Resource and Environmental Carrying Capacity Assessment in Earthquake-Prone Area—Taking the Luding Earthquake Disaster as an Example

Abstract

Earthquakes are one of the major natural disaster threats worldwide and directly cause substantial economic losses and many casualties every year. Research on the resource and environmental carrying capacity in earthquake-prone areas is urgently required for regional earthquake relief efforts and post-disaster reconstruction. This study considered Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Ganzi Prefecture) in Sichuan Province, China, focusing on the impact of the Luding 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake in Ganzi Prefecture in 2022. An evaluation system for the resource and environmental carrying capacity of earthquake-prone areas was established. A total of 23 indicators were selected that cover ecological, social economical, and geological aspects, and the weight of each index was determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The relative ranking of the resource and environmental carrying capacities of each county and city were calculated using the weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Consequently, the post-disaster reconstruction strategy of Ganzi Prefecture was evaluated and analyzed. The results show that the resource and environmental carrying capacities of each administrative area differ regionally. Evidence shows that the resource and environmental carrying capacity in southeastern Ganzi Prefecture is generally higher than in the northwest, owing to the joint influence of the social economy and ecological and geological environment. This study provides carrying capacity assessment data and support methods for earthquake-prone areas.