Integrating ecological and social vulnerability assessment in Qinghai Province, China

Vulnerability assessment has become a critical issue and an important approach for regional sustainable development research. Qinghai Province, which located in the northeast part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, suffers a severe grassland degradation caused by human activities. Grassland degradation constrains the development of local animal husbandry and further affects the vulnerability of social system. In this study, based on the vulnerability assessment framework of exposure-sensitivity-adaptability, two index systems were established including ecological and social aspects. The entropy weight method was used to determine the index weight. The variations of ecological vulnerability (EV) and social vulnerability (SV) of Qinghai Province were assessed from 1995 to 2015. Results showed that EV in Qinghai Province increased from east to west, and decreased from north to south, while SV showed an opposite trend. Key ecologically fragile areas were mainly located in the Qaidam Basin and western Three-River Headwaters Region, while key SV areas were mainly distributed in the Qilian Mountains and eastern Three-River Headwaters Region. The overall EV showed a decreasing trend through time, but increased in several local areas. SV dropped significantly during study period, especially in the eastern part of Qinghai Province. The results will help to identify key vulnerable areas of Qinghai Province and provide a reference for the region to formulate sustainable development strategies.