Assessing the ecological security of the Three Gorges reservoir complex ecosystem based on the improved three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint model

Peiran Jing; Jinbao Sheng; Yi Wang; Tiesong Hu; Lidan Guo; Rui Zhu; Kai Dong; Ali Mahmoud; Yong Liu; Xiang Li

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173086

Assessing the ecological security of the Three Gorges reservoir complex ecosystem based on the improved three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint model

Sci Total Environ. 2024 May 9:933:173086. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173086. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Peiran Jing¹, Jinbao Sheng², Yi Wang³, Tiesong Hu⁴, Lidan Guo⁵, Rui Zhu⁶, Kai Dong⁷, Ali Mahmoud⁴, Yong Liu¹, Xiang Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China.
² The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China. Electronic address: jbshengnhri@163.com.
³ International Business School, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing 100089, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
⁵ Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China.
⁶ Pearl River Water Resources Research Institute, Pearl River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, Guangzhou 510611, China.
⁷ The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China.

PMID: 38734102
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173086

Abstract

The ecological security (ES) of the reservoir complex ecosystem (RCE) is one of the critical components of watershed water security and sustainable development. Hence, accurately assessing the ES of the RCE is of utmost importance. This study proposed a novel ecological security assessment model based on the improved three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint (ESM-IEEF_3D), which integrated various emergy flows during the RCE's construction and operation into a three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint (EEF_3D) calculation account. The Three Gorges Project (TGP) is selected as a case study to evaluate the ES from 1993 to 2022 comprehensively. The results showed that the Three Gorges RCE mainly showed an ecological remainder state, and the inflow runoff enormously promoted the TGP's sustainability. The EEF_3D indicated a fluctuation decrease trend with a mean value of 7.18 × 10² ha, illustrating that TGP's ecological security and sustainability levels are gradually improving. Regarding the ES evaluation indicators, the TGP's resource dependency and ecological pressure on the natural ecosystem and the external socio-economic system are steadily relieved. Furthermore, the Three Gorges RCE's resource utilization condition is safe, the structural characteristics are healthy, and the eco-economic coordination degree is continuously enlightening. Finally, applicable policy implications for improving the ecological security of Three Gorges RCE were provided. This study helps to understand the complex relationship between humans and ecosystems. It provides a novel framework to be used as an evaluation index and policy insights for hydropower ecological security and sustainable development.

Keywords: Ecological security; Reservoir complex ecosystem; Sustainable development; Three Gorges Project; Three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint.