Abstract:

Emergy analysis is becoming an effective tool to evaluate regional development and sustainability,as it can weigh both the value of environmental resources and economic activities quantificationally. Chongming Island is the third largest island in China which locates in the estuary of the Yangtze River. Employing the theory and method of emergy,the authors analyzed and evaluated the emergy indices' changing trends during 1980~2003,such as emergy selfsufficiency ratio,emergy per capita,emergy density,emergy loading ratio,population carrying capacity,emergybased sustainability index,etc. Comparison of some important indices of Chongming Island in 2003 with other regions and countries at home and abroad was performed. Aiming at the goal of “ecological island”,the advantages and disadvantages of the island were discussed and some suggestion and countermeasures were put forward in order to maintain the sustainability. The study showed that life quality was high due to good ecoenvironment in Chongming Island. However,because the developmental ability of economic and the competitive power of science and technology were so low,that its developmental level only ranked at national average. There was a large disparity in general developmental level between Chongming Island and the Yangtze River Delta which it locates in. The status quo of Chongming Island is highly sustainable and the whole system operates stably,healthy and vitally. In the future,its development should balance and harmonize economic development with environmental protection reasonably to enhance sustainability.

Key words: Chongming Island, socialeconomicnatural complex ecosystem, emergy analysis, sustainable development