Analysis of the Coupling between Ecosystems and Economy in Mountainous Regions - A Case Study in Anji County of Zhejiang Province in China

This paper aims to analyse the coupling between ecosystem and economy (CBEE) in mountainous regions in a spatial way. The research is carried out in Anji County of Zhejiang Province. From sea level to the peak, according to altitude variation of every 100 m, the whole county is divided into 16 space units. Ecosystems of Anji County are composed of 9 types of land covers. The GDP and the CBEE of every type of land covers on every space unit is calculated with statistical data and results of field surveys. Subsequently, the ratio of the CBEE to the VES and the ratio of the CBEE to the GDP of every type of land cover on every space unit are worked out respectively. Results indicate that, with altitude descending, more and more VES is exploited and economy's output increases. For the whole county, 14.34% of local VES, 97% of which is the value of material productions, has been exploited into local GDP, meanwhile the VES contributes 12.12% of the GDP.