Search

Scientific assessment of urban ecological security (ES) is an important prerequisite to realize regional sustainable development. Previous studies lack the consideration of quality and poor systematic correlation, which could not reflect the internal dynamic relationship. On the basis of considering the time lag, this study divided the research process into the natural operation stage and the management feedback stage based on the driving forces, pressures, state, impacts, responses, management (DPSIRM) framework model and DEA theory, so as to effectively overcome the above shortcomings. Finally, we analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of the ES level of 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) during 2005–2019. The results showed that: (a) both two stages showed a slow and fluctuating upward trend in time series, and the level of urban ES in the management feedback stage was significantly higher than that in the natural operation stage; (b) with the passage of time, the spatial distribution of ES in the natural operation stage gradually developed towards the middle and downstream of the YREB, while the management feedback stage mainly evolved from the midstream to the edge area; (c) the level of urban ES presented a different degree of spatial agglomeration phenomenon, and showed an increasing trend over time; and (d) the key influencing factors gradually changed from pressure to response during 2005–2019. This research aims to provide an innovative perspective for the measurement of urban ES, and provide scientific reference for improving urban ecological sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of urbanization brings pressure on the city, resulting in resource shortage, environmental pollution and other issues, which restricts the sustainable development of the city. Resources and environmental problems are also important factors that restrict the sustainable development of Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration. Based on the DPSIRM model, this paper constructs the evaluation index system, integrates the GMD-GRA-TOPSIS model to compare the carrying capacity of resources and environment of the Urban Agglomeration from 2010 to 2020, and then uses the grey prediction model to early warn the future carrying capacity of resources and environment. The results show that the trend of carrying capacity of resources and environment in the Urban Agglomeration from 2010 to 2020 is different, and there is a certain carrying capacity of resources and environment in these areas. Spatially, adjacent cities have direct effects, geographical proximity is more likely to be affected by each other, and distant cities have indirect effects on each other, plausibly influenced by upper higher-level policies, regional development planning, etc. According to the early warning evaluation, the overall situation of resource and environment carrying capacity of the Urban Agglomeration in 2025 is relatively stable, and there is a trend of improvement in some areas, which provides effective improvement ideas for urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern foothill of the Qinling Mountains region has been one of the unique ecological treasures in China, due to the rich and diverse ecological environment, as well as the complex terrain and variable climate. However, it is ever increasing impact of human activities on the local natural environment and ecosystems, as economic development and population growth. Severe challenges have posed on the protection of the ecological environment. Consequently, it is urgent to investigate the ecological environment quality in the stability and sustainable development of the ecosystem. This study aims to assess the ecological sensitivity in the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains using the driving-force-pressure-state-impact-response-management (DPSIRM) and patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) models. Initially, 17 indicators were selected to evaluate the ecological sensitivity in 2010, 2015 and 2020, according to the DPSIRM framework. Furthermore, the PLUS model was employed to simulate the spatial distribution of land use from 2020 to 2030. Various scenarios were also considered to integrate the present ecological situation. Subsequently, the simulated and predicted data of land use was served as the key influencing factors to assess the ecological environment. The spatial distribution of ecological sensitivity was predicted in the study area in the future. The findings reveal that the ecologically sensitive regions within the northern foothills were primarily centered around the urban core, indicating the greater resilience to disturbance, as the distance increased from urban centers. Furthermore, the proportion of non-sensitive areas gradually increased from 9% to 26% between 2010 and 2020, with the highest share of low-sensitive zones in 2010 (38%), medium-sensitive zones peaking in 2015 (28%), and the highest proportion of low-sensitive regions in 2020 (30%). Notably, the proportion of extremely sensitive zones was remained relatively low and consistent (5%-10%), indicating an overall favorable trend of the gradual improvement in the ecological environment over time. Furthermore, the patterns of land use were primarily comprised the farmland, woodland, and grassland, according to some projections under three distinct scenarios in the period from 2020 to 2030. Therefore, the ecological preservation was aligned with development and prioritizing sustainable strategies, which was