Evaluation Methods and Research Trends for Ecological Carrying Capacity

With the intensive research into global coupling relationships, ecological carrying capacity (ECC), seen as the crucial link between natural ecosystems and human systems, has gradually become an important tool for interdisciplinary research in ecology, resources science and environmental science, as well as for research on regional sustainable development. However, ECC research remains immature and lacks a complete theoretical system, as a result of many limiting factors and different space-time conditions. At present, Chinese and foreign studies focus on methods to evaluate ECC while neglecting to identify the internal driving mechanisms of ECC. In this article, based on the development and conceptualization of ECC, we introduce three evaluation methods for ECC: ecological footprint (EF), human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) and ecosystem services consumption (ESC). Furthermore, we illuminate research focuses and developmental directions for ECC with respect to driving mechanisms, threshold, comprehensive evaluation systems and coupling dynamic model of multi ecological factors, in order to provide a reference for future ECC research.     

The Progress of Resources and Environment Carrying Capacity: from Single-factor Carrying Capacity Research to Comprehensive Research

As a concept to describe development restrictions, resources and environment carrying capacity (RECC) research has developed over more than 100 years since it was first proposed at the beginning of the 20^th century. It is now regarded as a significant factor in evaluating the level of cooperation between regional population, resources, and environment; and it is currently used as an effective and operational tool to guide regional sustainable development. This article first reviews the origin of RECC and its early headway. It then reviews the historical development of RECC from single factors, such as land resources carrying capacity, water resources carrying capacity and environmental carrying capacity (environmental capacity), to more comprehensive research, such as comprehensive evaluation, emergy analysis, and ecological footprint analysis. In general, it appears that comprehensive research will become increasingly important in RECC research. However, there are several deficiencies in the current state of comprehensive research. Firstly, comprehensive RECC research lacks a common measurement standard, though some scholars have attempted to create one. Secondly, the RECC evaluation of open systems and dynamic studies should be strengthened. Thirdly, more attention should be paid to standardization, digitalization, and systematization to promote the applicability of RECC research to national practical demands.     

Research Methods of Water Resources Carrying Capacity: Progress and Prospects

The study of water resources carrying capacity (WRCC), a major component of resources and environment carrying capacity (RECC), began relatively recently. However, WRCC has witnessed a rapid development in terms of concept, calculation methods, and empirical research in recent years. WRCC has become an important criterion for rational development and utilization of regional water resources. This paper first briefly reviews the development process of WRCC. It then evaluates and contrasts the representative research methods of conventional trend (CT), system dynamics (SD), multi-objective model analysis (MOMA), comprehensive evaluation (CE), and dynamic simulation recursive (DSR). The results show that although there are various methods of WRCC, the major methods used have become out-of-date and stagnant, and new more sophisticated methods and technologies are lacking. Specifically, our analysis found that the index system, scientific robustness and comprehensiveness of evaluation criteria of current research methods are insufficient and need to be improved. In addition, the dynamic research of WRCC should receive more attention, and it requires further study to make it more applicable to real-world uses. Finally, a set of monitoring and early warning systems should be established and applied in demonstration areas to meet the urgent needs of water resource management in the new era.     

Research on Land Resource Carrying Capacity: Progress and Prospects

As an important part of resource and environment carrying capacity (RECC), land resource carrying capacity (LRCC) has focused on the limiting factors on regional development from the scale of land resources for more than two hundred years. After a brief review of the origin and early development of LRCC, the progress of LRCC is summarized as a progression from land resource population carrying capacity (LPCC) to land resource comprehensive carrying capacity (LCCC), and the hot issues of LRCC have changed from the simple human-grain relationship to more complex social and economic activities-land resources relationships. The corresponding research methods also evolved, from static research to dynamic research, and the assessment factor have evolved from a single factor to a comprehensive index system. Agro-ecological zoning (AEZ), system dynamics (SD), ecological footprint (EF), and comprehensive evaluation methods have come to be viewed as the most representative methods of LRCC in recent years. As a focus of conventional LRCC research, the human-grain relationship still plays a significant role in LRCC evaluation because grain remains the top limiting factor of land resources and is the most significant criterion in the balance between regional population and land resources, especially for very populous countries. More attention should be paid to the accurate calculation of arable land and average food consumption levels to improve the scientific basis of LRCC evaluation. The development of science and technology and the variation of lifestyle are also important factors that influence regional LRCC. As a new topic of LRCC, LCCC has expanded the research field of LRCC in an attempt to reveal the limiting effects of land resource under open systems, but some issues such as carrying mechanism research and the combination of theoretical and applied research are needed in future studies to promote the further development of LCCC.     

