Applying a projection pursuit model for evaluation of ecological quality in Jiangxi Province, China

Monitoring and evaluating ecological quality and changes are crucial for policy formulation to guide ecosystem management and socioeconomic sustainable development. However, evaluation of ecological quality is still very challenging due to difficulties in determination of its associated indicators a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chen, X. (Author), Ouyang, X. (Author), Wang, J. (Author), Wang, S. (Author), Watson, A.E (Author), Ye, H. (Author), Zhao, X. (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V. 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
LEADER 03664nam a2200601Ia 4500
001 10.1016-j.ecolind.2021.108414
008 220427s2021 CNT 000 0 und d
020 |a 1470160X (ISSN) 
245 1 0 |a Applying a projection pursuit model for evaluation of ecological quality in Jiangxi Province, China 
260 0 |b Elsevier B.V.  |c 2021 
856 |z View Fulltext in Publisher  |u https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108414 
520 3 |a Monitoring and evaluating ecological quality and changes are crucial for policy formulation to guide ecosystem management and socioeconomic sustainable development. However, evaluation of ecological quality is still very challenging due to difficulties in determination of its associated indicators and weights. This paper proposes supporting, providing and regulating ecosystems services-based indicators to describe ecological quality, and applies a Projection Pursuit Model to eliminate redundant indicators and objectively determine weights for an ecological quality index (EQI) on a regional scale. Taking Jiangxi Province, China, as a demonstration area, the data for indicator measures were retrieved from satellite remote sensing and ecosystem modelling with a spatial resolution of 1 km for the three years 2005, 2010 and 2015. The results suggest that Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and water use efficiency (WUE) should be weighed higher and leaf area index (LAI) and Bowen ratio should be weighed lowest in the calculation of an EQI for Jiangxi Province. For 2015, the regional EQI was calculated to be 55.32 on a scale from 0 as the worst to 100 as the best, with higher values ascribed to the hills and mountains and the lower values existing near urban areas. The EQI increased from 52.26 in 2005 to 55.32 in 2015 with an increased area of good-and-above grade from 25.47% to 36.8% for the whole province. The changes in EQI could be attributed to a warmer and wetter climate trend playing a positive dominant effect, while urbanization and afforestation have negative and positive effects, respectively. This study demonstrates that it is feasible to evaluate ecological quality based on a comprehensive set of indicators and PPM-based weight determination, which could be further applied in regular ecological quality monitoring and evaluation on the regional, or even the national scale. © 2021 The Authors 
650 0 4 |a Afforestation 
650 0 4 |a Australia 
650 0 4 |a Bowen 
650 0 4 |a Bowen ratio 
650 0 4 |a China 
650 0 4 |a Climate change 
650 0 4 |a Climate changes 
650 0 4 |a Climate models 
650 0 4 |a Comprehensive multi-indicator 
650 0 4 |a Comprehensive multi-indicator 
650 0 4 |a Ecological changes 
650 0 4 |a Ecological quality 
650 0 4 |a ecosystem management 
650 0 4 |a Ecosystem management 
650 0 4 |a Ecosystems 
650 0 4 |a Indicator indicator 
650 0 4 |a Jiangxi 
650 0 4 |a Jiangxi Province 
650 0 4 |a leaf area index 
650 0 4 |a monitoring 
650 0 4 |a Policy formulation 
650 0 4 |a Projection pursuit models 
650 0 4 |a Quality control 
650 0 4 |a Quality indices 
650 0 4 |a Queensland 
650 0 4 |a Reforestation 
650 0 4 |a remote sensing 
650 0 4 |a Remote sensing 
650 0 4 |a Socio-economics 
650 0 4 |a urbanization 
650 0 4 |a Urbanization 
650 0 4 |a Urbanization 
650 0 4 |a weight 
700 1 |a Chen, X.  |e author 
700 1 |a Ouyang, X.  |e author 
700 1 |a Wang, J.  |e author 
700 1 |a Wang, S.  |e author 
700 1 |a Watson, A.E.  |e author 
700 1 |a Ye, H.  |e author 
700 1 |a Zhao, X.  |e author 
773 |t Ecological Indicators