Optimizing industrial layout in desertification reversal areas: a case study of Yanchi County, Ningxia

With the implementation of national ecological strategies, many ecologically degraded regions in China have achieved remarkable restoration. However, how to plan the subsequent development of these fragile ecosystems so as to both consolidate restoration achievements and promote industrial growth remains a pressing yet unresolved challenge. This study proposes an innovative "win-win" approach to this problem: industrial layout planning guided by ecological carrying capacity (ECC). It first elucidates the relationship between ECC and industrial layout, then constructs a coupling analysis and evaluation model linking the two. Taking Yanchi County, Ningxia, a typical region of desertification reversal in China, as an empirical study area, the research develops a dual-perspective ECC evaluation system that integrates both government governance and market-driven factors. The main findings are as follows: the spatial suitability of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries is jointly shaped by ecological carrying factors, presenting a typical pattern of "small clusters and large dispersions" characteristic of arid regions; under different industrial orientations and constraint conditions, the spatial layout of industries exhibits multi-suitability; the triple coupling analysis reveals that carrying elements act as critical links between industries and spatial units, enabling ECC to guide the spatial deployment of specific industries; while single-factor ECC identifies key limiting factors, multi-factor coupling more intuitively illustrates the cumulative impact of industrial development on overall ecological capacity. From a micro-level perspective, this study matches regional ECC with suitable industries and projects the results onto spatial dimensions, providing a scientifically grounded and practically operable planning framework for promoting the ecological transformation of industries in arid regions.