Evaluation and analysis of eco-security in environmentally sensitive areas using an emergy ecological footprint

In this paper, the overall ecological and environmental sustainability in the Cing-Jing region in Taiwan is examined. As land use and cover change has been found to be an important analysis method, an emergyecological footprint model was applied and the eco-security assessed toensure authorities maintaina balance between ecological preservation and tourism development.While the ecological environmentin the Cing-Jing region from 2008 to 2014 was found to bewithin safe levels, all related indices had increased considerably. A Grey model was used to predict the 2015-2024 ecological carrying capacities, from which it was found that there is expected to be a large increase in per capitaecological footprints (EFs), meaning that in the future there is going to be a larger ecological deficit and a higher ecological pressure index (EFI), with the eco-security predicted to reach a Grade 2 intermediate level in 2022. Asthe Cing-Jing region is predicted to become ecologically unsustainable, local, regional,and national governments need to implement regulations to strictly control the land use in the Cing-Jingregion. This study demonstratedthat emergy EF (EEF) theory application can give objective guidance to decision-makers to ensure that recreational non-urban eco-security can be maintained at asafe level.