Evaluation Of Ecological Carrying Capacity Based On Ecological Footprint In Lvshunkou Area In Dalian

Sustainable development has been paid attention to by all the countries being as a new development model and idea. The quantitative evaluation method has been frontier and hot issues on the study of sustainable development. Ecological footprint, being as one of methods to study and analyze sustainable development, through evaluating the required ecological productive area of waste discharge produced by consumption and absorption , accompanying with being in comparison with ecological productive area in the specific region, is used to measure sustainable condition of the regional economic development.With inducing the concept and analysis of ecological footprint, the paper takes lvshunkou District of Dalian City as a study case, using ecological footprint model to calculate the 8-year's ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity from 2000 to 2007, and analyze comparatively on the ecological and environmental sustainability, ecological pressure index ETI, ecological footprint index EFI, ecological coordination degree DS, ecological footprint diversity index H and ecological economics development capacity F in lvshunkou District, to study economic development sustainability quantitatively. The results are shown as follows.(1) With the rapid economic development, the per capita ecological demand increased every year and the demand for eco-environment grew in lvshunkou District. Per capita ecological footprint was 1.2772 (hm2/cap) in 2000, and increased to 2.0132 (hm2/cap) in 2007. Ecological deficit was 0.9511 (hm2/cap), and increased to 1.1129 (hm2/cap) in 2007. Moreover, ecological deficit was 1.1567 (hm2/cap), which far exceeded the carrying capacity of the ecological environment.(2) The ecological diversity index had certain volatility, which indicated that the various components of ecological footprint were to tend to unequal. Ecological economics development capacity had been in steady increase; however, the development was achieved at the cost of sacrificing the ecological environment by improving ecological footprint. The ecological footprint index was gradually towards to an upward trend. The 8-year's average ecological footprint index is -1.8858, which indicated that the ecological environment had been improved, but was still in an unsustainable state. Ecological pressure index ETI was 3.2643 in 2000, and was reduced to 1.8778 in 2007. The 8-year's average ecological pressure index was 2.4133, which indicated that the lvshunkou District was in a terrific unsafe state according to the standard classification of ecological pressure index. The 8-year's average coordination index was 1.2795, and it belonged to 1≤DS<1.414. The ef>ec in lvshunkou District, which indicated that ecological demand was bigger than ecological supply. The development of lvshunkou District was in an ecological inconsistent state, because it was through the consumption of natural resources to make up for the insufficiency of ecological carrying capacity. Based on the above calculations and analysis, the paper makes the following recommendations to the economic development; establishing the protection system of sustainable development of ecological environment, improving crop yields by the development of ecological agriculture, promoting clean production, developing a recycling economy and strengthening the safeguards of sustainable development of ecological environment.