Evaluation of environmental quality for organic production areas in ecological animal husbandry of Sanjiangyuan

Abstract: Sanjiangyuan area, which is known as "China's water tower", is an important base for organic animal products in China, and plays an important role in protection of ecological environment. Thus we urgently need to carry out the environmental quality evaluation for organic producing areas in the typical areas of the project called "Construction of Smart Platform for Ecological Animal Husbandry in Sanjiangyuan". We selected 11 typical demonstration villages as the study area to cover the whole planning area. The soil, water and air samples were collected from each demonstration village. Then, we comprehensively evaluated the quality of soil, water and atmospheric environment in the study area by individual and integrated pollution indices based on the grading standards of the pollution indices. Moreover, we classified soil fertility, water quality and atmospheric environment quality according to the different classification of quality indices. The results showed that all of the average pollution indices of soil, water and atmospheric environment quality in the 11 demonstration villages were less than 1, and the attainment rate of each monitored item in the demonstration villages was as high as 100%. The average integrated pollution indices of soil, water environment quality and air quality were 0.356, 0.235 and 0.270, respectively, and all of those reached the cleaning level according to the index grading standards of integrated pollution. For soil environmental quality, the pollution index of Ni, almost reaching half of the standard, was the highest one in all of the soil pollution indices. For water environmental quality, the pollution indiex for the average of monitoring indiex in the study area were between 0.001 and 0.330, and the pollution index of the average content of Hg in the demonstration villages reached 0.330 due to the highest value of 1.860 in Guomaying Village. For the atmospheric environment quality, the integrated pollution indices in the study area were between 0.083 and 0.468. In addition, the average of soil organic matter reached 86 g/kg, which was 4 times higher than that of standard value. Thus the soil fertility was at the first level in all 11 demonstration villages according to the classification standard of soil fertility. Water quality level reached the first level (except Hg) in the study area according to the classification standard of environmental quality of surface water. The atmospheric environment quality of the study area was excellent and the grade was above the second level. Nearly half of the number of days is up to the first level based on the classification of index of atmospheric environment quality. In summary, according to the grading standard of integrated pollution index, the environmental quality of the planning demonstration area for the second phase of ecological protection and construction in Sanjiangyuan has reached a clean level, and the environmental quality meets the environmental quality requirements of Specification for Field Environmental Investigation, Monitoring and Assessment of Green Food (NY/T 1054-2013) and Organic Products (GB/T 19630.1-2011). Thus, the study area is very suitable for the development of organic, green industry. This study can provide scientific basis for organic animal husbandry production and environmental quality certification in Sanjiangyuan area.