Ecosystem services linked sustainability assessment of poverty alleviation based on emergy analysis: Case study in the Tibetan area of Northwest Sichuan Plateau, China

• Sustainability assessment of programs for poverty alleviation is conducted. • Emergy is used to evaluate ecosystem services and multidimensional poverty reduction. • Business programs have enhanced both poverty reduction and ecosystem services. • Improved fungus and yak production contributes to sustainable poverty alleviation. Although China has successfully addressed absolute poverty, poor areas still face the challenge of reducing relative poverty while achieving sustainable ecological and economic development. A comprehensive sustainability assessment of poverty alleviation from multiple perspectives is crucial. However, existing studies have paid little attention to specific poverty alleviation measures and their ecological impacts, and lack a uniform unit of measurement. In this study, a comprehensive system for sustainability assessment of poverty alleviation is established via quantitative emergy analysis methods. Emergy accounting was conducted for two business development-based poverty alleviation programs in the Tibetan area of the Northwest Sichuan Plateau, China, from three perspectives: production processes, multidimensional poverty reduction, and ecosystem services. Emergy indices were calculated to evaluate sustainability. The results indicate that the emergy of ecosystem services and poverty reduction has significantly increased in both programs, demonstrating their substantial impact on poverty alleviation and ecological enhancement. According to the emergy indices, the emergy sustainability index increased by 0.48 and 2.04, respectively, and the ecological poverty reduction index reached 8.83 and 4.64, respectively, indicating that both programs have become more sustainable. This study highlights the comprehensive benefits of poverty alleviation in Tibetan areas and provides insights into sustainability assessments that incorporate ecosystem services.