Resources and Environmental Pressure, Carrying Capacity, And Governance: A Case Study of Yangtze River Economic Belt

Haijun Bao, Chengcheng Wang, Lu Han, Shaohua Wu, Liming Lou, Baogen Xu and Yanfang Liu
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Haijun Bao: China Land Surveying and Planning Institute, Key Laboratory of Land Use, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100035, China
Chengcheng Wang: Land and Urban-Rural Development Institute, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
Lu Han: Land and Urban-Rural Development Institute, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
Shaohua Wu: Land and Urban-Rural Development Institute, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
Liming Lou: Ningbo Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, Ningbo 315000, China
Baogen Xu: Land and Urban-Rural Development Institute, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
Yanfang Liu: School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: The analysis of the relationship between regional resources and environment and human activities plays an important role in sustainable regional development. This study proposes the pressure–capacity–governance (PCG) model, an analytic framework for the assessment of the resources and environmental pressure (REP), carrying capacity (RECC) and governance (REG) levels over a large watershed scale, with the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as the study area. A limiting factor analysis is used to recognize the limiting factors of the regional RECC. The coupling analysis of resources and environmental pressure–capacity–governance identifies the regional potential and utilization direction. The research results are as follows. (1) The REP, RECC and REG levels of the YREB exhibit spatial differences. The REPs of the upper reaches are lower than those of the lower reaches, which does not match the RECC but matches the REG levels. (2) The proportions of unused land, water resources, and atmospheric environmental quality are the main limiting factors of the regional RECC. (3) The PCG analysis framework is used as the basis to divide the YREB into several subareas to analyse the resources and environmental potential carrying capacity and utilization direction of different types of region. This research may provide decision-making references for regional sustainable development at the large watershed scale.

Keywords: resources and environmental pressure (REP); resources and environmental carrying capacity (RECC); resources and environmental governance (REG); limiting factors; mechanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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