生态系统健康研究进展

健康的生态系统一般被视为环境管理的终极目标,进行生态系统健康研究对探索区域与生态系统可持续发展具有重要意义。随着国际生态与健康学会(International Association for Ecology and Health)的解体,生态系统健康研究视角出现转型。系统梳理了近年来国际上有关生态系统健康概念及其评估方法、指标的新进展,通过文献统计和重要文献引用揭示了国际生态系统健康研究的发展历程,提出了从生态系统健康到生态健康再到生态文化健康的三大核心框架发展阶段,生态系统健康的研究对象和范围正在不断扩充。资源环境研究领域是国内研究者应用生态系统健康概念与方法的优势领域,在区域尺度上评价生态系统的健康更贴近资源环境和社会文化交互作用的复合表征理念。因此,我国生态系统健康研究的趋向不仅应包括在生态系统尺度上研究的继续深化,也应包含对生态文化健康概念的完善与应用,并发挥地理-生态视角的区域集成研究优势,从而有效指导区域生态与环境政策制定与实施。

New research progress and trends in ecosystem health

Over the past century, with the rapid development of society and the improvement of human life, global ecological destruction and environmental pollution problems have greatly affected the integrity and stability of the biosphere. The topic of sustainable development has received widespread attention. Ecosystem health comprises the comprehensive characteristics of the ecosystem. It is an ability to maintain the integrity of ecosystem structure and function. As a measure for sustainable development, healthy ecosystems are generally regarded as the ultimate goal of environmental management. In 1991,the International Association for Ecology and Health (ISEH) was established to explore the basic theories and approaches in ecosystem health assessment. However, since its disbanding in 2002, research perspectives on ecosystem health have been divided. This paper reviews the latest developments in the conceptual framework, quantitative evaluation methods, and index systems of ecosystem health. Statistical and document comparisons show there is a development framework transition from ecosystem health to ecological health and to ecological culture health. Ecosystem health and ecosystem culture health is a new research perspective that aims at maintaining a healthy ecosystem as well as meeting the needs of mankind such as cultural values, beliefs, and knowledge. Ecosystem health on a regional scale is the new research direction, for it is the most suitable scale in ecosystem management and practice. The field of resources and environment is an advantageous research field for Chinese researchers where the ecosystem health concepts and methods are applied on regional scale. Ecosystem health assessment on a regional scale is similar to the composite characterization of holistic theory, focusing on the interaction of resources environment and social culture. Chinese scholars can play a leading role in the ecosystem health evaluation method at a regional level. Ecological system research for Chinese scholars should at first focus on the scale of the ecosystem, where ecosystem management and restoration can incorporate international experience. The improvement and application of the conceptual framework is also of great importance in leading China on the path of sustainable development. Taking advantage of regional integration research in a geographical ecological perspective is an effective way to use the ecosystem health research results to guide the establishment and implementation of regional ecological and environmental policy.