Sustainability assessment in the anthropocentric watershed based on emergy and decomposition methods: A case study of Erhai Lake Basin, southwest China

Assessment of anthropocentric watersheds' sustainability and its driving forces is important for regional natural resources management and sustainable development. However, the impact of natural resources use on watersheds' sustainability needs deeper exploration. This study employs emergy accounting and decomposition analysis methods to evaluate the sustainability and related key factors of Erhai Lake Basin (ELB) of Yunnan province in China - a watershed facing urgently sustainable issues. Major results show that the environmental sustainability index (ESI) of ELB decreased with low production efficiency - emergy yield ratio (EYR), and high environmental pressure - environmental loading ratio (ELR) from 2000 to 2015. Four factors within the decomposition analysis have been identified, namely the emergy intensity factor (AUG), resource factor (ARF), water supporting factor (AWN) and water efficiency factor (APW), as the major drivers of ESI changes. The economic development in ELB highly exceeded the carrying capacity of natural water resources, relying on imported resources and, in so doing, affecting sustainability levels. Accordingly, several suggestions are proposed which are helpful for sustainable watersheds governance.

Automated summary

Assessing the sustainability and driving forces of anthropocentric watersheds is crucial for regional natural resources management and sustainable development. This study utilizes emergy accounting and decomposition analysis to evaluate the sustainability of Erhai Lake Basin in Yunnan province, China, and identifies low production efficiency and high environmental pressure as the main factors contributing to decreased sustainability. The study also highlights the importance of factors such as emergy intensity, resource utilization, water support, and water efficiency in driving sustainability changes.