AUTHOR=Wang Cui , Lin Aiyong , Liu Conghu 

TITLE=Marine ecological security assessment from the perspective of emergy ecological footprint

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.1090965

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2022.1090965

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=Marine ecological security assessments are considered as a basis for coordinating marine economic development and ecological protection. We propose an assessment method based on the emergy ecological footprint which first measures the emergy of the natural and economic elements of the marine ecosystem. An ecological security evaluation index considering the role of economic, social, and waste discharge factors in the marine ecosystem was constructed and long time-series data was dynamically evaluated to characterize the changing trends in ecological security. The Guangxi marine ecosystem was selected as the case study, and the ecological security dynamic evaluation was conducted by collecting data from 2008 to 2020. The results show that Guangxi's marine ecosystem has always been in an ecologically secure state, but since 2010, the emergy ecological footprint intensity has been increasing, indicating ecosystem deterioration. Therefore, some targeted suggestions are put forward. This method provides a new assessment tool for marine ecological security evaluation and offers guidance for the sustainable development and utilization of marine ecosystems.