Integrated regional ecological risk assessment of multi-ecosystems under multi-disasters: a case study of China

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences 2015-07, Vol.74 (1), p.747-758
• Main Authors: Xu, Xuegong, Xu, Lifen, Yan, Lei, Ma, Luyi, Lu, Yaling
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Aquatic ecosystems; Biogeosciences; Case studies; computer software; Disaster recovery; disasters; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecology; Ecosystem protection; Ecosystem studies; ecosystems; environmental assessment; Environmental Science and Engineering; Forest conservation; forests; Geochemistry; geographic information systems; Geology; Hydrogeology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Karst; meadows; Monte Carlo method; Monte Carlo simulation; Natural disasters; Original Article; Prevention; Regions; risk; Risk analysis; Risk assessment; Terrestrial Pollution; uncertainty analysis; Wetland agriculture; wetlands
• ISSN: 1866-6280; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-015-4079-2

Using China as a case study, this paper explores the integrated regional ecological risk assessment of multiple stressors and multiple receptors on a large spatial scale. The objective is to provide scientific data to support ecological risk identification and prevention. To carry out this assessment, ten natural disasters were chosen as risk sources, and twenty-two ecosystems were chosen as risk receptors. The vulnerability of environment where these ecosystems existed was taken into consideration. Using the software platform GIS, the ecological risk of each disaster was evaluated, the integrated assessment for all disasters was compiled, and the integrated risk of different ecosystems was obtained. All results were shown in assessment maps. The results show that forty-five percent of the ecosystems’ areas in China face high or medium ecological risks. This result indicates that the establishment of ecosystem protection and ecological risk prevention mechanisms in China is still a long-term, difficult task, requiring the rational use and conservation of forests, meadows, farmland, wetlands, and other ecosystems alike is of great necessity. The uncertainty analysis of risk assessment using the Monte Carlo Simulation method demonstrated the results to be reliable and credible.