Environmental function zoning at regional scale: A case study in Pinghu, China

Water Environmental Functional Zoning at County Level and Environmental Contamination Carrying Capacity Accounting in the Mainstream of Xiaofu River

“…Furthermore, environmental functional zoning is supposed to analyze and determine the environmental functions (e.g., drinking water resources, industrial water use, agricultural water use, landscape water use, fishery water) of different regions with the consideration of society, economy and environment, and on the basis of that, the overall planning of environmental spatial zoning management is achieved [7]. The implementation of environmental functional zoning is also beneficial for the construction of a regional environmental management framework that is divided into four steps: the first step is data collection and analysis [8], the second is the evaluation of environmental function, the third procedure is environmental functional zoning, and the last one is about the formulation of environmental controlling objectives and environmental management measures [9]. Therefore, based on the natural conditions, the current developing situation of water resources, the comprehensive catchment program, the requirements of water source protection, and economic and social development demand, both the water differentiated zoning range and the relevant water environmental quality standard are determined [10].…”