Ecological Risk Analysis And Evaluation Of Huangshan Scenic Area

Huangshan Scenic Area, a World Natural and Cultural Heritage and World Geopark, had a rapid development of tourism industry after the reform and opening up, with 104,300 passengers in 1979 and 2.4 million now. Overloading of the growing number of visitors and increasing tourism development activities, together with floods, droughts, landslides, mudslides and other natural disasters occur from time to time, so that the original ecology throughout the region also faced the the tourism and non-tourism threat. Although the scenic environment there is in good condition, but it is a region of both value and vulnerability, once the ecological risk source break out in Huangshan Scenic Area, it will be a great and irrevesible disaster to Huangshan natural landscape. So the problem in urgent need of reseach becomes this, how to achieve full and effective protection of scenic spots in the development process.Ecological risk assessment is the theoretical basis to guide the coordinated development of economy and ecological environment of the Huangshan Scenic Area. Under the guidance of the basic theory of ecological risk assessment, this paper combines the ecological risk assessment theory and tourism disciplines to theoretically study the mountain-based tourism scenic ecological risk analysis and evaluation. Based on the evaluation of the ecological risk factors in each current situation, with the appropriate selection of the main ecological risks in this area this paper conducts a systematic analysis of its source and builds an ecological risk assessment model of the Huangshan Scenic Area, finally puts forward the ecological risk management system of Huangshan Scenic Area. The major findings are as follows:In theory, the paper first analyzes the relevant elements of ecological risk assessment and research progress, and discusses the relevant content of ecological risk assessment of the tourist area. The two-tier evaluation model cited in this paper is built particularly for such a scenic area with tourism as the main function of the region. The model in theory, analyzes two aspects of the risk pressure from the"tourism industry"and"non-tourism industry", in line with environmental management and research realities of the scenic area.In the demonstration, under the guidance of the above-mentioned theoretical research, this paper takes Huangshan Scenic Area as the empirical study. Combining the eco-environment evaluation method with GIS technology to evaluate the risk of the scenic area, which aims for the supplying of theory and technical support for the study of ecological risk management. It has important practical significance in improving the ecological environment of the scenic area and promoting sustainable development.Taking the advantage of topographic maps, land-use maps and together with field research, this paper establishes the ecological risk receptors, and the statistics of the landscape structure, to serve the ecological risk assessment of that area. The paper first through a comprehensive literature search and the information of on-the-spot investigation, summarizes the ecological risk pressure caused by the ecological factors in the study area. The finding is that there are two kinds of eco-risk sources in Huangshan Scenic Area, which include tourism eco-risk source and non-tourism eco-risk source. Tourism eco-risk source mainly includes the development and construction of scenic spots, tourist services, tourists and other ecological risk source; non-tourism eco-risk source includes floods and drought disasters, high winds, lightning, extreme temperatures, landslide and debris flow, biological invasion, forest fires, and urbanization construction. Using this double tier model to analyze the various risk sources in Huangshan Scenic Area one by one. Then through the field survey and consultation of experts, it comprehensively analyzes the ecological risk factors of strength, range of the place, the strength of the ecosystem effects and points that the major sources of ecological risk are mainly four: floods, biological risk source, forest fire and travel disruption.Using the special evaluation to evaluate the adverse effects of the four major sources of ecological risk and analyze their interference and harm to the receptor. Overlaying the influence sphere of the four kinds of risk sources through the GIS to form the risk plaque, and 2384 internal risk sources and eco-system risk session which has a homogeneous nature. And then based on the specific circumstances of scenic spots, using eco-elasticity index to show the different ecosystem resilience strength; using fragmentation index to reflect the different degree of ecosystem disturbance; vulnerability index to reflect the vulnerability of different ecosystems. The product of ecological flexibility index, fragmentation index and vulnerability index can reflect the degree of an integrated ecological damage, then combine with probability of integrated ecological risk to integratedly evaluate the ecological risk of Huangshan Scenic Area. Through a comprehensive ecological risk calculation and GIS overlay, a classification map of the comprehensive ecological risk of Huangshan Scenic Area has been gotten.The comprehensive ecological risk classification map can be divided into four scenic areas of ecological risk. High-risk areas are mainly located in Hot Springs Management Area, Yuping Building Management District,Eastern management area of local and cloud Valley management areas; the second high-risk areas are mainly located in Pine Valley Management Area and the North Sea management area; low-risk areas are mainly located in the northern part of Pine Valley Management Area, the most parts of Fishing Bridge Management Areas and the western and northern areas of Fu River Management Areas, showing the distribution of semi-circular ring; the lowest risk areas are mainly distributed in the southern part of Fu River Management Area, Hot Spring Management Areas and the Cloud Valley Management Area, that is, the outer part of the essence of Huangshan Scenic Area.According to the result of scenic area's ecological risk assessment and ecological protection, taking into account the relevant domestic case of ecological risk management, this paper puts forward the ecological risk management objectives, principles and methods of Huangshan Scenic Area. On the basis of this, the risk management strategy has been studied according to the acrual situation of the scenic spots. In order to achieve the harmony of the ecological environment, to effectively protect the biological diversity and the stability of ecosystem structure and function of Huangshan Scenic Area, to reduce unnecessary ecological risks as much as possible, to save the possible loss, to improve the safety factor of Tourism,to provide a theoretical basis of the sustainable development of Huangshan Scenic Area.