most closely with current ecological objectives. The spatial distribution of ecological sensitivity was obtained within the context of ecological protection. Pertinent measures can be concurrently implemented in distinct sensitive areas. A robust foundation can be offered for the whole development and sustainable utilization of the ecosystem. The findings can also provide the solid refence to preserve the stability and sustainable ecosystem, particularly for the rational allocation and utilization of production, living, and ecological zones within the Qinling region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The aims of this study are to objectively identify the spatial and temporal evolutionary characteristics of ecological security in the middle reaches of Yangtze River urban agglomeration, to evaluate its ecological security level and diagnose its influencing factors, and to provide a reference for the construction of the regional ecological security pattern. [Methods] The 31 municipal administrative units in the middle reaches of Yangtze River urban agglomeration were used as research samples, and an ecological security evaluation index system was constructed based on the DPSIRM model. The spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of ecological safety in the study area were evaluated using exploratory spatial data analysis, and the factors impeding ecological safety were analyzed in conjunction with the barrier degree model. Finally, based on the evaluation and diagnosis results, the optimization path was proposed. [Results] (1) The ecological safety level of cities in the study area had generally been improving from 2006 to 2020, and the ecological safety level varied spatially, but the overall difference was not large. (2) The results of the ranking of the ecological safety barrier degree of the study area were management factors＞influence factors＞pressure factors＞response factors＞driving factors＞state factors. The improvement of its ecological safety level was mainly governed by six specific indicators, namely, the proportion of investment in fixed assets, the amount of water resources per capita, education expenditure within the general budget of local finance, the area of green areas and squares, the area of soil erosion control, and GDP per capita. (3) There was a certain positive spatial autocorrelation in the ecological safety level of the study area, with the formation of a high-value agglomeration area in central Jiangxi Province and a low-value agglomeration area in central Hubei Province. (4) It suggested that the most cities in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were at the critical safety level (Ⅲ), and there was still a large gap from reaching the overall safety level (Ⅴ) . [Conclusion] The ecological security level of the city cluster in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River showed an overall positive trend, and more attention should be paid to the response of economic countermeasures, the utilization of ecological resources as well as the construction and management of ecological systems, so as to help build an ecological security barrier for the city cluster in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regional water cycle reflects the dual processes of nature and society. A healthy and benign water cycle is a fundamental guarantee for achieving regional sustainable development.The Yangtze River Economic Belt, as a densely populated urban cluster with abundant water resources in China, plays a crucial role in promoting the sustainable development of Chinese urban clusters. It is of significant importance to optimize the water cycle health of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and explore its primary obstacles.This study integrates the natural-social attributes of the water cycle and selects 25 evaluation indicators from six dimensions: Drivers (D), Pressures (P), States (S), Impacts (I), Responses (R), and Management (M), to construct the water cycle evaluation system for the Yangtze River Economic Belt.Combining Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), and the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method, the comprehensive weights of subjective and objective factors are obtained based on the principle of minimum relative entropy.Based on this, an Extended Cloud Model is constructed to evaluate the water cycle health status of the region from 2012 to 2022.Furthermore, the Obstacle Degree Model is introduced to identify the primary obstacles affecting the water cycle health in the region. Finally, the ARIMA model is applied to forecast the water cycle health status in the region from 2023 to 2030.The results indicate that the comprehensive water cycle health level in the region improved gradually from initially sub-pathological to sub-healthy status from 2012 to 2022.Per capita GDP, industrial water consumption per ten thousand yuan of industrial value added, per capita water consumption, forest coverage rate, sediment transport module, proportion of environmental protection investment to GDP, and proportion of water resources management investment to GDP are the primary obstacles affecting the improvement of health in this region.The forecast indicates that the overall water cycle health status in the region will remain at a sub-healthy level from 2023 to 2030.The research results can provide a scientific reference for further promoting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, better supporting and serving China's modernization, and providing scientific reference basis.

