PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2015, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (11): 1356-1367.doi: 10.18306/dlkxjz.2015.11.003

• Orientation and Strategy • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research on the construction of green ecological corridors in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Guishan YANG(), Xibao XU, Pingxing LI   

  1. Key Laboratory of Watershed Geographic Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS, Nanjing 210008, China
  • Online:2015-11-25 Published:2015-11-25

Abstract:

Eco-environment protection of the Yangtze River and its river basin is the important foundation and support for the construction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). Crossing the western, central, and eastern regions of China, the Yangtze River has abundant water resources and significant ecosystem service functions. Moreover, the YREB has an important location ecologically, with diverse ecosystem types and rich biodiversity; strongly affected by human activities and natural factors, the main trend of ecological environment change, which are dominated by ecological degradation and declining environmental quality, shows significant regional differences. Based on the analysis of the basic characteristics of the environment of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, this study identified the major environmental problems and threats it faces. First, natural disasters are of diverse types and widely distributed in the YREB and have caused heavy losses. Second, water and air pollutions are still serious. Third, the ecosystems are fragile and sensitive and ecological degradation is rapidly progressing. This study proposes a series of ecological environment protection strategies, including the construction of the green ecological protection project of the Yangtze River Economic Belt; accelerating the formation of a land development pattern dominated by intensive, concentrated spatial development and natural and open ecological space; strengthening the development and protection of ecosystem integrity and connectivity; strengthening energy conservation and comprehensive watershed environmental management; as well as setting up and improving the system on ecological civilization construction.

Key words: green ecological corridors, regional ecological security, ecological civilization, Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB)