Using Ecological Footprint Analysis to Evaluate Sustainable Development in Lushan County, China

Land Pub Date : 2024-07-18 DOI:10.3390/land13071081

Huihui Yang, Shuiyu Yan, Na An, Qiang Yao

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Abstract

Mountain town ecosystems are fragile and highly susceptible to the impacts of human activities and ecological imbalances. This study aimed to improve the traditional ecological footprint (EF) model by incorporating expanded land functions, localised factors, and temporal continuity. Using Lushan County in Sichuan Province as a case study, we calculated spatial and temporal changes from 2009 to 2022 and evaluated sustainable development through four indicators: ecological pressure, ecological sustainability, ecological occupation, and ecological–economic coordination. The results show that from 2009 to 2022, the per capita ecological carbon footprint in Lushan County decreased by 48%, and the ecological carrying capacity declined by 9%. Despite a more than 73% reduction in the ecological surplus, indicating gradual ecological recovery, Lushan County remains in an ecological deficit state with increasing ecological unsustainability. Only forest land is in an ecological surplus state among the six land use categories, while all other categories are in ecological deficit states. Regarding ecological sustainability assessment, Lushan County’s overall land use is in a strong sustainability state, with the sustainable development index gradually improving. However, ecological–economic coordination remains poor, with a high ecological occupation index and significant ecological pressure, indicating an imbalance between economic development and ecosystem protection. For future sustainable development in mountainous areas, Lushan County should focus on reducing the ecological carbon footprint and enhancing the ecological carrying capacity. These research findings provide valuable insights and methodological references for the sustainable development of mountain towns.

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利用生态足迹分析评估中国芦山县的可持续发展

山地城镇生态系统十分脆弱，极易受到人类活动和生态失衡的影响。本研究旨在改进传统的生态足迹（EF）模型，将扩展的土地功能、局部因素和时间连续性纳入其中。我们以四川省芦山县为例，计算了 2009 年至 2022 年的时空变化，并通过生态压力、生态可持续性、生态占用和生态经济协调性四个指标对可持续发展进行了评价。结果表明，从 2009 年到 2022 年，芦山县人均生态碳足迹下降了 48%，生态承载力下降了 9%。尽管生态盈余减少了 73% 以上，表明生态逐渐恢复，但芦山县仍处于生态赤字状态，生态不可持续性不断增强。在六类土地利用中，只有林地处于生态盈余状态，其他类别均处于生态赤字状态。在生态可持续性评价方面，芦山县土地利用总体上处于较强的可持续性状态，可持续发展指数逐步提高。但生态经济协调性仍然较差，生态占用指数较高，生态压力较大，表明经济发展与生态系统保护之间存在失衡。为实现山区未来的可持续发展，芦山县应着力减少生态碳足迹，提高生态承载力。这些研究成果为山区城镇的可持续发展提供了宝贵的启示和方法参考。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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Land

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