海域承载力的理论与评价方法

承载力研究是解决人口、资源、环境协调发展问题的重要内容之一,目前,关于承载力的研究主要集中在水资源、土地资源、森林资源等对人口和经济的承载量方面。文章借鉴这些学科的有关理论与方法,从理论上创造性地提出海域承载力的定义、评价指标体系、评价方法与研究趋势;指出海域承载力是指一定时期内,以海洋资源的可持续利用、海洋生态环境的不被破坏为原则,在符合现阶段社会文化准则的物质生活水平下,海洋能够支持人口、环境和经济协调发展的能力或限度。     

海滨型旅游地环境承载力评价研究——以江苏海滨湿地生态旅游地为例

旅游环境承载力的界定和评价可为生态旅游合理开发提供依据。把旅游环境承载力纳入到资源-环境-社会经济这一复合系统中,给出了旅游环境承载力的定义,分析了其构成体系,构建了兼顾三个维度的旅游环境承载力评价指标体系,基于专家打分的结果,运用准主成份等方法进行了权重分析,并以江苏海滨为例,用模糊综合评价等方法对江苏海滨生态旅游环境承载力进行评价,得出了合理的结果,表明本评价指标体系具有较强的科学性、普适性和可操作性。     

旅游环境容量研究进展

二战后,随着世界大众化旅游的逐步普及,现代旅游业得到了迅猛发展。与此同时,越来越多的旅游地在旅游高峰期变得拥挤起来,景区超载、旅游污染等现象日益加剧。因此,旅游环境容量研究也受到了学术界的关注和重视。文章对国内外旅游环境容量研究进展进行了综述和分析,并指出国内旅游环境容量研究要比国外起步迟,但由于我国旅游发展道路和西方发达国家不同,旅游环境容量问题更加突出,因此,加强我国旅游环境容量研究显得格外紧迫和必要。     

Assessing the Ecological Carrying Capacity of Countries along the Belt and Road

The Belt and Road Initiative (B&R Initiative) is a crucial strategy to promote regional sustainable development in the new era. However, the realization of the B&R Initiative faces huge challenges because of the dual characteristics of a fragile eco-environment and strong dependence on ecological resources for economic development in the Belt and Road (B&R) countries. The ecological carrying capacity (ECC) is a crucial indicator for evaluating regional sustainable development. From the perspective of the relationship between the supply and consumption of ecological resources, this study uses net primary productivity data to measure the supply capacity of ecological resources, and it uses the agricultural production and trade data provided by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to measure the level of ecological resource consumption. These supply and consumption data are then used to assess the ECC and ecological carrying status (ECS) of the B&R countries in 2017. The results show that: (1) The ECC of the B&R is 11.097 billion people; the ecosystem can also support 6.433 billion people, and the ECC is in a state of rich and surplus. (2) The ECS is polarized among the regions and countries along the B&R. Of the 65 countries, the ECC of 40 countries is in a rich and surplus state, mainly in Mid-East Europe and Southeast Asia, while the ECC of 19 countries is in severe overload, mainly in West Asia/Middle East. (3) Although the ecosystems still have ample carrying space in countries along the B&R, ecological protection is still facing enormous challenges during the implementation of the B&R Initiative combined with the internationally recognized ecological protection standards as well as the forecasts of the population and economic development. As the core content of building a new international trade network, the B&R Initiative will help to solve the spatial mismatch between the supply and consumption of ecological resources, which provides a new opportunity to coordinate the contradiction between the ecological protection and social demands of the B&R countries.     

无居民海岛资源环境承载力动态评估——以福建平潭大屿岛为例

通过对无居民海岛自然资源与生态环境等综合评价,分析无居民海岛的资源禀赋、环境本底和生态条件,构建资源环境承载力的评估方法,评估无居民海岛——平潭大屿岛开发前(2014)和开发后(2019)的资源环境承载力的动态变化.研究结果表明,2014年大屿岛整体的资源承载力分布面积最广的是"较高承载力",2019年大屿岛整体的资源...     

