Eco-geological environment evaluation of Hulunbuir High Plain based on analytic hierarchy process and suggestions for development and utilization

Objective At present, the eco−geological environment of the Hulunbuir Plain is relatively fragile, with problems of grassland degradation and land soddenness, and the arid climate and animal husbandry and agricultural activities have a controlling effect on the environment. So this study provides scientific support and guidance for the ecological environmental protection and sustainable social development of the region, and provides a reference for the study of eco−geological environment of the arid and semi−arid regions represented by the Hulunbuir Plain.

Methods Based on the geological conditions, ecological environment and social activities of Hulunbeier High Plains, this paper utilizes hierarchical analysis to construct a hierarchical structure model of eco−geological environment evaluation indexes, obtains the weight value of each ten evaluation indexes, and then applies the comprehensive index method to establish a mathematical model of quality indexes and obtains the results of the comprehensive evaluation of eco−geological environment quality in Hulunbuir High Plains.

Results The evaluation results show that 84.05% of the evaluation units in the study area are in the better quality level, 11.01% of the units are in the general quality level, 4.94% of the units are in the good quality level, and there is no poor quality area, which indicates that the eco−geological environment of Hulunbuir Plateau is in the better level in general; and the results of the calculation of the weights show that “ecological environment” has a dominant role in the quality of the regional eco−geological environment, and “land use type” is the most influential factor.

Conclusions The overall eco−geological environment of the Hulunbeier High Plains is of good quality, but there are still some areas with general quality due to land use and water resources. In view of the existing problems, we put forward development and utilization suggestions in terms of sealing sand, cultivating grass and forests, rationally arranging the amount of livestock and grazing system, and rationally developing water resources, so as to provide reference for the sustainable development of the eco−geological environment of the Hulunbuir Plateau.