Ecological Security Assessment of Red River Basin in Guangxi

[Objective] The study aimed at assessing the ecological security of Red River basin in Guangxi. [Method] Firstly, the ecological security assessment index system of Red River basin was established based on the framework of 'pressure-state-response' model, and index information of ecological security assessment was extracted by using RS and GIS technology; afterwards, the ecological security of Red River basin was divided into five grades according to ecological security index, and the distribution and characteristics of ecological security at various levels were analyzed; finally, the measures to maintain the ecological security of Red River basin were put forward on the basis of problems in ecological security. [Result] Most areas of Red River basin in Guangxi were in generally safe state, especially Lingyun County, Fengshan County, Du'an County, Dahua County, Shanglin County, Binyang County, Guiping City, etc., and the area accounted for 74.25% of total area; next came safer state (12.74%), the regions in the two states above were the most important environmental areas of Red River basin. The ecological security problems of Red River basin were mainly related to fragile ecological environment, lagging economic development, rapid population growth, excessive development and utilization of natural resources and so forth. [Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the rational development and utilization of land resources, protection and construction of ecological environment in Red River basin.

Sustainable livelihood security in Odisha, India: A district level analysis

Sustainable livelihood security(SLS) is an integrating framework that encompasses current concerns and policy requirements for ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development. It carries particular importance for developing economies. This study intends to verify the relative status of SLS of the 30 districts in Odisha, which is a backward state in eastern India. In this study, a total of 22 relevant indicators relating to the three components of SLS—ecological security, social equity, and economic efficiency have been taken, based on various kinds of government reports. The principal component analysis(PCA) was used to ascertain the indicators and the importance of each of them to the corresponding component of SLS. The ecological security index(ESI), social equity index(SEI), economic efficiency index(EEI), and composite sustainable livelihood security index(CSLSI) of each district of Odisha were calculated through the min-max normalization technique. The results revealed that there are wide variations in SLS among the districts of Odisha. In this study, the districts are categorized into four levels based on the scores of ESI, SEI, EEI, and CSLSI as very low(<0.400), low(0.400–0.549), medium(0.550–0.700), and high(>0.700). According to the classification result of CSLSI, 2 districts are found to be in the very low category, 20 districts are under the low sustainability category, 8 districts are in the medium category, and none of the districts are found to be in the high sustainability category. The district of Sambalpur ranks the highest with a CSLSI score of 0.624. The bottom five districts are Gajapati, Bolangir, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri, having the CSLSI scores of 0.438, 0.435, 0.406, 0.391, and 0.344, respectively. The result of this study suggests that region-specific, systematic, and proactive approaches are desirable for balanced development in Odisha. Further, policy intervention is required to implement more inclusive tribal welfare policies.