Regional Carrying Capacity Research Based On The Improved Ecological Footprint Model

In order toevaluateChinese regions’ carrying capacity and sustainability, the paper established the production footprint model, absorption footprint model and production-absorption footprint model based on the framework and methods of ecological footprint model to evaluate regions’ sustainability of food production, pollution absorption and the whole ecosystem.The production footprint model which covers four types of food production land: farmland, fruit-bearing forest, fishing ground and livestock land, can calculateregions’ production footprint, production supply and production surplus from the live weight, nutrient and heat production perspective based on regions’ actual food production and consumption, reflecting regions’ status of food production pressure, food production capacity and food production sustainability. According to the evaluation results of production footprint model, the provinces which enjoy the highest production surpluses and best food production sustainability are Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Ningxia,while the provinces which suffer the lowest production surpluses and worst food production sustainability are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.The absorption footprint model which covers three types of pollution absorption land: woodland, water area and grassland, can calculate regions’ absorption footprint, absorption supply and absorption surplus from thegovernance costs, willingness to pay and exergy perspective based on regions’ actualpollution emission and absorption, reflecting regions’ status of pollution absorption pressure, pollution absorption capacity and pollution absorption sustainability. According to the evaluation results of absorption footprint model, the provinces which enjoy the highest absorption surpluses and best pollution absorption sustainability are Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Qinghai,while the provinces which suffer the lowest absorption surpluses and worst pollution absorption sustainability are Jiangsu, Tianjin and Shanghai.The production-absorption footprint model combined the production footprint model and absorption footprint model and added solid waste landfill to its coverage. The production-absorption model calculates the regions’ absorption area shortage according to the absorption footprint model as the loss of regions’ production area in the production footprint model, and then calculates regions’ production footprint, production supply and production surplus from the live weight, nutrient and heat production perspective considering the loss of production area, reflecting regions’ status of ecological pressure, ecological carrying capacity and ecological sustainability.According to the evaluation results of production-absorption footprint model, the provinces which enjoy the highest production-absorption surpluses and best ecological sustainability are Xinjiang, Ningxia and Heilongjiang, while the provinces which suffer the lowest production-absorption surpluses and worst ecological sustainability are Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.Based on the evaluation results of production footprint model, absorption footprint model and production-absorption footprint model, some suggestions can be proposed against the Chinese regions’ ecologicalsustainability: make food production structure adjustment to increase the proportion of high calorie food production, control water pollution emissions relying on management and technology, and concentrate high pollution industry to the area with more pollution absorption supply.