Exploration of Sustainable Development Theory: Theories, Methods, and Applications of Ecological Carrying Capacity: Theories, Methods, and Applications

Author: Gao Jixi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features: This book is about natural sciences and environmental sciences. Based on discussions and analyses of ecological carrying capacity and sustainable development, it proposes that ecological carrying capacity should be a supporting theory for sustainable development and explores it from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The content of the book includes the following aspects:
(1) Building on the origin, evolution, development, and theoretical analysis of the concept of carrying capacity, it further clarifies the concept, characteristics, connotation, and significance of ecological carrying capacity. It argues that ecological carrying capacity is the foundation of sustainable development, and conducting research on it is beneficial to the implementation of sustainable development and the improvement and development of the theory of sustainable development. It points out that the basic connotation of ecological carrying capacity should include three aspects: the magnitude of the elasticity of the ecosystem, the supply and capacity of the resource subsystem and the environmental subsystem, and the number of people with a certain living standard that the system can maintain. Among these, the elasticity of the ecosystem is the supporting condition of ecological carrying capacity, resource carrying capacity is its foundation, and environmental carrying capacity is its constraint. The book provides specific analysis and argumentation on the concepts, significance, and connotation of resource carrying capacity, environmental carrying capacity, and ecological elasticity.
(2) Based on the relationship between the carrying medium and the carried object, it proposes the ecological carrying capacity hierarchy principle. It discusses the conditions and mechanisms of ecological sustainable carrying, including the sustainable development mechanism of the population, the sustainable reform conditions and mechanisms of natural resources, the constraints and carrying mechanisms of environmental carrying capacity. Guided by ecological theory, it studies the principles, methods, and regulatory mechanisms and models of sustainable carrying capacity. It argues that the essence of human sustainable development and the sustainable carrying capacity of the Earth lies in the continuous transformation and improvement of the mode of existence and the efficiency of transformation. It points out that human sustainable development must be based on positive and negative feedback regulation.
(3) It explores and proposes a judgment model and comprehensive evaluation method for ecological carrying capacity. It specifically provides the basic judgment indicators and methods for ecological carrying capacity. On this basis, it further provides the expression models and calculation methods for the ecological carrying index, ecological pressure index, and ecological pressure degree; it proposes the indicator selection and classification calculation methods for the comprehensive evaluation of regional ecological carrying capacity.
(4) It preliminarily establishes an evaluation index system and evaluation method for sustainable development based on ecological carrying capacity. Building on the theoretical foundation of ecological carrying capacity proposed earlier, it provides a sustainable development map and judgment method based on ecological carrying capacity, and proposes the concepts of development degree and sustainable development degree. It argues that the conditions for sustainable development are the common development of the manifest layer and the supporting layer.
(5) It argues that the essence of sustainable carrying capacity is the sustainable carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Therefore, any activity that damages the ecosystem's function will affect the system's carrying capacity. To avoid overlooking any aspect, the book proposes adopting a systematic research method for ecosystems to comprehensively and systematically improve and enhance ecological carrying capacity. Specific methods include the threshold balance method and the loss estimation method.
(6) Guided by the theory of ecological carrying capacity and using GIS as a tool, it studies the ecological carrying capacity and sustainable development status of the Lianyun Hei River Basin. It analyzes the current state of ecological carrying capacity in the Hei River Basin and completes a zoning map of the ecological carrying capacity of the Hei River Basin. It analyzes and calculates the changes in the economic, social, and ecological carrying capacity of the middle and lower reaches of the Hei River, and provides an analysis and argumentation of the sustainable development status of the middle and lower reaches. It proposes targeted models and countermeasures for the sustainable development of the Hei River Basin.