ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Study of the Evaluation of Resource
and Environmental Carrying Capacity
and Driving Factors in Arid Areas
– A Case Study in Xinjiang, China
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1
Agriculture College, Shihezi University, China
2
College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, China
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2024-01-26
Final revision date: 2024-05-20
Acceptance date: 2024-06-12
Online publication date: 2024-10-02
Publication date: 2025-05-09
Corresponding author
Jianming Ye
College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(4):4311-4329
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
Resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) has far-reaching significance in protecting
the environment, managing resources, and achieving sustainable development. As a typical arid
region, Xinjiang is rich in natural resources and fragile in its ecological environment. In recent years,
rapid industrialization, urbanization, and water mismatch have resulted in socio-economic activities
that have hurt the environment and sustainable development. This study used three-dimensional
tetrahedral (3D Tetra) modeling to assess RECC in Xinjiang and analyzed its drivers in conjunction
with geographically weighted regression (GWR) modeling. The research indicates that two countylevel
administrative districts in Xinjiang are experiencing an overload state, accounting for 1.22%
of the total area. Correspondingly, 2.11% of the population inhabits these regions. The comprehensive
status of resource and environmental carrying capacity is generally good, and Northern Xinjiang is
better than Southern Xinjiang, which aligns with the background conditions. The regression coefficient
of the water resources carrying index is 0.63, which is the highest driving force for the RECC of Xinjiang.
The prudent development and rational allocation of water resources are crucial to enhancing the RECC
of Xinjiang. Spatially, the land resource carrying index is the most heterogeneous.