Assessment on the Vulnerability of Agricultural Eco-environment of Hilly Basin Area in the Middle of Hunan Province——A Case Study of Hengyang Basin

[Objective] The study aimed to assess the vulnerability of agricultural eco-environment of hilly basin area in the middle of Hunan Prov- ince. [ Method] Taking Hengyang basin as an example, we firstly chose 13 indicators from natural, social and economic subsystem to assess the vulnerability of agricultural eco-environment in hilly basin area in the middle of Hunan Province. Afterwards, by using principal component analysis, we calculated the weight of each indicator and the vulnerability of agricultural eco-environment of seven regions, finally analyzed the spatial distribu- tion of agricultural eco-envimnment vulnerability. [ Result] The weight of farmers＇ net income per capita was up to 0.140, followed by forest coverage （0.137）. Among the seven counties, the vulnerability of agricultural eco-environment was primarily moderate, while Hengnan County had the highest vulnerability, followed by Hengyang County, and their vulnerability was extremely serious. In addition, Leiyang City was the minimum fragile region, namely slightly fragile region. In general, the vulnerability of peripheral counties was lower than that of central counties. [ Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the restoration and reconstruction of agro-ecological environment as well as the establishment of agri- cultural Dreduction decisions.

Adaptation strategy for sea level rise in vulnerable areasalong China's coast

It can be seen from the calculation that the vulnerable area along China's coast in which the elevation is less than 5 m, is 143 900 km2, accounting for about 11. 3% of the total area of the 11 coastal provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. These areas are threatened to varying extent by sea level rise. According to prediction, the relative sea level rise (including global sea level rise caused by climate change and local relative as level rise caused by vertical crust movement and ground subsidence) along China's coast will be 4～16 cm by the year 2030 with the optimum estimated value of 6～14cm. It will be 9～26 cm by the year 2050 with the optimum estimated value of 12-23 cm. And it will be 31-74 cm by the year 2100 with the optimum estimated value of 47～65 cm. The calcuation result shows that the percentage of the cost for up-grading (heightening and consolidating) sea dykes/walls in adaptation strategy in the losses of submerged areas varies from area to area: 6. 9% in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River Deta, 1. 3% ～24. 6% in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Delta, and 0. 9%～2. 0% in the Huanghe River Delta.

New Method for Calculating Aircraft Equivalent Single Vulnerable Area

A new method is proposed for calculating the aircraft equivalent single vulnerable area using Monte-Carlo simulation technique. The method simulates the kill events of single vulnerable components and multiply vulnerable components or redundant components to ＇Model of Filling Boxes with Balls＇, in which the area of each box is equal to the component＇s vulnerable area. By randomly and uniformly sampling the threat hit locations, the expected number of hits required to kill an aircraft can be given and the aircraft equivalent singly vulnerable area can be attained. Examples demonstrate the correctness and feasibility of the proposed method. Analysis show that the developed method overcomes two shortcomings of currently used methods. （1） It can calculate the equivalent single vulnerable area of aircraft with several sets of multiply vulnerable components, and （2） When the components of each multiple set have different vulnerable areas, the method also applies.

Driving factors and the implications of work choices of rural laborers in ecologically vulnerable areas in North China

Using rural survey data for the year 2009,we provide evidence of work choices of rural laborers in ecologically vulnerable areas in North China,and model these choices as a function of characteristics of individuals,households,and land endowments.The findings reveal large differences between males and females,and between non-farm employment and part-time farming engagement Land scarcity is still an important driving factor in non-farming participation of rural laborers in the study area;and in the current case of land productivity and the total amount of land,there are still surplus rural labor forces in the study area.Diversification of livelihood reduces the pressure on land,thus facilitating ecosystem conservation.So,the paper concludes with the argument that establishing coordination mechanisms among non-farm employment of rural laborers,agricultural production,and restoration of ecosystems are essential for mitigating the conflicts of ecological security,agricultural production,and rural development in mis area.