Rivers in arid areas play a crucial role in sustaining the basin, regional economic, ecological security and social development. Maintaining the ecological health of the basin ecosystem is the guarantee for high-quality regional development. Developing a robust and unbiased evaluation index system is pivotal for the scientific assessment of basin health. Quantitative evaluation of the ecological health of inland river basins in arid areas under the influence of human activities is a necessary condition for basin scientific management and policy formulation. This paper presents a conceptual DPSIRM model (Driving Force - Pressure - State - Impact - Response - Management), selects 33 indicators for constructing the evaluation index system, recommends the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) for subjective weight assignment, utilizes the CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) method for objective weight determination, and amalgamates subjective and objective weights to establish CW (comprehensive weights). On this basis, the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) method is employed to assess the relative closeness between the health degree of the Shiyang River Basin and the ideal solution from 2000 to 2020, and the alteration in the basin’s health is judged according to the relative closeness. The results showed that the health level of the Shiyang River Basin gradually increased from 0.41 to 0.61, transformed from subhealthy to healthy. Among the six subsystems, driving force, state, impact and response health were all subhealth, while stress and management health were ideal. The analysis of the index impact weights illustrated that the average annual precipitation, urbanization rate, population density, irrigation water consumption per hectare, and water consumption per 10,000 yuan of gross domestic product (GDP) with a significant influence on the ecological health of the basin. This research demonstrated a novel analytical framework for assessing the health of inland basins in dry regions. The findings may serve as a basis for management departments to develop specific basin planning and management policies.

Ecological safety evaluation is a key tool that reflects changes in the quality of the ecological environment and provides a scientific basis for land use policies and ecological environment construction. This study used the Changbaishan region as the study area, selected 23 indicators from natural and socioeconomic aspects, adopted the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response-Management (DPSIRM) model, and used hierarchical analysis and entropy value methods to determine the weights and comprehensively evaluate the ecological security of wetlands. The results showed that the ecological safety value increased from 0.1754 to 0.2933 from 1990–2020 in the Changbai Mountains area, moving the critical safety state to the safety state. The value was lower in the center and higher in the east, north, and southwest. In addition, the wetlands in the north recovered faster. During the study period, the driver, response, and management indices increased, whereas the pressure, state, and impact were relatively stable. The Changbai Mountain region has achieved success in wetland management, education, environmental protection expenditure, ecological compensation, and natural wetland protection; however, rational planning is still needed for urbanization, construction and development, and wetland tourism.

Healthy basin ecosystems are a key factor for guaranteeing the sustainable growth of regional economies and societies. Basin health assessments results are crucial for identifying the ecological environment’s current state and fostering the basin’s long-term development. This study includes the “management” aspect to the traditional “driving force-pressure-state-impact-response” model to develop the “driving force-pressure-state-impact-response-management” model. In this study, the health status of the ecosystem of the Yangtze River Basin was investigated from six different perspectives and multiple dimensions. Results show: (1) From 2010 to 2020, the ecosystem health index of the Yangtze River Basin exhibits a fluctuating upward trend with a level 3 ecological health status, which falls under the sub-health category. (2) Obvious spatial differences exist in the ecological health level of the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. Among them, the ecological health index in the downstream area increased from 0.4662 to 0.5546, showing a clear recovery trend. The ecological health index in the middle reaches decreased from 0.5338 to 0.4633 and then increased to 0.5304. The ecological health of the watershed first deteriorated and is now recovering. The ecological health index in the upstream area decreased from 0.5004 to 0.4822, showing a deteriorating trend. (3) Indicators of status and impact are the primary factors affecting the ecosystem health of the Yangtze River Basin, whereas indicators of management are declining. The findings provide a theoretical framework for government departments to create watershed management policies.

The regional water cycle reflects both natural and social processes. The health of the regional water cycle is of great significance to the sustainable development of human beings. Focusing on the nine provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin, this study utilized the DPSIRM model, including 21 basic indicators. In this paper, according to the principle of minimum information entropy, the three-scale AHP and EFAST algorithms were combined and weighted, and water cycle health status in the nine provinces and regions was evaluated based on the hook trapezoidal fuzzy TOPSIS model. Moreover, the traditional TOPSIS model was compared with the FCE method so as to evaluate the objectivity of the results. The obstacle degree model was introduced to obtain the main obstacle factors affecting the improvement of water circulation health in the nine provinces and regions. The results show that the water circulation health status in the nine provinces and regions is tending towards health, coordination, and balance. Water consumption in the ecological environment, water consumption per CNY 10,000 of GDP and forest coverage rate are the key factors that influence the improvement of water circulation health in the nine provinces and regions. The research results herein provide a scientific reference for the nine provinces and regions to achieve a healthy urban water cycle and regional sustainable development.

