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Highlights • Forest resource Metabolism Network model isdeveloped for ecological and economic analysis. • Exploitation index is developed to reveal the weaker sectors in the ecological relations. • A case study of Guangdong province, China isconducted to illustrate the potential benefits. • Scientific Basis are provided to allocate forestresources and stabilize industrial structure. Abstract Integrating forest resources into the socio-economic system correctly and reasonably is of vital importance to tackle the increasingly scarce forest resources. In this paper, forest resource input-output model and forest resource metabolism network model are established to provide new insights into the relationships among the systems, industries and sectors related to forest resources. A promising indicator named exploitation index is developed to reveal the weaker sectors in the ecological relations, which will further help to provide better corrective actions and integrated strategic measures. Guangdong is taken as an example to verify the availability of the model and solve the problem. The results show that the primary manufacturing consumes more direct timber, while advanced manufacturing and the service sector utilize timber indirectly. In addition, Guangdong forest metabolism system shows a negative correlation and the whole network does not achieve the mutualism state, leading to competition relationships between pairwise sectors that should not appear, such as Forestry sector and Papermaking and Paper Products sector. These results provide the corresponding reference for helping the decision makers to allocate forest resources and coordinate ecological and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A practical and feasible protection strategy for EC maintaining in highly urbanized areas was proposed. • Key patches for EC maintaining were identified by using stepping stone and complex network theories. • The protection rate for key patches by the new policies were assessed. Maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity (EC) are important measures of mitigating habitat isolation caused by urbanization. Considering the prominent contradiction of land use in highly urbanized areas, the EC protection measures proposed in the previous studies, such as expanding the ecological sources and widening the ecological corridors, are unrealistic. By using the stepping-stone and complex network theories, this paper simulated the ecological network (EN), evaluated the centrality of each ecological source and stepping-stone, and analysed the network robustness under different damage scenarios, then identified the optimal strategy and key patches for EC maintaining. Meanwhile, this paper evaluated whether the key patches are protected by China's new policies, which are, Ecological Protection Red Line (EPRL) and the Three Lines One Permit (TLOP). The results were as follows: (1) The EN is composed of 53 ecological sources and 291 stepping-stones, with 591 links between them. (2) The network stability can be optimally maintained by prioritizing the protection of stepping-stones with high centrality. (3) The 53 ecological sources and 51 stepping-stones with the highest centrality can ensure the stable operation of the EN, that is, they are key patches for EC maintaining. (4) Compared with EPRL, the protection rate for ecological sources and stepping-stones are significantly improved by TLOP; however, stepping-stones with high centrality require stronger protection. This study enriched the research cases of complex network theory applied in landscape ecology, and provided references for the improvement of policies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecosystem services are quantified at large scales and long time series in NE China. • The trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services are characterized. • Human activities are the dominant driving factors of provisioning services. • Synergistic optimization paths of production-ecological functions are proposed. In Northeast (NE) China, the largest commodity grain base and natural forest area in China, both agricultural production and ecological protection require attention. In recent years, land degradation in NE China has increased, seriously affecting the production-ecology synergy. In this paper, four key ecosystem services (ESs) in NE China are quantified: provisioning, water conservation (WC), soil conservation (SC) and sand fixation (SF), and the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and trade-offs and synergies (T&S) of ESs are analyzed. The driving factors of provisioning services and the characteristics of T&S are considered, and the county zoning scheme and the corresponding production-ecological function synergistic optimization paths are proposed. The results show that (1) the provisioning, WC and SF services in NE China have slightly increased in the past 20 years, and the provisioning in the Greater-Khingan-Mountains-Region (GKMR) and Lesser-Khingan-Mountains-Region (LKMR), the WC in the LKMR, and the SF in the Liao-River-Plain (LRP) have more obviously increased. The SC service has slightly decreased, especially in the Changbai-Mountains-Region (CBMR). (2) The provisioning service in NE China mainly shows a synergistic relationship with WC and SF, accounting for 79.1 % and 62.9 % of the area, respectively, and a trade-off relationship with SC, accounting for 52.54 % of the area. (3) Human activities (HA) are the dominant driving factor of the provisioning service change in NE China, with an impact degree of 62.65 %. The LKMR is an exception, as climate change (CC) dominates. The LRP, Songnen-Plain (SNP) and GKMR have high degrees of HA. (4) The number of synergistic optimized (SO), light optimized (LO) and trade-off limited (TL) counties accounted for 19.0 %, 61.7 % and 19.3 %, respectively. Among them, the SO type counties should prioritize improving provision and grain production capacity, the LO type counties should protect basic farmland and decrease trade-offs between ESs, and the TL type counties should improve ecological functions and strengthen ecological