Research on sustainable development strategies based on basin ecological health assessment: a case study of the Fan River

Basins play a crucial role in regional ecosystems and the supply of water resources. However, owing to regional constraints and insufficient research resources, the ecological health of small basins in county-level areas has not been adequately studied. To explore a simple and practical method for assessing the ecological health of small county-level basins, this study uses the Fan River Basin as a case study to construct a dual spatial scale evaluation framework that encompasses both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The evaluation indicators for the aquatic ecosystem include the Water Quality Condition Index, River Connectivity Index, and Macrobenthic Diversity Composite Index, alongside eight additional indicators. The evaluation of the terrestrial ecosystem incorporates nine core indicators, such as the Forest Coverage Index, Water Source Containment Function Index, and Important Habitat Conservation Index. The entropy weighting method was employed to determine the weights of the indicators, followed by quantitative analysis. The results indicate that the aquatic ecosystem of the Fan River Basin generally falls into the "Moderate" level; however, water quality and species diversity are facing a certain degree of pressure. In the terrestrial ecosystem, forest coverage and soil conservation functions performed well, while habitat conservation and water source containment functions were relatively weak and significantly affected by human activities. Based on the evaluation results, optimization strategies for basin management and sustainable development have been proposed, providing valuable references for decision-makers to promote ecological civilization and sustainable development.