Evolution process and obstacle factors of ecological security in western China, a case study of Qinghai province

Qinghai province, an important part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau located in the western part of China, occupies a considerable status in terms of ecological security of China due to its special geographic position, fragile ecological environment, and rich natural resources that can provide freshwater, foods, woods, and other ecosystem services. Our study applied the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model composed of 24 indicators to survey the ecological security status in Qinghai during 2000–2017. Additionally, the obstacle degree model (ODM) was used to examine the obstacle factors affecting the improvement of ecological security. Results show that Qinghai’s ecological security made a large improvement overall, and specifically it experienced three phases: a declining phase (2000–2005), a fast-rising phase (2006–2013), and a slow-rising phase (2014–2017). The ecological security level rose from “unsafe” to “safe” (0.2167 to 0.7540) between 2005 and 2017. The pressure layer contributed the largest share to ecological security from 2000 to 2008, and the response layer determined the trend of ecological security since 2009. The main obstacle factors were concentrated at first in the response layer, and transferred to the pressure layer finally. In addition, implications were discussed to promote the ecological security improvement in Qinghai, including industrial adjustment and land use optimization, etc. This study depicts a whole picture for Qinghai’s ecological security, and provides theoretical basis for sustainable development of Qinghai province and even the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.