Assessment of ecological vulnerability on the Tibetan Plateau

作者：Lu Changhe · 发表于：Geographical Research · 年份：2011 · 被引用次数：44 · 研究领域：Environmental Changes in China

Unstable natural factors and pressures from human activities determine the ecological vulnerability of the Tibetan Plateau.This paper analyzed the factors and mechanism of ecological vulnerability,and developed an index system comprising 3 levels and 10 indicators for the vulnerability assessment.Using multi-source data and ArcGIS spatial analysis tools,this study quantitatively evaluated the degree and its spatial variation of ecological vulnerability on the Tibetan Plateau,based on the above index system.The results show that most parts of the Tibetan Plateau is ecologically fragile,with 74.79% of the area belonging to moderate to extreme-level vulnerability.The map and data of vulnerability classification indicate that the slight and light-level vulnerability area covers 8.33%,which are mainly distributed in the relatively low mountain areas below 3000 m in southeastern Tibet,the northwestern part of the Qilian Mountains,the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern margin of the Tarim Basin;the moderate-level vulnerability area occupies more than 25.33%,mainly on the north and central Tibetan Plateau and the source region of the Yangtze,Lancang and Yellow rivers;while the heavy and extreme-level vulnerability area covers 49.46%,mainly concentrated in the source region of Yellow River,Qaidam Basin and the zone along 32°N(from 78°E to 92°E).The results contribute to understanding the extent of ecological vulnerability and its spatial difference on the Tibetan ...