Title: Ecological red line zoning of the Tibet autonomous region based on ecosystem services and ecological sensitivity

Authors: Lei Huang; Bo Wang; Rongguang Zhang; Kaiming Li

Addresses: Human Geography and Urban and Rural Planning, College of Tourism and Urban Rural Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China; Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China ' Urban and Rural Tourism Planning Institute, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China ' Land Resource Department, College of Management, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China ' College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

Abstract: The ecological red line (ERL) has become a national strategy of environmental protection in China. The ERL of Tibet should be possible to find a balance between conserving environment and the demand of economic development. For the Tibet Autonomous Region, we selected four key indicators of ecosystem services (water conservation, biodiversity maintenance, soil and water conservation, wind and sand stabilisation) and three indicators of ecological sensitivity (soil erosion, land desertification and geological disasters) to establish a targeted ERL framework. Using this approach, we found an ERL total area of 657,451 km², accounting for 53.55% of the total assessed area. The area of grade I and II are 443,487 km² and 214,358 km² respectively, with dominant types of water conservation and desertification prevention. The consistent framework and standards we used at a regional scale should also be applicable to other similar plateau regions in China.

Keywords: ERLs; ecological red lines; ecosystem services; ecological sensitivity; Tibet autonomous region; GIS-based; NPP quantitative index evaluation method; revised wind erosion equation; soil erosion equation; rainfall erosive force.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2020.117788

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2020 Vol.67 No.2/3/4, pp.197 - 222

Received: 20 May 2020
Accepted: 21 Nov 2020
Published online: 24 Sep 2021 *

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