Evaluation of Ecological Security in Qinghai Province Based on Net Primary Productivity-Ecological Footprint Approach

Equilibrium factor and yield factor are the key parameters in the ecological footprint model, which are re-measured in this paper with the NPP values of biologically productive land cover on different land use types. Qinghai Province is the basic study area, and the ecological footprint per capita, ecological carrying capacity, ecological pressure index, and ecological footprint of 10,000 yuan GDP are measured based on the ecological footprint method of net primary productivity (EF-NPP) to analyze Qinghai Province from 2000 to 2022. The results show that: (1) the average ecological footprint of Qinghai Province is 1.71hm²/person, and the per capita ecological footprint shows a growing trend, which will be 2.38hm²/person in 2022; (2) Qinghai Province shows a trend of change with growth followed by a decline, and the per capita ecological carrying capacity from 2000 to 2022 ranges from 5.41 to 5.51hm²/person; (3) the ecological deficit/ecological surplus performance is ecological surplus, and man and nature are in harmony; (4) the mean value of ecological pressure index is 0.31, which is in the first rank, and the degree of safety is very safe; (5) the ecological footprint of 10,000 yuan GDP is in a decreasing trend from 1.43hm²/million yuan in 2000 to 0.39hm²/million yuan in 2022, which indicates that resource utilization rate of the development of Qinghai Province has gradually improved. The results of the study provide certain references and lessons for the high quality of Qinghai Province region.