Effects of Land Use Change on Eco-environment in Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin——A Case Study of Yanting County, Sichuan Province

With the artificial alder and cypress mixed forest being planted, there has been a marked land use change since 1970s' in Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin, China. Data from meteorological observations or posts operated over long time, measurement and calculation of NPP (net primary production) and biomass of biological community, and analysis of soil organic matter content show that the artificial alder and cypress mixed forest has outstanding eco-environmental effect: adjusting local climate, raising soil fertility, alleviating menace of drought, and raising NPP and biomass of biological community. It is very beneficial for improving ecological environment to afforest artificial alder and cypress mixed forest in populous Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin, China. Key Words: land use/land cover change (LUCC); eco-environmental effect; Hilly Area of Central Sichuan Basin; the artificial alder and cypress mixed forest

Study on the Countermeasures of Eco-environment Conservation in the Mountainous Areas of Southern Ningxia under New Situation

Under the implementation of principal functional zoning,further promotion of western development,regional migration,new countryside construction,global warming and so on,the spatial adjustment of regional industry and its structure must be enforced.The spatial adjustment and arrangement of population and economy in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia could create tremendous opportunity for its eco-environment conservation.Based on analysis on the opportunity and challenge of eco-environment conservation in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia,some countermeasures of eco-environment conservation were discussed in the paper,so as to provide some theoretical references for the eco-environment conservation in the mountainous areas of southern Ningxia.

Understanding livelihood vulnerability:a perspective from Western Sichuan’s ethnic rural settings

To explore the livelihood status and key influencing factors of rural households in the minority areas,we collected flat data from 284 rural households in 32 villages across 12 counties of Western Sichuan from 2021 to 2022.We conducted participatory household survey on the livelihood status of the rural households and try to identify the key factors to influence their livelihood vulnerability using multiple linear regression.The results showed that:the livelihood situation of the rural households is relatively vulnerable.The vulnerability varies significantly with the income levels,education levels,and income sources.The vulnerability of farm households,categorized from low to high livelihood types,follows the sequence:non-agricultural dominant households,non-agricultural households,agricultural dominant households,and pure agricultural households.The degree of damage to the natural environment,education costs,loan opportunities,the proportion of agricultural income to annual household income,and the presence of sick people in the household have significant positive effects on the livelihood vulnerability index(LVI)of rural households;while help from relatives and friends,net income per capita,household size,household education,agricultural land area,participation in industrial organizations,number of livestock,purchase of commercial houses,drinking water source,and self-supply of food have significant negative effects.Based on the findings,we believe that local rural households operate in a complex livelihood system and recommend continuous interventions targeting key influences to provide empirical research support for areas facing similar situations.

Livelihood Diversification of Farm Households and Its Impact on Cultivated Land Utilization in Agro-pastoral Ecologically-vulnerable Areas in the Northern China

The relationship between livelihood diversification of farm households and cultivated land utilization has become a core research topic related to global environmental change.Agro-pastoral ecologically-vulnerable areas face challenges such as insufficient ecosystem conservation,low agricultural production,and weak economies.In this study,215 farm households from Zhengxiangbai Banner,Taibus Banner,and Duolun County of Inner Mongolia were surveyed.The sustainable livelihoods framework of the United Kingdom(UK)Department for International Development(DFID)was used to measure the livelihood capital of these farm households.A one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA)was applied to examine the differences in the livelihood capital of different types households,and a correlation analysis was applied to analyze its impact on cultivated land utilization.Results showed that households with non-farming activities accounted for 64.7%of the total surveyed households,and non-farming employment was becoming more prevalent.Physical and financial capital was the driving factors for livelihood diversity.Each livelihood capital had key factors that affected household farmland use behaviors,such as the age of householder,the labor ratio,proportion of income,farmland scale,number of machines,and these had a significantly positive or negative influence on farmland use.Full-time farming households were more likely to transfer the land into cultivation and invest more labor,while non-farming households with high income were likely to transfer farmland out and invest more money to develop efficient farming or improve the employment skills.The results of this study suggest that policymakers need to fully consider livelihood changes of local households.It is effective to strengthen labor training,create farmland market and improve the efficiency of farmland utilization.We hope to achieve a win-win scenario to improve local economies and ecosystem conservation.

