Regional ecological security assessment based on long periods of ecological footprint analysis

This article is an elementary exploration and practice of applying the theory and method of ecological footprint to assess regional ecological security. The ecological footprint from 1986 to 2002 and ecological security of three regions of Shaanxi Province of China were calculated and analyzed based on the theory of ecological footprint. Furthermore, the concept and model of ecological footprint pressure index (EFPI) as well as the grade system of regional ecological security was put forward based on ecological footprint so as to analyze the regional ecological security, and some measures to slow down the growth of the ecological footprint and maintain the regional ecological security were put forward at last. The following results were obtained. (1) It is feasible to analyze regional ecological security based on EFPI, which can reflect the degree of ecological security from two respects of carrying capacity and pressure. (2) Among 16 years from 1986 to 2002, the per capita ecological capacity in three regions appears to be a reducing tendency, the per capita ecological footprint shows an increasing tendency, the south of Shaanxi Province (SSP) is 12.02 times of the north of Shaanxi Province (NSP) in the per capita ecological surplus. The per capita ecological deficit appears in the middle of Shaanxi Province (MSP). (3) Based on ecological footprint, ecological capacity from 1986 to 2002 in the three regions, the average EFPI in the three regions were calculated, the EFPI of NSP is 0.8653, MSP is 1.1291 and SSP is 0.2103. According to the ecological security grade system measured off by EFPI and the average EFPI in the three regions, and considering the pressure human imposed on nature, the sequencing of the security degrees of three major regions is: SSP > NSP > MSP. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.