protection and restoration. This paper clarifies the main contradictions of ESs in NE China and provides an important scientific basis for ecological protection and restoration, which is important for ensuring food and ecological security and realizing the ecological and efficient sustainable utilization of black soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Most of China still faces notable water poverty with obvious spatial variations. • Unconventional water use does not always have a positive impact on water poverty. • The impact shows an inverted U-shaped tendency as per capita GDP increases. • Sustainable water management plans should be tailored to local economy. Unconventional water serves as a bridge to water sustainability. However, many developing nations still have a long way to go in terms of unconventional water utilization. Different regional characteristics lead to different consumption capacities for unconventional water. Consequently, more unconventional water use (UWU) may not necessarily be positive for alleviating water poverty. However, there is a significant research gap in this field. This paper aims to answer three key questions: "Whether UWU consistently alleviates water poverty?" "Is this effect spatially heterogeneous?" and "What role do economic factors play in addressing water poverty?" For that, this paper focused on 30 provinces in China, with the sample period spanning from 2006 to 2021. To identify the mechanisms through which UWU alleviates water poverty, this paper employed a panel fixed-effects model using the Water Poverty Index (WPI) as the dependent variable and the square of UWU amount as an independent variable. The results indicate a non-linear impact of UWU on WPI, with the significance of impact influenced by GDP per capita (PGDP). Furthermore, threshold regressions were conducted with PGDP as the threshold variable. The results revealed a double-threshold effect of PGDP in the impact of UWU on WPI, displaying "U" or inverted "U" shape as PGDP develops: When PGDP is less than or equal to RMB 13,574, UWU demonstrates a negative effect on WPI; when PGDP ranges from RMB 13,574 to RMB 53,653, the effect turns positive; however, when PGDP exceeds RMB 53,653, the effect turns back to negative. The findings confirm that more UWU is not always better. Sustainable utilization plans of water resources must be tailored to local conditions, especially considering the unique characteristics of the regional economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Measure carbon emission inequalities (CEIs) of urban agglomerations under rapid urbanization. • Identify the key factors determining CEIs within the three urban agglomerations. • Account for the differences between adjacent or distant urban agglomerations. • The declining CEI is mainly due to changes in industrial structure and economic development. • CEI in the upper reaches of the YREB increases due to the changes in energy intensity. Increasing countries are articulating ambitious goals of carbon neutrality. However, large inequalities in regional emissions within a country may hinder progress toward a carbon–neutral future, as the unequal distribution of reduction responsibilities among regions could impair just transition and exacerbate uneven development, which necessitates an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of multi-scale carbon inequalities within country, region, and city. Yet, the evolution of carbon inequalities within urban agglomerations and the differences between adjacent or distant urban agglomerations have not been well understood, especially in countries undergoing rapid urbanization. Using the data of 89 cities in China's Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) during 2006–2021, this paper quantifies carbon emissions inequality (CEI) at different scales in a systematic regional-urban agglomeration-city hierarchical structure. Then, under the integrated mean logarithmic deviation-logarithmic mean Divisia index (MLD-LMDI) decomposition framework, multi-scale CEIs are perfectly decomposed into six interrelated drivers, i.e., industrial emission structure, energy emission intensity, industrial energy mix, energy intensity, industrial structure, and economic development. The results show that economic development, energy intensity, and industrial energy mix disparities are the main determinants accounting for CEIs at different scales. The decreasing CEI in YREB is mainly due to the changes in industrial structure and economic development, while the energy intensity effect partially hinders the mitigation of CEI. In the upper reaches of the YREB, the energy intensity effect accounts for over 94% growth of CEI during 2006–2021, while the decline in CEIs in middle and lower reaches is primarily caused by the effects of industrial energy mix and industrial structure, respectively. Further spatial decomposition analysis reveals more refined city-level heterogeneous effects and emphasizes the prioritized emission reduction direction for each city. This paper offers implications for reducing carbon inequality and insights into coordinated carbon emissions mitigation at the regional level for a carbon–neutral future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Measure the land dispute intensity (LDI) at the provincial level in China. • The geodetector model, OLS, and SDM models are used to explore the spillover effects of LDI. • Panel threshold model is applied to explore the non-linear relationship between socioeconomic factors and land disputes. Land disputes pose significant challenges to social stability and development. In this paper, land dispute intensity (LDI) is measured at the provincial level in China from 2009 to 2018 and its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors are explored. The ordinary least squares(OLS), spatial durbin model (SDM), geodetector model, and panel threshold model are used to explore the spatial spillover effects of LDI and its potential non-linear relationship with socio-economic factors. The results reveal that LDI is spatially distributed in a decentralized form, with local areas showing the structural characteristics