution patterns in the basin. Wetlands were mainly distributed in areas with slopes less than 12° and at elevations between 4000 m and 5500 m. (2) During the past 20 years, the wetland area in the basin decreased, and the changing trend of wetlands was different. Palustrine wetlands decreased tremendously, riverine and lacustrine wetlands first decreased and then increased, while floodplain wetlands first increased and then decreased. Palustrine wetlands were reclaimed to cultivated land, but the proportion of reclamation is small. (3) Climate dominated wetland changes in the PRB. The changes in riverine and lacustrine wetlands were mainly affected by the warm-season average temperature, the change in palustrine wetlands was mainly related to the annual precipitation and the warm-season average temperature, and the change in floodplain wetlands was related to the warm-season precipitation. To achieve sustainable development, the government plays a guiding role and actively formulates and implements wetland protection policies, such as restricting or prohibiting grazing on wetlands, which play an important role in wetland protection and restoration.

Ecological vulnerability assessment based on AHP-PSR method and analysis of its single parameter sensitivity and spatial autocorrelation for ecological protection – A case of Weifang City, China

With the continuous development of society, the contradiction between human and nature becomes increasingly prominent, and ecological vulnerability assessment is an effective tool to alleviate the contradiction. In this study, AHP-PSR (Analytic Hierarchy Process - Press-State-Response) model was used to assess the ecological vulnerability of Weifang City. PSR model was used to select parameters, AHP was used to determine the weights of parameters, and GIS was used to assess ecological vulnerability. Based on the results of ecological vulnerability assessment, the inherent ecological vulnerability assessment, single parameter sensitivity analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis were carried out in order to provide specific suggestions for ecological development and protection in this area and provide new ideas for ecological vulnerability research. The results showed that the ecological vulnerability is from low to high, with an area of 44.1%, 44.3%, 9.7%, 0.8% and 1.1% respectively. The areas of inherent ecological vulnerability ranged from low to high are 27.2%, 38.2%, 18.0%, 6.8% and 9.8% respectively. The difference between the assessment results of ecological vulnerability and that of intrinsic ecological vulnerability, indicates the role of human society in changing the inherent natural ecological vulnerability. Human beings can improve the original highly vulnerable ecological environment through their positive activities. The single parameter sensitivity analysis supports this view. Higher and high ecological vulnerability areas should prohibit all acts that damage the ecological environment and improve the vulnerable ecological environment through positive human activities. The areas with high spatial autocorrelation mainly include the north and southeast of Shouguang County, the northeast and south of Anqiu County, Fangzi District, Hanting District, Weicheng District, Kuiwen District, Linqu County, Qingzhou County, Zhucheng County, and Gaomi County. In the case of ecological governance, priority can be given to these areas. This study can provide scientific basis for ecological construction and protection of Weifang City. Single parameter sensitivity analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis can guide the management of ecological vulnerable areas.