Quantitative Assessment of Climate Carrying Capacity for Cities: A Case Study of Shanghai City

The concept of climate carrying capacity has been proposed recently for climate risk management. Based on identification of the concept of climate carrying capacity and analysis of the relationship among its influencing factors, this study established a comprehensive assessment indicator system of climate carrying capacity from aspects of the climate situation, the level of climate usage, and the development potential of cities. Taking Shanghai City as a case study, we developed a quantitative assessment model of climate carrying capacity. The climate carrying capacity and its influencing factors were analyzed and discussed in relation to the period 2004-2013. The results were as follows. (1) Current climate natural capacity indicator showed that the climatic situation of Shanghai City was inferior to its base climatic value and it had been in a state of fluctuation. (2) The climate stress and urban coordinated development capacity indicators increased steadily, but the growth rate of the urban coordinated development indicator was less than the growth rate of urban climate stress. (3) The climate carrying capacity was far lower than the benchmark value and it had been in a state of fluctuation mainly due to the effect of current climate situation. (4) According to a principal component analysis, seven factors of urban population density, per capita GDP, energy consumption per unit GDP, total industrial output value, investment in environment protection, spending on science and technology, and green area per capita were main influential factor of climate carrying capacity. It was proved that the proposed system for assessment of climate carrying capacity of a city was feasible. It can be used to describe the spatiotemporal changes of cities, and identify problems of regional climate carrying capacity associated with their development and function. This assessment system can provide a reference for the construction of an early warning system of climate carrying capacity for cities.     

The Current Status,Problems and Prospects of Researches on the Carrying Capacities of Ecological Environment in China

Determining the carrying capacity of ecological resources is the key to finding contradictions between human activities and the environment, as well as the links between economic growth, environmental protection and social development. In recent years, the carrying capacity of the ecological environment has been extensively studied at home and abroad. Through extensive literature research and analysis, this paper discusses the current status and main problems of recent research on the carrying capacity of the ecological environment in China. For example, two of the main problems are that: 1) the concepts and connotations are not clear enough, and 2) the research content is not systematic enough. This is followed by a summary of the evaluation index system and main calculation methods. Finally, according to the research status and development trends at home and abroad, the possible direction for the development of this research field in the future is proposed.     

基于承载力动态变化的生态系统适应性管理——以鄂尔多斯乌审旗为例

生态系统适应性管理的目标是寻求区域生态保护和经济发展的最佳平衡。选择地处农牧交错带的鄂尔多斯市乌审旗,基于1998,2008年土地覆被数据,从格局上分析生态系统变化过程;并基于生态承载力动态变化,从压力子系统和承载力子系统2个方面,从功能上揭示研究区生态承载力状态。研究结果表明:1草地和荒漠是研究区主导的生态系统类型,近10年来生态系统结构发生的显著变化,表现在高、中覆盖度草地、林地和建设用地均有增加,低覆盖度草地和荒漠面积减少,景观异质性增加,景观结构趋于稳定,生态效应显著提升;2 1998年以来,生态承载负荷度不断下降,生态承载能力不断提高,工业煤炭消费量和GDP是主要的压力因子,而耕地则对承载力的提升存在重要影响。最后,提出了生态系统适应性管理的对策措施。     

区域水资源承载力概念及研究方法的探讨

在总结区域水资源承载力研究历史和现状的基础上,阐述了水资源承载力的内涵和特点,对目前各种水资源承载力的定义进行比较,分析其中深层次的联系,提出了以可支撑的合理规模来描述水资源承载能力的概念。在此基础上,从社会经济-水资源-生态、环境复合系统角度综合分析了节水措施对水资源承载力的影响,提出了基于现代进化算法的思想的水资源承载力计算思路。将该模型应用于辽河流域水资源承载力的研究中,分析计算了该地区在规划水平年水资源可承载的规模。实例证明,该模型能够综合反映出水资源的承载规模,可以为当地的发展提供科学依据。     

洞庭湖区生态承载力系统耦合协调度时空分异

不同时空尺度下,生态承载力系统耦合协调度呈现不同差异和变化。在阐述耦合协调发展作用机理的基础上,构建了耦合协调度评价指标体系,利用容量耦合模型对洞庭湖区生态承载力系统耦合协调度进行时空分析。结果表明：① 时序变化上,2001~2012年洞庭湖区生态承载力系统耦合度和耦合协调度变化趋势基本趋同,大致呈现同步稳定上升态势,耦合度均值达0.499,处于拮抗阶段;耦合协调度均值达0.463,处于中度耦合协调阶段;年均增长率上,耦合度达3.35%,大于耦合协调度的3.05%。表明生态承载力内部系统耦合作用和协同效应明显,并且耦合作用的强度大于内部协调性。② 空间分异上,17个县域的耦合度出现了低水平耦合、拮抗阶段和磨合阶段3种状态,3种耦合状态的县域个数和区间变化呈现不同的差异。耦合协调度出现了低度耦合协调、中度耦合协调和高度耦合协调3种状态,其变化状况基本上与耦合度类似,但从协调状态的县域个数和区间变化来看,耦合协调度的变化稍滞后于耦合度的变化,空间分布与耦合度分布特征基本相似,高、低值区的空间分布由西南向东北大致呈现较低-高-低-高-较低的“M”型基本格局。③ 空间组合上,17个县域出现了低耦合低协调区、中耦合低协调区、中耦合中协调区、高耦合中协调区和高耦合高协调区5种空间组合类型,其基本空间格局是,低耦合低协调区集中分布在洞庭湖区中部和西南部,高耦合高协调区则沿京广线、石长线和常岳高速三线呈“三足鼎立”布局,其它不同组合类型则集中于高耦合高协调区外围呈“零星状”分布。     