The quantitative evaluation of the ecological security can reflect the changes in the quality of ecological environment and provide a scientific basis for the formulation of land-use policy and for the construction of the ecological environment. In this study, we selected Xilingol League in Inner Mongolia, China, as the research area, and established the driving force-pressure-state-impact-response-management (DPSIRM) model to evaluate grassland ecological security. The results were as follows: (1) During 2005–2015, the overall trend of ecological security level in the study area increased, with the western region being relatively ecologically insecure and the eastern region being more secure. (2) The spatial distribution trend of ecological security level from west to east was “ very serious alerts ” → “ serious alerts ” → “ moderate alerts ” → “ light alerts ”→ “ no alert ”. (3) The “ very serious alerts ” and “ serious alerts ” are mainly concentrated in Sonid Left Banner and Sonid Right Banner, but from the perspective of spatial migration of ecological security, unsafe and less safe tend to shift to the northeast. This study provides a new idea for grassland ecological security evaluation research, has important practical significance for understanding the ecological security level of Xilingol grassland area, and will guide the reasonable development and utilization of Xilingol grassland.

A water source vulnerability assessment index system based on the driving force-pressure-state- impact-response-management (DPSIRM) model is established, comprehensively considering the economy, society, resources, environment, ecology and other influencing factors of urban water resources in plateau basins. The entropy method is used to weight each evaluation index, and the set pair analysis and obstacle degree model is used to evaluate the water resources vulnerability of the Yunlong Reservoir water resources in Kunming from 2014 to 2019.The results show that the vulnerability of Yunlong Reservoir's water resource was strongly vulnerable in 2014, and moderately vulnerable from 2015 to 2019. The confidence value of its middle-level vulnerability has been increasing year by year, and the vulnerability of water resources has gradually decreased, indicating that the implemented water resources management policies have achieved results. Judging from the diagnosis results of the obstacles in the various subsystems of the evaluation model, the pressure, status, and influence subsystems' obstacles played a dominant role from 2014 to 2015, the influence and response subsystem played a leading role from 2016 to 2018, and the pressure and influence subsystem played a leading role in 2019, and subsystem obstacles have a greater impact. It is suggested that the sound development of water resources security should be promoted from the perspective of the system theory, the water quality management and control of water source areas should be strengthened, and the comprehensive development and governance of water resources should be strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the mine water exploitation and utilization potential scientifically m1d provide scientific basis for utilization mu! management of mine water resources in water shm1agc areas, based on the DPSIRM modd, this paper constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system of mine water development and utilization potential, and uscxl the gray set pair modd to quantitatively evaluate the mine water devdopment and utilization potential of cneq,•y chemical industry base in nm1hern Shaanxi. The results show that the potential grade of mine water exploitation and utilization is low in 2011, and a little bit low in 2012- 2017, which indicates the situation is getting better. Impact, response m1d management arc impm1ant factors affocting potential evaluation, which is in line with the ;u·tual situation of mine water development m1d utilization in encr1,,•y chemical industry base in nm1hern Shaanxi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources are one of the important factors affecting the sustainable development of China. If we could fundamentally solve the water environmental problems, it will contribute to national security and social stability quite a lot. Based on the “driving force—pressure—state—impact— response—management” model, a water environment safety evaluation index system in China was constructed, and the water environment safety of 30 provinces and cities in China except for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Tibet was comprehensively evaluated by the entropy right Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, then the nuclear density function is adopted to