of "single core, multiple clusters". The LDI exhibits a significant positive spatial autocorrelation and follows a "logarithmic" upward trend over time. The urbanization rate (UR), social security expenditures (SSE), and the number of land and resources institutions (NLRI) are important driving forces affecting LDI. The SSE and NLRI have a single threshold effect on the LDI, with a "V" shaped weakening trend, and the UR is an important factor causing nonlinear effects. Interestingly, the effect shifts from inhibition to stimulation when the SSE and NLRI cross the corresponding threshold value. This paper can provide new insights into the governance of land disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive ants threaten China's ecosystems and agriculture. Our review highlights the challenges faced and diverse strategies employed to combat these invaders, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation for safeguarding the environment and public well-being. [Display omitted] • Ecological & Economic Challenges of Exotic Ant Invasion in China. • In-Depth Analysis of China's Struggle with Exotic Ants. • Factors Behind Introduction & Establishment of Exotic Ants. • National Responses: Capacity Building, Research, Legislation. • Addressing Limitations, Enhancing Ant Invasion Strategies. The invasion of exotic ant species in China presents significant challenges to ecosystems, agriculture, and the economy. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of China's ongoing battle with exotic ants, examining the factors contributing to their introduction and establishment. It explores the responses implemented by the decision makers, including capacity building, establishment of research institutions, and legislative measures. Limitations and gaps in the current strategies are identified, highlighting the need for regional collaboration, increased awareness, and strengthened early detection and response systems. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the importance of conducting research to understand various exotic ant species' ecological and economic impacts, facilitating the development of targeted and effective management approaches. By adopting a comprehensive and coordinated approach, China can mitigate the impacts of ant invasions and safeguard its biodiversity, agriculture, and economy. This analysis underscores the significance of collective efforts in addressing the ongoing battle with exotic ants and preserving the well-being of ecosystems, economies, and the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integrating ESSD into the socio-ecological systems framework. • Building a Socio-ecological indicators framework to analyze the drivers of ESSD. • The surging demand for public-good contributed to a significant increase in ESV. • The maximum explanatory power of factor interaction for ESV was 99%. The balance between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESSD) is important for sustainable regional development. The hilly regions of south China have rich natural resources and are rapidly being urbanized, which significantly impacts sustainable development in the region. Therefore, how to analyze ESSD from the perspective of social ecology is imperative. Ganzhou region, which is a typical hilly region in southern China, as an example, this paper creatively integrated ESSD into the social-ecological system (SES) framework, analyzed the spatial and temporal changes of ESSD in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, and constructed a system of indicators from the SES, and analyzed the driving factors of ESSD, so as to provide a reference for balancing ESSD. Based on the classical SES framework proposed by Ostrom, this study first analyses the social-ecological system profile of the Ganzhou region at the macro-scale and constructs an SES indicator system. The innovation of combining the SES framework and ecosystem services lies in integrating the social and ecosystem perspectives and merging these two concepts to understand better and manage the relationship between humans and the natural environment. It provides a comprehensive analytical approach and decision support tool for achieving sustainable development. Our results demonstrate that: (1) From 2005 to 2020, ecosystem services in the study area were highly valued, lower areas had homogeneous distribution characteristics, total demand displayed spatial differentiation, there were high-value areas in the midwest, and low-value areas were concentrated in the region's boundary. (2) There are obvious supply and demand deficits in the southeast and east of the study area, while supply–demand is equal in the north and supply exceeds demand in other regions. From 2005 to 2020, the overall coupling coordination degree of ESSD in the study area was lower than 0.5, indicating a mild to moderate imbalance. (3) The supply of ecosystem services (ESS) was primarily driven by carbon storage, habitat quality, and water yield, while the demand was primarily driven by forest and grassland areas. Factors related to the ecosystem, resource unit, resource system, social system, governance system, and actor all have experienced two-factor interactions, which can explain up to 99% of ESSD. Based on the SES framework, this paper studies the relationship between ESSD in typical areas of the southern hills to provide a reference for research on ESSD in relevant areas and provide a scientific basis for the Chinese government to evaluate ecological protections and improve compensation policies, which is important for ensuring China's ecological security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urban green spaces have direct and indirect effects on improving residents' health. • The health benefits of urban green spaces exhibit regional heterogeneity. • Economic development weakens the health benefits of urban green spaces. • Environmental regulations can enhance the health benefits of urban green spaces. Urban green spaces have long been cherished as the "lungs of the city", it can not only improve air quality and enhance residents' health. The impact of urban green spaces on air pollution and residents' health has