城市群资源环境承载力研究进展及展望

城市群资源环境承载力研究具有重要的理论和实践指导意义。城市群资源环境承载力研究是一种特殊类 型的区域资源环境承载力研究, 关于区域资源和环境单要素的承载力研究, 国内学者进行了较多的评述, 本文主要 对国内外区域资源环境综合要素承载力及城市群地区资源环境承载力研究进行综述。研究认为, 目前国内外对城 市群资源环境承载力进行系统分析的研究成果十分有限, 相关研究中存在的不足表现在: ①承载力研究不够深入, 尚未形成完善的理论体系; ②资源环境承载力研究集中于单要素研究, 综合要素承载力研究欠缺; ③资源环境承载 力的概念及量化方法有待深入探讨; ④城市群资源环境承载力研究没有充分考虑区域系统的开放性特征。针对这 些不足, 城市群资源环境承载力研究的主要趋势和方向为: ①从综合多要素角度加强城市群开放系统承载力研究; ②充分重视城市群区域空间结构的整体性特征; ③注重科技进步、制度管理等人类社会文化因素的影响; ④加强城 市群资源环境承载力综合测度与定量测算方法研究; ⑤充分发挥复杂系统方法、GIS、RS 等先进技术的作用。     

关于水资源承载力理论与方法的研究

本文首先明确了水资源承载力的基本概念 ,指出可持续发展理论、水 -生态 -社会经济复合系统理论、二元模式下的水文循环机制和过程是水资源承载力研究的理论基础 ,对水资源承载力研究的基本内容、评价指标体系的建立和评价方法进行了较全面的概括和总结。     

东北地区生态消费水平的区域可持续性研究

生态可持续性评价揭示了区域可持续发展能力的基线尺度。这一领域的评价问题,不仅涉及到对自然环境本底的探究,也涉及到对社会系统行为方式的考察。加拿大生态经济学家创造性地提出了一种生态足迹的分析方法,将人类的消费行为与生态承载力联系起来,评价消费行为的可持续性。通过借鉴这一方法,估算了东北地区的生态承载力与生态消费水平。在此基础上进行区域生态可持续性评价,并进一步探讨促进与改善区域生态可持续性的可能途径与政策目标。     

应用模糊综合评判方法对青海省水资源承载力评价研究

应用模糊综合评判方法对青海省水资源承载能力进行了分析评价。探讨了水资源承载能力模糊综合评价的方法,在对青海省水资源特征及开发利用等对承载能力影响的主要因素分析基础上,在评价因素选取、权重分配方面对水生态环境、生态用水因素给予重点考虑。结果表明,青海省水资源有较大开发容量,水资源承载能力的潜力相对较大。青海省水资源开发利用条件和程度不平衡,西宁市出现工程和水质型缺水,内陆河流域共和盆地和黄河一级支流湟水河流域水资源开发利用已达到极限水平。内陆河流域的格尔木河、巴音河的社会用水量和缺水量较大,资源性缺水严重。     

海域承载力研究的若干问题

承载力研究是解决人口、资源、环境协调发展问题的重要内容之一。该文从海洋可持续发展角度,借鉴有关承载力研究的部分成果,从理论上探讨了有关海域承载力的定义、研究内容、研究特点及研究趋势等,指出开展海域承载力的研究将有助于实施海洋可持续发展战略。     

南方山地丘陵区资源环境承载能力监测预警技术方法探讨 ——以福建省为例

以福建省为例,综合运用文献研究法、地理比较法、GIS空间分析和数理模型等研究方法,按照评价技术与区域特色相匹配、开发阈值与主体功能相协调、划分结果与自然分异相统一的设计思路,构建适宜山地丘陵区的资源环境承载能力监测预警改进方案。提出：① 评价模型中引入山地丘陵区的特征要素,着重探讨土地资源评价中坡度、生态保护红线、行洪通道等影响因子分值的调整,水资源评价方法的替换,重点生态功能区集成方法的调整等。② 在地形复杂多变、区域差异显著的情况下,宜尽可能采用具有全域覆盖特征的数据替代孤立点位数据。集中体现在农产品主产区采用的耕地质量等别评定数据,生态评价采用的以地灾点为中心的地质灾害综合影响指数中。