analyze the dynamic trend of water environment safety evolution in China. The results show that: the response subsystem in the evaluation index system accounted for the largest proportion of urban water supply and drainage channel density index of the water environment safety contribution to the largest; China’s water environment safety level overall is low, Shanghai is the highest, Hainan is the lowest; Chinese provinces and cities water environment safety level steadily rising trend, the middle area of the right-tailing phenomenon is serious. To improve the safety of the water environment, a series of safeguards are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ｂａｓｅｄ ｏｎ ＤＰＳＩＲＭ ｍｏｄｅｌ ｗｈｉｃｈ ｗａｓ ｕｓｅｄ ｔｏ ｄｅｓｃｒｉｂｅ ｔｈｅ ｃａｕｓａｌ ｒｅｌａｔｉｏｎｓｈｉｐ ｂｅｔｗｅｅｎ ｅｃｏｌｏｇｙ， ｗａｔｅｒ ｒｅｓｏｕｒｃｅｓ ａｎｄ ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔ ｓｙｓｔｅｍ， ｃｏｍｂｉｎｅｄ ｗｉｔｈ ｔｈｅ ｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃ ｏｂｊｅｃｔｉｖｅｓ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｉｍｐｌｅｍｅｎｔａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｒｉｖｅｒ ｃｈｉｅｆ ｓｙｓｔｅｍ ａｔ ａｌｌ ｌｅｖｅｌｓ ｏｆ ｇｏｖｅｒｎｍｅｎｔ ａｎｄ ｔｈｅ ｃｕｒｒｅｎｔ ｓｉｔｕａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ ｗａｔｅｒ ｅｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌ ｃｉｖｉｌｉｚａｔｉｏｎ ｃｏｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎ， ｓｙｎｔｈｅｓｉｚｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ ｅｘｉｓｔｉｎｇ ｒｅｓｅａｒｃｈ ｒｅｓｕｌｔｓ ａｔ ｈｏｍｅ ａｎｄ ａｂｒｏａｄ， ａ ｃｏｍｐｒｅｈｅｎｓｉｖｅ ｅｖａｌｕａｔｉｏｎ ｓｙｓｔｅｍ ｏｆ ｒｉｖｅｒ ｃｈｉｅｆ ｗａｓ ｃｏｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｅｄ， ｉｎｃｌｕｄｉｎｇ ｉｎｄｉｃａｔｏｒｓ ｗｈｉｃｈ ｗｅｒｅ ｕｓｅｄ ｔｏ ｄｅｓｃｒｉｂｅ ｄｒｉｖｉｎｇ ｆｏｒｃｅ， ｐｒｅｓｓｕｒｅ， ｓｔａｔｅ， ｉｎｆｌｕｅｎｃｅ， ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅ ａｎｄ ｍａｎａｇｅｍｅｎｔ． Ｓｕｃｈ ａ ｃｏｍｐｌｅｔｅ ｃａｕｓａｌ ｃｈａｉｎ ｗａｓ ｒｅｖｅａｌｅｄ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｄｒｉｖｉｎｇ ｆｏｒｃｅ ｏｆ ｓｏｃｉａｌ ａｎｄ ｅｃｏｎｏｍｉｃ ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔ ｐｒｅｓｓｕｒｅ ｏｎ ｗａｔｅｒ ｒｅｓｏｕｒｃｅｓ ａｎｄ ｗａｔｅｒ ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔ； ｓｕｃｈ ｄａｍａｇｅ ｏｆ ｗａｔｅｒ ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔ ａｎｄ ｗａｔｅｒ ｒｅｓｏｕｒｃｅｓ ｃａｕｓｅｄ ｔｈｅ ｉｍｐａｃｔ ｏｆ ｎａｔｕｒａｌ ｅｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌ ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔ ａｎｄ ｈｕｍａｎ ｅｃｏｎｏｍｙ ａｎｄ ｓｏｃｉｅｔｙ． [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric environment is a complex system affected by economy, society, population and other factors. Based on DPSIRM framework, scientific relationships among those factors were reflected and inherent mechanism of the complex system was studied. 20 indicators were selected to construct an evaluation index system. Optimizing Projection Pursuit by Simulated Annealing algorithm, the Coupling Simulated Annealing-Projection Pursuit model was established to calculate a comprehensive index, which was used to evaluate the regional Atmospheric Environment Carrying Capacity. The results showed that the Driving force and Pressure subsystems occupied a leading position on the whole system. Economic development, urbanization process, population growth and pollutant emission needed to be concerned to maintain the harmony of the complex system. Influence weights of indicators were quite different from each other. The top 5 indicators were: the amount of industrial smoke and dust emissions, the amount of automobile, the comprehensive energy consumption of 10,000 Yuan industrial output value, the annual average wind speed and the number of days of air quality reached the national standard’s second level. By analyzing the evaluation results, Atmospheric Environment Carrying Capacity was on the rise in 2006–2015, which suggested Chengdu’s atmospheric environment showed a good condition during these years. However, with the rapid industrialization, urbanization and accompanying pollution, we should boost the corresponding exhaust gas treatment capacity to keep its environmental healthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By inherent mechanism study of water resource system, an evaluation index system based on DPSIRM model is established which takes the influences including resource, ecology, environment, economy and society into consideration. The paper gives the clear definition of each subsystem, which reflects the scientific relationship between each factor within the system. On that basis, coupling SA-PP model is established, and the parameters of projection pursuit are optimized by simulated annealing. The model is used to evaluate the water resource carrying capacity of Yunnan Province from 2003 to 2012, and the projection eigenvalues are analyzed. The study shows that, from 2003 to 2012, the water resources carrying capacity of Yunnan Province was increasing steadily. Under the current situation of economic and social development, water