Socio-economic vulnerability level in the Jeneberang watershed in Gowa Regency,South Sulawesi Province,Indonesia

Jeneberang watershed is vital,particularly for people living in Gowa Regency(South Sulawesi Province,Indonesia),who benefit from its many advantages.Landslides and floods occur every year in the Jeneberang watershed,so it is imperative to understand the socio-economic vulnerability of this region.This research aims to identify the vulnerability level of the Jeneberang watershed so that the government can prioritize areas with high vulnerability level and formulate effective strategies to reduce these the vulnerability.Specifically,this study was conducted in 12 districts located in the Jeneberang watershed.The primary data were collected from questionnaires completed by community members,community leaders,and various stakeholders,and the secondary data were from the Landsat satellite imagery in 2020,the Badan Push Statistic of Gowa Regency,and some governmental agencies.The socio-economic vulnerability variables were determined using the Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis(MCDA)method,and each variable was weighted and analyzed using the Geographical Information System(GIS).The study reveals that the levels of socio-economic vulnerability are affected by variables such as population density,vulnerable groups(disabled people,elderly people,and young people),road network and settlement,percentage of poor people,and productive land area in the Jeneberang watershed.Moreover,all of the 12 districts in the Jeneberang watershed are included in the medium vulnerability level,with the mean percentage of socio-economic vulnerability around 50.92%.The socio-economic vulnerability of Bajeng,Pallangga,and Somba Opu districts is categorized at high level,the socio-economic vulnerability of Bungaya,Parangloe,and Tombolo Pao districts is classified as medium level,and the remaining 6 districts(Barombong,Bontolempangan,Bontomarannu,Manuju,Parigi,and Tinggimoncong)are ranked as low socio-economic vulnerability.This study can help policy-makers to formulate strategy that contributes to the protection of biodiversity and sustainable development of the Jeneberang watershed,while improving disaster resilience and preparedness of the watershed.

Ecological Compensation-assisted Relocation in Extreme Poverty-stricken Counties in China’s Ecologically Vulnerable Areas: Taking Dongchuan District of Yunnan Province as an Example

Ecology-oriented poverty alleviation is not only a livelihood project that affects the vast majority of rural people but also a major project to win the fight against poverty. It is also an indispensable income component for the relocation of poor farmers. Dongchuan District,located at the intersection of Jinsha River and Xiaojiang River,is one of the key counties for poverty alleviation and development in China with a wide range of poverty and extreme poverty. The incidence of poverty reached 24. 36%. The ecology is fragile,and earthquake outbreaks frequently. Dongchuan District is a national key monitoring and defense area for earthquakes. A large number of goafs,subsidence areas and geological hazard areas have been formed in the mining area. The number of dangerous houses is large,and ' it has no way of supporting its own inhabitants' is the key point,difficulty and focus of the county’s poverty alleviation. Relocation is a must-have measure to move away from poverty. It is also complex system engineering,which is policy-oriented and difficult. Since 2017,Dongchuan District has regarded relocation has the top priority for poverty alleviation. It has strictly implemented national,provincial and municipal policies,focused on the overall goal of ' moving,securing and getting rich',and strongly promoted the relocation work for poverty alleviation. Obvious social,economic and ecological benefits have been achieved. Successful relocation,combined with ecology-oriented poverty alleviation and other targeted poverty alleviation measures,Dongchuan District’s fight against poverty has achieved a decisive victory. At the end of December 2018,the incidence of poverty in the region fell to 1. 09%,and 129 poor villages( including 86 extremely poor villages) had been successfully lifted out of poverty. This paper analyzes and condenses the specific practices,main achievements,benefits,successful experiences and implications of the region’s relocation combined with ecology-oriented poverty alleviation model,so as to provide necessary reference for the innovation of relocation in poverty-stricken counties of Yunnan Province and similar provinces( cities,districts).

Study on Sustainable Development in Vulnerable Eco-areas

The vulnerable eco-area is one of the important research targets in the field of sustainable development. It is the requirement of building a well-off society in an all-round way that we should study more on the vulnerable eco-areas, deal with the relationship between environmental protection and economic development, speed up the economic development in these areas and increase the living standard of the local people. This paper puts forward the countermeasures of environment---economy coordination, on the basis of the recognition of eco-environment features and social economic conditions in the vulnerable eco-areas of China, in view of the progress in sustainable development studies of the vulnerable ones, taking the transitional areas of farming and pasturing in northeast China as an example to study the regional environment vulnerability.

