Analysis of the population capacity in the reconstruction areas of 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

Assessment of population carrying capacity is a key task in the reconstruction planning of areas struck by disasters, in which the precision of estimation is required. This study developed a decision-making model for estimating the population capacity of the involved townships and cities in the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake based on the assessment of the suitability for reconstruction of the areas. Through analysis, arable land resources were argued to be the critical constraint of population capacity in these areas. Then, the spatial differentiations of the post-quake development conditions across different regions were analyzed with respect to their natural environments, socio-economic development and quake damages. The expected levels of urbanization, family incomes and income structures, output levels of land, and the reliance of agricultural population on arable land were estimated by different regions. With these parameters, the population capacities of the involved townships and cities in three scenarios were estimated. The total population capacity of the entire areas is abundant compared with the actual post-quake population; however, the status of over-population substantially varies across space. It was suggested to put the emphasis of post-quake resettlement policy on those counties where earthquake had been the main causes of over-population. In the Full Recovery Scenario, three mountain counties were identified including Wenchuan, Beichuan and Maoxian, with a total over-population of about 100,000 people.

RESEARCH ON THE POPULATION CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE LAND RESOURCES IN THE ECONOMIC AREA OF ZHUJIANG DELTA

The authors once made a preliminary research on population carrying capacity of the land in the Economic Area of Zhujiang Delta (EAZD for short) in 1995, and reckoned that the ultimate population in this region will be 23 550 thousand by year of 2000. While the population in being in EAZD was 22.62 million in 1999.This accords with the prefigured result in the rough from the point of view of development. According to the data of plow land resources from the 2000 Statistical Yearbook of EAZD and the study on the population-foodstuff-plow land relationship, this paper calculates the productive potential of plow land and the population carrying capacity of land by year of 2010, and puts forward the countermeasures for improving the population carrying capacity of land in this region.

Theoretical and Empidcal Study on Urban Population Carrying Capacity:Case of Haidian District in Beijing

The measurement of urban population carrying capac- ity is the basis for cities' sustainable development.However,the traditional study on population carrying capacity which was based on food supply is not applicable to the single urban area.This paper built a model for the analysis of urban carrying capacity, and took Haidian District in Beijing as an example to calculate the urban carrying capacity of Haidian District in the future,which was the basis for the improvement of the population carrying capacity.This study would also provide a reference to the meas- urement of the urban population carrying capacity for other cities and districts in China.

The Population Carrying Capacity of Waters Ecosystem in China

The study of waters ecosystem and their population carrying capacity demonstrates the role of these ecosystems in economic and social development and provides a theoretical basis for the management and allocation of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the concept of waters ecosystem population carrying capacity was defined and developmental trends in the population carrying capacity of waters ecosystem in China were evaluated. Results show that waters ecosystem population carrying capacity in China increased from 0.176×109 person year-1 in 2000 to 0.255 × 109 person year-1 in 2010; the population carrying capacity of the standard sea remained at 0.2-0.3 person ha 1; and the standard inland waters population carrying capacity increased from 1.8 to 3.2 person ha-1. This analysis indicates notable regional difference in waters population carrying capacity. In southeastern coastal China and Yangtze River drainage areas where inland waters are widely distributed and aquaculture is developed, the population carrying capacity is higher; however, in northwest China where water resource are deficient and the distribution is relatively small, the waters population carrying capacity is low. The waters ecosystem population carrying capacity of China in 2030 was predicted and results indicate strong potential for increasing waters population carrying capacity.

Evaluating Beijing’s human carrying capacity from the perspective of water resource constraints

As the demands on limited water resources intensify, concerns are being raised about the human carrying capacity of these resources. However, few researchers have studied the carrying capacity of regional water resources. Beijing, the second-largest city in China, faces a critical water shortage that will limit the city’s future development. We developed a method to quantify the carrying capacity of Beijing’s water resources by considering water-use structures based on the proportions of water used for agricultural, industrial, and domestic purposes. We defined a reference structure as 45：22：33 （% of total, respectively）, an optimized structure as 40：20：40, and an ideal structure as 50：15：35. We also considered four domestic water quotas： 55, 75, 95, and 115 m 3 /（person·yr）. The urban carrying capacity of 10–12 million was closest to Beijing’s actual 2003 population for all three water-use structures with urban domestic water use of 75 m 3 /（person·yr）. However, after accounting for our underlying assumptions, the adjusted carrying capacity is closer to 5–6 million. Thus, Beijing’s population in 2003 was almost twice the adjusted carrying capacity. Based on this result, we discussed the ecological and environmental problems created by Beijing’s excessive population and propose measures to mitigate these problems.