Trends in per capita ecological footprint and biocapacity in China 1949-2013

This paper proposes two concepts: the ecological footprint component index(EFCI) and the biocapacity component index(BCCI), based on the ecological footprint(EF) and Shannon entropy approaches. Per capita EFCI and BCCI in China 1949-2013 are analyzed using empirical mode decomposition(EMD). Nonlinear models of per capita EFCI and BCCI in China 1949-2013 are presented and their cycles and predictions from 2014 to 2023 are analyzed. The results over the last 65 years show:(1) EFCI in China has increased constantly with fluctuations, while BCCI has slowly decreased. Their annual change rates are 2.81% and-1.26%, respectively. The increasing EFCI indicates a gradual improvement in China's sustainable development potential; the decreasing BCCI indicates severe environmental and population challenges.(2) The cycles of per capita EFCI have periods of 5.4 and 16.3 years, while cycles of per capita BCCI have periods of 3.6, 13,and 21.7 years. The predictive models indicate that EFCI will first decrease, reaching 0.02725 in2014, and will subsequently increase to 0.03261 in 2021. BCCI will increase, reaching 0.01365 in2014 and 0.01541 in 2022. EFCI and BCCI will reach 0.03037 and 0.01537, respectively, in 2023.Policymakers should ensure that the EFCI and BCCI increase in 2023.

Characteristics of Agricultural and Livestock Products Trade Flows between China and the “Belt and Road” Initiative Region: From the Perspective of Biocapacity

In the context of global ecological overload,international trade has become one of the most important ways to make up for the ecological deficit.This study takes the"Belt and Road"Initiative as the study area to analyze the biocapacity and ecological footprint characteristics between China and other countries along the"Belt and Road"Initiative.Trade flow characteristics were explored from the perspective of biocapacity.The import and export of virtual land was used to assess the effect of trade on compensating for the resource gaps in crop and grazing land.The main results show that:1)In 2005-2014,the majority of"Belt and Road"countries were experiencing increasing degrees of overload.In China,cropland takes up the largest proportion of biocapacity,while the ecological footprint is dominated by the carbon footprint.2)The trade flow of agricultural and livestock products in the mainland of China shows a trend of increasing imports and decreasing exports,which increases dependence on specific regions.3)In 2005-2014,China’s trade in cereals and oil crops along the“Belt and Road”Initiative were generally net imports,and the share of cereals traded along the“Belt and Road”Initiative is increasing gradually,but that of oil crops decreased rapidly.4)The import trade has alleviated ecological deficit,as the selected products compensated for 1.03 times of the cropland deficit and 0.65 times of the grazing land deficit in China.This study is helpful to understand the relationship between the land use and trade deeply,and provide decision-making references for reducing ecological deficits,optimizing land resource allocation,and promoting win-win cooperation among China and other countries in the"Belt and Road"Initiative.

Maintaining biodiversity will define our long-term success

Human beings are not only a part of our planet's ecosystems,but also,they are massively overusing them.This makes ecosystem protection,including biodiversity preservation,vital for humanity's future.The speed and scale of the threat are unprecedented in human history.The long arch of evolution has been confronted with such a high level of human impact,that we are now facing the sixth mass extinction event,66 million years after the last one.This threat heightens the imperative for bold human intervention.Our paper identifies three strategies for such an intervention.First,and possibly most challenging,human demand needs to be curbed so it fits within the bounds of what Earth's ecosystems can renew.Without meeting this quantitative goal,biodiversity preservation efforts will not be able to get scaled.Second,in the transition time,we must focus on those locations and areas where most biodiversity is concentrated.Such a focus on‘hotspots’will help safeguard the largest portion of biodiversity with least effort.Third,to direct biodiversity preservation strategies,we need to much better document the existence and distribution of biodiversity around the globe.New information technologies could help with this critical effort.In conclusion,biodiversity preservation is no longer just a concern for specialized biologist but is becoming a societal necessity if humanity wants to have a stable future.