Game Analysis and Mechanism Design of Ecological Protection Red Line for Ecologically Vulnerable Areas in Western China

Drawing the ecological protection red line is to maintain the integrity and benign operation of the ecosystem within the area,and to ensure that the ecological environment is within the boundary of controllable ecological security.Taking the ecologically vulnerable areas in western China as the research object and using the game theory and literature analysis,this paper studied the game behavior of ecological protection red line in these areas.In addition,this paper also analyzed the stakeholders such as government,enterprises and the masses in the drawing of the ecological protection red line,and comprehensively analyzed the game strategies between the government and the masses,the government and enterprises,and the central and local governments and enterprises.On the basis of the analysis,it came up with a safeguard mechanism for the coordination of the interests of the ecological protection red line.

Landscape eco-environment risk assessment of highway in arid area of Xinjiang,China

With the aid of analyses to landscape ecology in the highway region of the arid area in Xinjiang of China, vegetation type, soil type and land-use type were ascertained as environmental factors of highway landscape ecosystem fragility, and seasonal flood, blown-wind sand and alkali-salinization as disaster factors of highway engineering. All items of these factors constitute an objective hierarchy of evaluating landscape ecosystem risk of the highway region in the arid area. The weighted values of the items were determined according to the number of occupied area or length by them against each unit. The area or length was interpreted with the aids of GIS technology and gained by measuring in the highway reconnaissance. The results of the eco-environmental risk assessment of G315 Yitunbulake-Qiemo section in Xinjiang shows that eight units of landscape ecology can be sorted into four categories according to the differences of the fragility indices (Σxiwi) and the disaster indices (Σyiwj).

Natural Barriers to Eco-environmental Vulnerability in a Complex Ecosystem

Natural features such as mountain ranges, steep slopes and vegetation prevent human movement from one habitat to another. They prevent the ecological harm from natural phenomenon like erosion and landslide. Forests destruction has brought about deterioration of ecological environment such as increasing soil and water losses. RS （Remote Sensing） and GIS （Geographic Information System） technology have enhanced the eco-environment assessment procedure using eco-environment quality index tool. This paper presents results of the research on the investigation of the potentials of different landscapes on the complex ecosystem of Makeng Village in Fuj Jan Province to act as natural barrier to eco-environmental vulnerability. Vulnerability factors analysed were soil erosion, vegetation cover, land use types, slope and elevation. To see how one factor acts as natural barrier eco-environment stressors, factor maps were overlaid in pairs using ArcGIS 9.2 software and the matrix statistics exported for analysis in Microsoft Excel. The results showed steep slopes naturally limit human activities, growth of big trees and increase soil erosion. Flat and gentle slopes are less vulnerable to erosion. Elevation is among natural barriers to human activities. Human activities decrease with increasing elevation, hence making the eco-environment naturally stable/undisturbed. In this study, eco-vulnerability to erosion decreases with increasing vegetation cover.

Landslide Vulnerable Zones Based on Engineering Geological Assessment, Case Study: Wonotopo Area, Gebang District, Purworejo Regency, Central Java, Indonesia

Landslide is one of the geological disasters that frequently occur on the natural slopes, often threatening community of the adjacent area. Therefore, it is necessary to hold engineering geological research and assessment in disaster-prone regions such as Gebang district of Purworejo Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. This research was conducted to determine and analyze the type of mass movements, factor of safety, potential landslide areas, vulnerable zonation, factors influencing the stability of the slope, and to propose the disaster mitigation recommendation. The methods applied in the research are surface geological mapping, physical soil-rock properties testing, engineering geological assessment and analysis, and Regulation of Minister of Public Works of Republic of Indonesia number 22/PRT/M/2007, on Guidelines to Spatial Planning for Landslide Disaster Areas. To create information on the threats of land movements, a map on landslide potential zonation is developed by considering seven important aspects including: slope inclination, soil conditions, slope constituents, rainfall, slope water condition, seismicity, and vegetation or land use. The results show that, the landslide prone zone of the study area can be divided into 2 types, namely type B and type C. Landslide potential zone of type B involves high level of vulnerability and moderate level of vulnerability. Meanwhile, the landslide potential zone of type C consists of high level of vulnerability and low level of vulnerability.

The Research About non-agriculture shift confronting the rural vulnerable farmers in the underdeveloped areas of China

This paper reveals the law of non-agriculture shift of the vulnerable groups in underdeveloped rural areas in china, and put forward the ＂second shift＂ category, namely the vulnerable groups is bound to work in cities; return to participate in local non-agricultural activities; then begin second non-agriculture shift. The paper discusses the ＂second shift＂ feature; Finally, draw policy Implications of the ＂second shift＂.

