Evaluation of ecological environment vulnerability in the Huainan coal mining area based on the...

Prolonged and intensive mining operations in the Huainan Coal Mining Area (HCMA), have damaged its environment, jeopardizing the Huainan city's sustainability. However, there is a lack of studies on the primary influence factors and evolutionary patterns of the ecological environment vulnerability (EEV) in the HCMA. Therefore, this study employed 12 indices such as elevation, slope, and soil type to establish the evaluation index system, used the sensitivity-resilience-pressure (SRP) model and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to study the evolutionary patterns and primary influencing factors of the EEV in the HCMA from 2010 to 2020. The results showed that (1) in terms of time, EEV was generally moderate and gradually weakening. In terms of spatial distribution, EEV was generally high in the northwest, low in the central, and highest in the southeast, decreasing then increasing from northwest to southeast. (2) The ecological conditions in the northern new coal mining area and the southern old coal mining area were generally improving. Coal mining and vegetation cover primarily affected the north, and coal mining and ecological restoration projects primarily affected the south. The southeastern built-up area's ecological environment showed minimal change and it was primarily impacted by urban construction activities. (3) Coal mining and the implementation of ecological environment management and restoration projects are the primary factors influencing the EEV of the HCMA. The ecological environment management and restoration projects such as filling mining, comprehensive recycling and utilization of coal gangue, backfilling of subsidence areas, in CMSWA can reduce the ecological vulnerability of local areas and improve their ecological environment.