Work

An adaptive framework for symbiotic environmental fragility and geohazards risk: A case study of Gaizhou City, China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The ecological environment is an important context for geohazards formation. Traditional geohazards risk assessment mostly focuses on the physical characteristics and pays insufficient attention to long-term impact on the ecological environment. This paper considers environmental fragility from a 'current-sensitive-responsive' perspective, comparing the entropy power, projection pursuit, and random forest methods to identify the optimal model. It also proposes a 3D matrix to establish an adaptive framework for geohazards ecological risk, tailored to scenarios of frequent geohazards in environmental fragile mountainous regions. The results were validated using Gaizhou City: Random forest achieves better zoning performance and accuracy, making it the optimal model for environmental fragility. The area classified as very high risk zoning is only 28.35 km² using 3D matrix, with a high geohazard areal density of 0.35 point/km². With less than 0.3 % of the total area, it accommodates 10.6 % of the region’s geohazard inventory, fully demonstrating its effectiveness. The townships of Kuangdonggou and Shizijie were key control units, and it was recommended that a combination of engineering and ecological measures be prioritized. The improvement method may provide a new perspective on the synergistic management of the ecological environment and geohazards. • Considering environmental fragility from "current-sensitive-responsive" dimensions, random forest model is optimal. • A 3D matrix is proposed to realize the synergistic assessment of geology and ecology. • An adaptive framework is established to serve as a reference for mountainous regions.

Source: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119704

Authors: Xuedong Wang, Xuedong Wang, Xinyao Wang, Xinyao Wang, Yuanjie Hou, Guangwei Liu

Institution: Liaoning Technical University

Language: English

Topic: Landslides and related hazards

Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650