Aquaculture area extraction and vulnerability assessment in Sanduao based on richer convolutional features network model

Sanduao is an important sea-breeding bay in Fujian,South China and holds a high economic status in aquaculture.Quickly and accurately obtaining information including the distribution area,quantity,and aquaculture area is important for breeding area planning,production value estimation,ecological survey,and storm surge prevention.However,as the aquaculture area expands,the seawater background becomes increasingly complex and spectral characteristics differ dramatically,making it difficult to determine the aquaculture area.In this study,we used a high-resolution remote-sensing satellite GF-2 image to introduce a deep-learning Richer Convolutional Features(RCF)network model to extract the aquaculture area.Then we used the density of aquaculture as an assessment index to assess the vulnerability of aquaculture areas in Sanduao.The results demonstrate that this method does not require land and water separation of the area in advance,and good extraction can be achieved in the areas with more sediment and waves,with an extraction accuracy>93%,which is suitable for large-scale aquaculture area extraction.Vulnerability assessment results indicate that the density of aquaculture in the eastern part of Sanduao is considerably high,reaching a higher vulnerability level than other parts.

Object-based classification of cloudy coastal areas using medium-resolution optical and SAR images for vulnerability assessment of marine disaster

Efficient and accurate access to coastal land cover information is of great significance for marine disaster prevention and mitigation.Although the popular and common sensors of land resource satellites provide free and valuable images to map the land cover,coastal areas often encounter significant cloud cover,especially in tropical areas,which makes the classification in those areas non-ideal.To solve this problem,we proposed a framework of combining medium-resolution optical images and synthetic aperture radar(SAR)data with the recently popular object-based image analysis(OBIA)method and used the Landsat Operational Land Imager(OLI)and Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar(PALSAR)images acquired in Singapore in 2017 as a case study.We designed experiments to confirm two critical factors of this framework:one is the segmentation scale that determines the average object size,and the other is the classification feature.Accuracy assessments of the land cover indicated that the optimal segmentation scale was between 40 and 80,and the features of the combination of OLI and SAR resulted in higher accuracy than any individual features,especially in areas with cloud cover.Based on the land cover generated by this framework,we assessed the vulnerability of the marine disasters of Singapore in 2008 and 2017 and found that the high-vulnerability areas mainly located in the southeast and increased by 118.97 km2 over the past decade.To clarify the disaster response plan for different geographical environments,we classified risk based on altitude and distance from shore.The newly increased high-vulnerability regions within 4 km offshore and below 30 m above sea level are at high risk;these regions may need to focus on strengthening disaster prevention construction.This study serves as a typical example of using remote sensing techniques for the vulnerability assessment of marine disasters,especially those in cloudy coastal areas.

Rural vulnerability,migration,and relocation in mountain areas of Western China:An overview of key issues and policy interventions

Western China features a vast area of mountains and high plateaus where millions of people,including diverse ethnic minority groups,have inhabited for generations.Geographically located in the mountainous,remote,and isolated regions,rural communities are prone to natural hazards and thus become vulnerable to impoverishment.To reduce rural vulnerability,many people residing in mountainous villages opted to out-migrate from their original villages and hometowns while some took in-situ adaptation measures.A host of government-sponsored resettlement programs have been carried out to help rural villagers seek alternative livelihoods elsewhere over the past four decades.To achieve a sustainable future for rural communities in mountainous areas of western China,more effective policies and measures need to be developed and enforced.

Groundwater Quality Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment in Longdong Area

Groundwater is important drinking water source in Longdong area. In recent years,as gradual expanding of industrial and agricultural production scales,seen from change trend of water quality,major impact factors of groundwater in the zone were ammonia nitrogen,COD,sulfate and total dissolved solid. By using specific thought of parameter system method,vulnerability assessment factor system of groundwater and meter point system calculation model in the zone were established. Via calculation and analysis,vulnerability distribution of groundwater in the zone was obtained. According to vulnerability index（ higher,moderate and lower）,zone dividing was conducted,and the areas were respectively 623. 25,4 005. 00 and 6 621. 75 km2,which respectively accounted for 5.54%,35. 60% and 58. 86%. The evaluation provided research basis for prevention,control and protection of groundwater environment in Longdong area.