Using ecological footprint to analyze the sustainable development of China's Heilongjiang province

Realizing sustainability is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. It is essential to select an appropriate method to assess sustainable development. This paper uses ecological footprint to analyze the sustainable development of China's Heilongjiang province from 1995 to 2005. The arable land contributed most to the ecological footprint among the six components of the ecological footprint per capita of Heilongjiang Province. It is consistent with the actual situation. The total ecological footprint has risen from 8.19x10(7) gha in 1995 to 9.44x10(7) gha in 1997, declined to 8.79x10(7) gha in 1998 and afterwards increased to 1.24x10(8) gha in 2005.The total ecological capacity shows an increase from 8.66x10(7) gha in 1995 to 9.25x10(7) gha in 2005. Although the ecological capacity increased slightly, the increase was slower than that of the ecological footprint. The results show that Heilongjiang province suffered unsustainable during the years 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2005. The main reason was the excess exploitation and consumption of natural resource and improper economical development.