从生态力学角度对生态系统退化进行了初步探讨。文中认为,生态系统是一个具有三维空间的物质实体,它和一般物体一样,也具有运动的特性。生态退化实际上是生态系统从高水平的稳定状态向低水平的失衡状态转化的一种运动形式。任何生态系统都具有一定的生态质量和生态惯性,当生态系统遭受到自然和人为干扰的合力大于生态系统的内在生态阻抗力时,生态系统势必发生运动或"位移"。文中定义了生态质量指数、自然干扰指数、人类活动强度指数和生态退化潜势指数,以定量描述区域生态系统退化的潜势。

The degradation of ecosystems was discussed from a view of eco mechanics in thi s paperIt was suggested that any ecosystem could be regarded as a kind of the substance integration with three dimension spatial structure, and that it also had a property of "movement" which referred to the displacement of the state, but not the c hange of the place of ecosystem Actually, the degradation of ecosystem was a p rocess of ecological movement from a high level or stable state to an imbalance state Any ecosystem had a certain eco mass and eco inertia When the result ant of eco forces produced by human and natural disturbance exceeded their inhe rent ecological resistance force, ecosystems would take movement or displacement  This paper also presented a quantitative expression for calculating the poten tial of ecosystem degradation with four indices, including the eco mass index ( EMI), the natural disturbance index (NDI).