Assessment and management of ecological risk in an agricultural–pastoral ecotone: case study of Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China

Ecological disasters have been occurring more frequently in recent years. As a result, ecological risk management has become an area of research focus as governments emphasize risk management and preparedness rather than disaster response. Ordos, China, is a transitional semiarid to arid area characterized by high ecological risk. Using remote sensing and geographic information system technology, we developed a framework for ecological risk assessment and management for this ecologically vulnerable region. Eight sources of ecological risk in six types of ecosystems in Ordos were identified, including soil erosion, desertification, gales, sand storms, floods, droughts, pests, and pollution. Quantitative and qualitative research was conducted to develop spatial distributions of the cumulative degree of ecological risk. The majority of the area is characterized by medium or low risk, while areas northwest and southwest of Dalad Banner have very high risk. The main risk factors for each ecosystem were identified based on the degrees of risks of the different regions. Corresponding countermeasures were developed by taking risk intensity, ecosystem features, and risk distribution into consideration. Moreover, the management of desertification risk was discussed in detail. Such risk assessment and management approach are helpful for providing guidance for local ecological risk management for similar areas.