Evaluation of Sustainable Regional Development Combining Remote Sensing Data and Ecological Constraints: A Case Study of Chaohu Basin, China

Abstract

The maintenance of sustainable development in light of climate change is presenting society with a serious challenge. This study analyzes the spatial environment and its coupled relationship with socio-economic and food security in the Chaohu Lake Basin in central Anhui Province, China. Previous studies have shown that this study area has good environmental conditions. However, the ecological security, economic development, and food security in the Chaohu Lake Basin was generally poor and poorly coordinated in 2018, especially in the center of local cities and surrounding areas. Nevertheless, many towns are in a well-organized state, meaning sustainable and coordinated regional development can be achieved through resource optimization. Generally, the economic conditions in the Chaohu Lake Basin should be improved in a way that ensures that the environment is not significantly degraded. The main functional zoning requirements of the counties’ land management planning designate most of the counties as parts of ecological conservation areas. The present study provides monitoring of important basin ecosystems and serves as a guide to future sustainable regional development by providing directions and paths to follow; it can also provide a reference for eco-functional zoning that is applicable to various natural basins worldwide.