Quantitative Measure For Sustainable Development In Guizhou Based on Ecological Footprint Model

The quantitative measurement of sustainable development has become one of the frontiers of the present sustainable development research,whose core is to determine whether mankind survives within the bearing capacity of the ecological system. The article deals in some detail with the quantitative measure method (the ecological footprint method) for sustainable development established by M.Wackernagel and others since 1996.The research applies the method to calculate and analyse the ecological footprint of Guizhou Province in 2001. The ecological footprint ledger is composed of three main sections: 1) biotic resources; 2) energy consumption; and 3) trade balance. According to this calculation,the ecological footprint and ecological deficit per capita of Guizhou Province in 2001 were 1.49525 hm2 and 1.153433 hm2. The ecological footprint deficit shows that the human load has already stayed beyond the regional ecological capacity and the regional natural ecosystem is under great pressure of human activities.Based on this result, a way to enhance the sustainable development capacity for Guizhou Province has been worked out. Finally, some problems existing in the method itself have also been discussed.