Investigating the coupled coordination of improved ecological environment and socio-economic development in alpine wetland areas: A case study of southwest China

Abstract

Zogie Wetland is an important ecological protection area in the alpine region of southwest China. Coordinating the relationship between socio-economic (SE) and ecological environment (EE) in this area is instructive for economic development and ecological improvement of ethnic minority regions in Southwest China. Previous studies on the degree of coupled coordination in alpine wetlands are relatively scarce. In this study, six counties under the jurisdiction of the Zogie wetland in China are selected as the research objects, and a new framework for coupled coordination analysis is constructed, and the particle swarm optimization-dynamic deviation maximisation (PSO-DDM) method is used to assess the indicators’ performance of the SE and EE subsystems. The coupled coordination degree (CCD) model was then used to assess the temporal and spatial change patterns of coupled coordination between SE and EE in the Zogie Wetland, thus revealing the interaction mechanism between the SE and EE of alpine wetlands. The results of the study show that the overall change in CCD of SE and EE has shown an increasing trend over time, but it has not reached excellent co-ordination at the moment, which may be due to the slow development of the area as a result of its special geographical location and relatively weak ecological resource endowment. In addition, industrial restructuring, increase in vegetation cover and investment in industrial pollution control have a contributing effect on CCD, while industrial emissions and urban sewage discharge have a significant inhibitory effect on CCD. These findings and discoveries can provide valuable insights for urban planning, large-scale engineering construction and tourism industry development in alpine wetlands. It also provides an important reference for achieving sustainable development goals(SDGs) of alpine wetlands.

Keywords

• Zogie wetland
• Coupled coordination degree
• Socio-economic
• Ecological environment
• PSO-DDM algorithm