Yang Zihan, Li Bo, Nan Bo, Dai Xuhuan, Peng Chenchen, Bi Xu
School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Mar 1;862:160828. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160828. Epub 2022 Dec 9.
Vulnerability analysis is important for enhancing sustainability, especially for highly interlinked pastoral socio-ecological systems. This study presents a modified methodological framework for assessing the vulnerability of pastoral socio-ecological systems based on the interactions between social and ecological subsystems and their vulnerabilities. Altay Prefecture (Northwest China), a typical pastoral area located in Central Asia, was chosen for the case study. The ecological vulnerability index (EVI) and socio-ecological vulnerability index (SEVI) of Altay Prefecture from 2001 to 2018 were assessed and classified into five levels. The results showed that the distribution pattern of EVI was spatially heterogeneous, with EVI increasing from north to south and from west to east. The EVI was high in low-altitude deserts, decreased with altitude rising from 1300 m to 2200 m, and increased when the altitude exceeded 2200 m. The average EVI increased from 2001 to 2010 and decreased from 2010 to 2018, with the highest EVI in 2010 and the lowest in 2018. The SEVI of western counties was lower than that of eastern counties; the SEVI of all counties continuously decreased from 2001 to 2018, with a higher rate from 2010 to 2018. Social adaptive capacity, increased by the policies that aim at protecting grasslands and improving livelihoods, was the main influencing factor of the SEVI dynamic. These results will help to identify key areas with high EVI for grassland ecosystem management and strengthen the adaptive capacity for addressing vulnerability. Furthermore, the presented methodological framework can be adopted in vulnerability assessments of similar pastoral areas or natural resource-based socio-ecological systems.
脆弱性分析对于增强可持续性至关重要，特别是对于高度相互关联的草原社会生态系统而言。本研究提出了一个经过改进的方法框架，用于基于社会和生态子系统之间的相互作用及其脆弱性来评估草原社会生态系统的脆弱性。选择位于中亚的典型草原地区——中国西北部的阿勒泰地区作为案例研究对象。对阿勒泰地区2001年至2018年的生态脆弱性指数（EVI）和社会生态脆弱性指数（SEVI）进行了评估，并分为五个等级。结果表明，EVI的分布格局在空间上具有异质性，从北向南、从西向东EVI呈增加趋势。EVI在低海拔沙漠地区较高，随着海拔从1300米上升到2200米而降低，当海拔超过2200米时又升高。EVI的平均值从2001年到2010年增加，从2010年到2018年下降，2010年EVI最高，2018年最低。西部各县的SEVI低于东部各县；所有县的SEVI从2001年到2018年持续下降，2010年到2018年下降速度更快。旨在保护草原和改善生计的政策提高了社会适应能力，这是SEVI动态变化的主要影响因素。这些结果将有助于确定EVI高的关键区域以进行草原生态系统管理，并加强应对脆弱性的适应能力。此外，所提出的方法框架可用于类似草原地区或基于自然资源的社会生态系统的脆弱性评估。