Detailed Ecological Footprint Accounting of Liaoning in 2006

Ecological footprint (EF) has received considerable attention as a useful indicator in the context of sustainable development. So far, EF has been used in numerous studies by academies, organizations and government authorities. However, the results of these studies failed to be comparable directly with each other due to imprecise data sets, unmodified accounting methods of pasture and fossil energy, ignored secondary products, undefined process of calculating yield factors and improper biocapacity for biodiversity. In this paper, we elaborated on EF estimating methods from six categories of consumption in order to overcome the limitations above. We adopted precise data and revised methods, calculated EF of some secondary products, introduced weighted factor to calculate yield factors and adjusted biocapacity by an appropriate amount. Meanwhile, we investigated the resource consumption of Liaoning Province in 2006 to assess EF. Its results showed that Liaoning Province overused its natural capital and was in an unsustainable state. We concluded that two specific problems that had arisen in EF assessment and gave some suggestions for Liaoning Province to improve its unsustainable state.

Quantitative evaluation of sustainable development based on ecological footprint method: a case study of Tianjin

Since the coneept of sustainable devetopment emerged in the late 1980s, more and more countries and regions have been utilizing sustainable development as their developing stratety. But decades have passed without any effective methods available to quantitatively assess sustainable development. Since the ecological footprint evaluation method initiated in 1992, it has become popular in quantitative assessment of sustainable development because of its convenience, easy-understanding, and rehability. As one of the biggest coastal cities in north China and the economic center of the Bohai Coastal Region, Tianjin＇s gross domestic product （GDP） was 369. 762 billion yuan in 2005, accounting for 2.0°of the whole nation＇s GDP. The paper analyzes Tianjin＇s development with the ecological footprint method, and the results show that Tianjin＇s ecoiogical footprint and biocapacity in 2005 were 2.507gha/cap and 0.2 76gha/cap respectively. The ecological deficit was 2.230gha/cap.And from 1980 to 2005,Tianjin＇s ecological deficit per 10^4 yuan GDP decreased;while per capita ecological deficit has been tending to increase rapidly in recent years.All these result demonstrate that Tianjin is in a state of unsustainable development.

Integrated Coastal Management Dynamic Models:A Case Study of Development Seaweed Cultivation in the Waters Luwu and Palopo Regency Bone Bay,South Sulawesi

Waters carrying capacity in seaweed of Eucheuma cottonii cultures should be a concern for optimum seaweed culture.Carrying capacity can determine by Ecological Footprint(EF)analysis,which in this research use footprint production,and mas balance nitrate analysis.This research on Mei 2015(1st transitional season)and September 2015(2nd transitional season)in Luwu and Palopo,South Sulawesi.Map and land use analyzed with geographic information systems(GIS).The results showed that the Ecological Footprint production(EFP)in Luwu waters is 67,88 ton/capita/year,or equivalent to 235.823,93 tons/year.Based on the analysis of the availability of water for seaweed is 38.374,69 hectares,it can produce seaweed(biocapacity)for 922.928,96 tons/year and the number of farmers that allows for use the waters is 13.595 capita.The Ecological Footprint production(EFp)in Palopo waters is 3,08 ton/capita/year,or equivalent to 4.589,99 tons/year.Water availability analysis is 979,82 hectares are able to produce seaweed(biocapacity)for10.115,34 ton/year and the number of farmers that allows for use the waters is 3.276 capita.Based on the four scenario simulation management results of the development seaweed cultivation Eucheuma cottonii in Luwu and Luwu Regency is based on the present waste input,pressing inputs of waste into the waters of 10%,25%and 50%yield different waters biocapacity.The results comparison between biocapacity and Ecological Footprint,ecological status for Luwu and Palopo waters are still in sustainable use.Based on those simulation results showed that in second scenario by pressing the waste input by 10%from the existing waste input,as well as assuming the availability of water utilizing the entire area of 38.374,69 hectares continuously(on the years scale of 2008-2030),it will produce the highest biocapacity waters in the amount of 8.257.274,94 tons/year.So with the management of seaweed in Palopo with second scenario,assuming the availability of water utilizing the entire area of 979,82 hectares will produce the highest waters biocapacity of 14.306,92 tons/year.