Regional aquatic ecological security assessment in Jinan, China

Regional aquatic ecological security is an important indicator that presents the aquatic ecological state and can guide the aquatic environmental management. Here, an index system for the regional aquatic ecological security assessment was established based on the Pressure-State-Response Model and analytical hierarchy process. The system was applied in the city of Jinan in eastern China. The results indicated that the state of the aquatic ecological security is best in Changqing District which has relatively high vegetation coverage, a well-conserved ecological condition and a relatively smaller population density than other districts. Following were Lixia, Shizhong, Huaiyin, and Licheng Districts. The state of the aquatic ecological security is the poorest in Tianqiao District, mainly due to its over-exploitation of groundwater, declining landscape diversity and lower scientific and technical investment. The driving force test also demonstrated that economic development and population size are the dominant impact factors for the variation of aquatic ecological security. Environmental protection investment should be paid more attention as an important measure to improve the aquatic ecological security in Jinan. It was demonstrated that the index system can be effectively applied in an aquatic ecological security assessment to identify the primary impact factors that support decision-making on water resources management.