Research on Driving Factors of Forest Ecological Security: Evidence from 12 Provincial Administrative Regions in Western China

Yanlong Guo (), Xingmeng Ma, Yelin Zhu (), Denghang Chen and Han Zhang
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Yanlong Guo: Social Innovation Design Research Centre, Department of Design, Anhui University, Hefei 203106, China
Xingmeng Ma: Social Innovation Design Research Centre, Department of Design, Anhui University, Hefei 203106, China
Yelin Zhu: Scientific Research Division, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 203106, China
Denghang Chen: Department of Science and Technology Communication, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 203106, China
Han Zhang: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-21

Abstract: Forests are associated with countrywide ecological security, and there are significant differences in the forests of different regions. Based on the DPSIR model, 25 indicators were selected from five dimensions to determine the index system, and the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method and gray correlation were applied to determine the index of western China’s forests. The spatial distribution map was used to observe the spatial changes of forests. The results show that first, Inner Mongolia (0.466) has the best forest ecological security status and Ningxia (0.124) has the worst forest resource status. Second, the first and most frequent correlation is the area of planted forests (I1). The last and most frequent correlation is sulfur dioxide emission (P2). Thirdly, Inner Mongolia and Szechwan belong to the high ecological safety–high economic level, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Tibet belong to the high ecological safety–low economic level, and Gansu and Guizhou belong to the low ecological safety–low economic level. The rest of the regions are classified in the low ecological security–high economic level. Fourth, the forest ecological security in western China has gradually become better, with the security index increasing from 0.417 to 0.469, with an average annual increase of 12.47%.

Keywords: forests; ecological security; western China; entropy–TOPSIS method; grey relational analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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