resource carrying capacity can carry the social economic development. Before 2006, the resource carrying capacity had an increasingly enlarged tendency, showing great potential of growth. After 2006, the fluctuation of water resources carrying capacity increased. The growth of water resource carrying capacity was close to zero in 2009 and 2011. The best projection direction reflects the impact degree of each index on water resource carrying capacity, the greater the value, the greater the impact of the corresponding evaluation index on the water resources carrying capacity. The main indexes affecting the water resource carrying capacity are the domestic sewage emissions, the “three wastes” control investment, per capital GDP, the water consumption per unit GDP and the forest coverage. The pressure subsystem accounts for 26.15% of water resource carrying capacity, being the most important factor. This model is practical, which can provide scientific basis for the planning and management of regional water resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scientific performance evaluation of the regional water ecological civilization construction and clarifying the obstacle factor are key points to improve the performance of regional water ecological civilization construction theory. This study analyzes the coupling relationship between humans and regional water ecology by applying the thinking logic of "driving force-pressure-state-influence-response-management." The regional water ecological civilization construction performance evaluation index system based on the DPSIRM model was established. Combining the unascertained measurement model and obstacle diagnosis model, the water ecological civilization construction performance of Shizuishan City during the past 10 years was empirically evaluated, and the obstacle factors affecting local construction performance were diagnosed and analyzed. The analytical results reveal the following points:First, the performance of the water ecological civilization construction in Shizuishan City gradually increased annually and revealed three development stages:the site visit and slow improvement (2010-2014), intermediate but fast improvement (2015-2017) and good and fast improvement (2018-2019). Second, each subsystem performance index trend varied, but generally, the fluctuations rose. Third, from 2010 to 2014, the average obstacle degree of the subsystem state, subsystem response, and subsystem pressure reached 58.81%, which became the main obstacles restricting the performance of the local water ecological civilization construction. From 2015 to 2017, the average pressure barrier degree reached 21.73%, which was the most significant obstacle to the construction performance. From 2018 to 2019, the average pressure barrier degree remained the largest obstacle by reaching 24.49%. Lastly, the index barrier of the obstacle degree among the top five factors are primarily distributed in the pressure subsystem. A comprehensive frequency ranking of the obstacles, the irrigation water use coefficient, and the pressure of the water consumption per ten thousand yuan of value-added by industry as a representative subsystem are the key directions to future construction. In this paper, the concepts and methods of the research can provide a theoretical reference for the performance evaluation of regional water ecological civilization construction and its obstacle factor diagnosis analysis.

To evaluate the long-term security of water resources in Guizhou, this paper presents an evaluation index that incorporates the driving force–pressure–state–impact–response–management (DPSIRM) framework, the gray correlation method, and matter–element analysis. For the period of 2005–2012, our results show that water resources were within the "generally safe" limits for all years except 2006 and 2011, which were characterized by drought conditions. In karst regions, drought has a relatively large impact on water security and is compounded in Guizhou by rapid economic development, nonpoint-source agricultural pollution, and inadequate sewage treatment. Nonetheless, recent efforts to return farmland to forest and grassland and to control desertification have led to increased forest cover and higher levels of soil and water conservation, while systems have been implemented to foster the effective management of water resources in karst areas. In this study, we used both gray matter–element analysis and a DPSIRM framework to assess the state of water resources in Guizhou, the results of which were compared and verified by the gray set pair method, and to provide a reference for evaluating other karst areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]