Integrated emergy and economic evaluation of lotus-root production systems on reclaimed wetlands surrounding the Pearl River Estuary, China

JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION

卷:158

Article

Lu, Hong-Fang¹  Tan, Yao-Wen²  Zhang, Wen-Sheng²  Qiao, Yan-Chun²  Campbell, Daniel E.³  Zhou, Lang¹  Ren, Hai¹ 

[1] Chinese Acad Sci, Key Lab Vegetat Restorat & Management Degraded Ec, South China Bot Garden, Guangzhou 510650, Guangdong, Peoples R China

[2] Guangzhou Acad Agr Sci, Guangzhou 510308, Guangdong, Peoples R China

[3] US EPA, Off Res & Dev, Natl Hlth & Environm Effects Res Lab, Atlantic Ecol Div, 27 Tarzwell Dr, Narragansett, RI USA

关键词: Lotus root;    Agricultural systems;    Emergy;    Ecological economic benefits;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.016

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Lotus (Neumbo nucifera, Gaertn) is the most important aquatic vegetable in China, with a cultivation history of over 3000 years. The emergy, energy, material, and money flows of three lotus root cultivation modes in Wanqingsha, Nansha District, Guangzhou, China were examined using Energy Systems Language models and emergy evaluation to better understand their ecological and economic characteristics on multiple spatial and temporal scales. The natural resource foundations, economic characteristics and sustainability of these modes were evaluated and compared. The results showed that although all three modes were highly dependent on purchased emergy inputs, their potential impacts as measured by the local (ELRL) and global (ELRw) environmental loading ratios were less than 1.2 and 0.7, respectively. The lotus-fish mode was the most sustainable with its emergy index of sustainable development (EISD) 2.09 and 2.13 times that of the pure lotus and lotus-shrimp modes, respectively. All three lotus-root production modes had superior economic viability, since their Output/Input ratio ranged from 2.56 to 4.95. The results indicated that agricultural systems may have different environmental impacts and sustain ability characteristics at different spatial and temporal scales, and that these impacts and characteristics can be simultaneously explored using integrated emergy and economic evaluations. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free