Dynamic Evolutions of Ecological Carrying Capacity in Poor Areas Using Ecological Footprint Model at Ruyang County of China
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140 March, 2017 Int J Agric & Biol Eng Open Access at https://www.ijabe.org Vol. 10 No.2 Dynamic evolutions of ecological carrying capacity in poor areas using ecological footprint model at Ruyang County of China Wang Jun1, Zhang Qiaoming2, Zou Chunjing3,4, Wang Jinxin5*, Li Yongsheng6, Wang Mingchun1 (1. College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; 2. College of Forestry, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan 471003, China; 3. School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China; 4. The Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, Shanghai 200241, China; 5. College of Natural Resources and Environment , Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; 6. College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China) Abstract: In this study, the ecological footprint (EF) from 2004 to 2013 of a poor county chosen from Central China was measured and analyzed by using the methodology and theory of EF. The results showed that in the past 10 years, the county’s ecological footprint per capita was growing gradually, increasing from 0.7053 hm2 in 2004 to 1.4473 hm2 in 2013, with growth clearly accelerated in recent years. During the same period, the ecological carrying capacity per capita reduced from 0.6351 hm2 to 0.5018 hm2. Additionally, regional development had been in a state of ecological deficit, per capita ecological deficit increased from 0.0702 hm2 to 0.9456 hm2. This led to contradictions between regional socio-economic development and sustainability of natural ecosystems, meaning the development of the region is unsustainable. Measures to reduce the ecological deficit were proposed to coordinate regional industrialization, urbanization, ecological environmental protection, and to promote the sustainable development in the region (e.g. adjusting industrial structure and consumption structure, promoting economic transformation, scientific planning and management of land). The results could provide a scientific basis for studies on ecological carrying capacity of the poor areas in Central China. Keywords: ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity, ecological deficit, sustainable development, poor areas in China DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20171002.2109 Citation: Wang J, Zhang Q M, Zou C J, Wang J X, Li Y S, Wang M C. Dynamic evolutions of ecological carrying capacity in poor areas using ecological footprint model at Ruyang County of China. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2017; 10(2): 140–150. industrialization process in China, ecological and 1 Introduction economic development is increasingly prominent. The With the rapid development of the urbanization and five development concepts, “innovation, coordination, green, open, sharing” were put forward in the fifth Received date: 2016-06-19 Accepted date: 2016-12-15 th Biographies: Wang Jun, PhD, research interest: evaluation of plenary session of the 18 Congress of the Chinese environmental resources and ecology, Email: wangjun_e@ Communist Party. Thereinto, coordination means to 126.com; Zhang Qiaoming, PhD, Associate Professor, research promote the coordinated development between urban and interest: environmental ecology, Email: [email protected]; rural areas, between material progress and cultural and Zou Chunjing, PhD, Associate Professor, research interest: ecosystem ecology, Email: cjzou@ bio.ecnu.edu.cn. Li Yongsheng, ideological progress. Coordinating the relationship PhD, Assistant Professor, research interest: urban forest and between social/economic development and resource environmental ecology, Email: [email protected]; Wang protection plays an essential role in the sustainable Mingchun, Associate Research Fellow, research interest: ecological protection, Email: [email protected]. development of the region. Therefore, it is of great *Corresponding author: Wang Jinxin, PhD, Professor, Doctoral practical significance to evaluate and analyze the Supervisor, research field: Vegetation restoration and dynamic eco-environmental situation and to monitor environmental ecology theory, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, sustainable development of the region. China. Tel: +86-29-87080055, Email: [email protected]. Since the ecological footprint (EF) theoretical model March, 2017 Wang J, et al. Evolutions of ecological carrying capacity in poor areas using ecological footprint model Vol. 10 No.2 141 and calculation method was proposed by William Rees in has big mountain areas, poor natural conditions, 1992[1], it has attracted extensive attention, recognition inconvenient traffic, and lagging social and economic and application from academia. This theory and development for a long time. So it was determined a methodology can be used to calculate the degree of concentrated especially poor areas in Qinba mountain natural resource use and the life-support services areas by the Chinese government. This study has a provided by nature for humans. It can evaluate and certain reference value for eco-environmental analyze carrying capacity and evolution states of the construction and poverty alleviation in poor Qinba regional ecological environment, as well as sustainable mountain areas in central China. According to statistics regional development. Antonio and Manuel[2] evaluated of social and economic development released by the ecological footprint in 771 regions of Spain Andalusia. Chinese government, in seven state-level poverty-stricken Debrupa and Joyashree[3] found that the industry based on counties in Luoyang areas of Henan province, natural the data set is beneficial to the sustainable development geographical conditions and regional development in of social production strategy by evaluating ecological Ruyang County are belong to the intermediate level, and footprint. Hao et al.[4] assess the ecological footprint in this county has certain representativeness of the poor the farm and animal husbandry of Inner Mongolia in areas in Qinba mountain areas. At the same time, the northern region of China. data about the economic development and poverty County regions, an important part of the national alleviation in Ruyang County are complete, so we economy and social structure, are the basic administrative selected Ruyang County as the sample in the research on unit, and play an important role in the support and the development in the poor areas of Central China. foundation of China’s social/economic development[5]. Before 2000, because of traffic block, investment At present, there are 592 counties meeting the standards promotion and capital introduction of Ruyang were for poverty established by the Chinese government. serious influenced by poor traffic, and the economic Poverty populations in China have concentrated development was slow. After 2000, with improving of continuous distribution. There are 11 concentrated regional traffic condition and increasing of the national continuous poor areas in China, as divided by the poverty alleviation and development strength, society and government. The total area of concentrated continuous economy of Ruyang entered a rapid development stage, poor areas is 3.92 million km2, accounting for 40.8% of Ruyang County entered a rapid transformation of the country's land area[6]. In recent years, the Chinese economic development, and the economic strength of the government has made poverty alleviation in contiguous county enhanced obviously. The development path and poverty-stricken areas a priority. The new policies have characteristics of Ruyang County has certain typical been combining socio-economic development in poor significance the seven mountainous counties of Luoyang, areas, an increase in support and financial investment, Henan province, even in Qinba mountain areas, and implementing infrastructure and livelihood projects. designated poor areas by the Chinese government. The Government’s welfare work has made great progress, During the study, the latest comprehensive regional social rapidly developing the poor areas and reducing the and economic development data of 2013 years in Ruyang poverty population. Meanwhile, the struggle between County was obtained, but the related data about 2000 socio-economic development and carrying capacity of years ago were incompleted. The study on ecology is eco-environment in poor areas increased, with regional often selected the time of five or ten years for the basic ecological pressure increasing. research time, and from 2004 to 2013, ecological Ruyang County was determined as one of state-level environment change in Ruyang County was the biggest, poverty-stricken countries by the Chinese government. so this study selected the data of the 10 years for research It is located in the central region of China, and is the and analysis. traditional agricultural mountainou area. This county Ruyang County, as a key county of state-level county 142 March, 2017 Int J Agric & Biol Eng Open Access at https://www.ijabe.org Vol. 10 No.2 and the national poverty alleviation, is a traditional economic development, was very difficult. Starting agricultural county, the county economy is dependent on from the supply and demand relationship of ecological the consumption of resources, energy resources, and the carrying capacity and applying the ecological footprint leading industries are processing of mineral resources, model, Ruyang County, a representative impoverished building materials and chemical industry. During the county located in the Henan province,