A healthy ecosystem provides various ecological services for human beings and it is the foundation for the sustainable development of human society. However, human activities and natural disasters inevitably interfere with the evolution of an ecosystem at different scales [1-2]. Ecological risk refers to the possibility that the ecosystem structure and function will be degenerated under external pressure [3]. Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is an effective method for quantifying
Green infrastructure is a concept aimed at realizing a strategically planned network of valuable natural and seminatural areas, designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services and to protect biodiversity in rural and urban settings. In the general post-mining context of China and Germany, this paper suggests and outlines an approach that combines green infrastructure with specific concepts of post-mining landscapes. While Germany has a long tradition of post-mining restoration, concepts of green infrastructure are still poorly developed. China, on the other hand, has taken its first steps in the restoration of coal regions, and could profit from the new concepts while drawing on Germany's experience. The potentials of relevant strategies are investigated here through two case studies from Germany and China. Although there are significant differences in the post-mining development strategies of these two countries, it is clear that the green infrastructure concept can contribute significantly to a growth in ecosystem services. Four advantages of the green infrastructure concept are seen: First, it enables a systematic and highly objective assessment of mining impacts on the ecosystem. Second, the concept assists in the implementation of urban sustainability goals. Third, it is rooted in the local characteristics of landscapes. And finally, the green infrastructure concept seems to be highly compatible with tools of landscape and regional planning.
As an important coal-resource based city in eastern China, coal mining activities have greatly promoted economic development to Xuzhou while resulted in kinds of blocks for sustainable development. Subsidence areas caused by coal mining activities and rapid urbanization process led to the losing of ecological function and decreasing of landscape connectivity in the city. As the important life-support system, urban green infrastructure (GI as short) has great significance in improving human well-beings. Taking Xuzhou urban area as the study object, this paper proposed a green infrastructure construction method based on the principle of ecological priority. Firstly, key ecological patches were identified by GIS and RS methods. Secondly, we established corridors by minimum cost path model. Then, we built GI network and evaluated the ecological importance of different patches. Finally, by comparing the status of patches and coal mining subsidence areas, we proposed a framework for constructing GI network in Xuzhou urban area.
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