attracted great attention. In this paper, we select 31 provinces in China as research samples and use ArcGIS software to draw spatial distribution maps of urban green spaces, air pollution, and residents' health in China, characterizing their spatiotemporal changes in order to explore whether there is a correlation among the three. On this basis, this paper utilizes panel data of Chinese provincial-level from 2010 to 2020 and conducts empirical tests through a two-way fixed effect model and a threshold regression model. The research findings are as follows: (1) Urban green spaces not only bring environmental benefits, but also health benefits, and the health benefits are greater than the environmental benefits. (2) There is a health risk of air pollution in northern China, and the health benefits of urban green spaces are not significant. Conversely, there is no health risk of air pollution in southern China, and the health benefits of urban green spaces are significant. (3) Although environmental regulations can enhance the health benefits of urban green spaces, the role of environmental regulations in enhancing the health benefits of urban green spaces may be further weakened as the economy develops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adopting ecological agricultural technologies is an effective way to achieve sustainable agriculture. • The ecological effect of digital economy empowerment should be emphasized. • We analyze how farmers' participation in the digital economy affects their adoption of ecological agricultural technologies. • The treatment effect model is used to address the endogeneity issue. • Farmers' participation in the digital economy can promote ecological agricultural technologies adoption. Adopting ecological agricultural technologies (EATs) is an effective way to guarantee food security and protect the environment. With the advancement of the digital village strategy, the continuous integration of the digital economy with the rural economy has gradually become an emerging driving force for sustainable agriculture. However, few studies have examined the impact of farmers' participation in the digital economy in different links of the agricultural industry chain on EATs adoption from a micro perspective. Using data from 2,825 grain farmers from the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey, this paper applies the treatment effect model and the mediating effect model to empirically analyze the impact and mechanism of participation in the digital economy on farmers' EATs adoption from an ecological effect perspective. This paper characterizes farmers' participation in the digital economy in terms of digital production, digital sales, and digital finance. The results show that participation in the digital economy significantly promotes farmers' EATs adoption. The sub-dimensional test found that participation in digital production, digital sales, and digital finance significantly promotes farmers' EATs adoption. The above findings remain robust after a series of robustness tests, such as changing the estimation method and replacing the dependent variable. Mechanism analysis shows that participation in the digital economy, especially digital sales and digital finance, could promote farmers' EATs adoption by increasing the demand for agricultural machinery services, improving information availability, and enhancing food safety cognition; participation in the digital production could promote farmers' EATs adoption by increasing the demand for agricultural machinery services. Results of heterogeneity analysis show that the promotion effect of participation in the digital economy on EATs adoption is more substantial among farmers with higher digital literacy and larger cultivated land scales. The findings of this paper provide insights for China and other countries to effectively use digital technology to promote sustainable agriculture under the pressure of achieving sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyzes whether the financial support for grassland ecological protection and restoration has improved the vegetation coverage of grassland. • There is a nonlinear relationship between financial support for ecological restoration and grassland vegetation coverage. • Different fiscal expenditure structure has a heterogeneous response. • The degree of fiscal decentralization has a significant positive regulatory effect on the ecological benefits. Grassland ecological restoration is an important cornerstone to maintain the sustainable development of grassland ecosystem. One of the goals of financial support for grassland ecological protection and restoration is whether the ecological benefits of grassland are fully realized, and grassland vegetation coverage is the main index to measure the ecological benefits. This paper aims to analyze whether the financial support for grassland ecological protection and restoration has improved the vegetation coverage of grassland. and then verify whether there is room for improvement in the fiscal effect of grassland ecological protection and restoration? Based on the panel data of 54 animal husbandry and semi-agricultural and semi-animal husbandry counties in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, this paper adopts a bidirectional fixed effect model and cross-fixed effect model to introduce natural factors affecting grassland vegetation coverage into the model and systematically examines the financial effects of ecological benefits of financial support for grassland ecological protection and restoration. The main findings are as follows: (1) there is a nonlinear relationship between financial support for grassland ecological protection and restoration and grassland vegetation coverage when natural factors are taken into account in the model. (2) different fiscal expenditure structure has a heterogeneous response to the impact of grassland ecological protection and restoration on ecological benefits. (3) the degree of fiscal decentralization and the relative performance of the government have a significant positive moderating effect on the ecological benefits of fiscal support for grassland ecological protection and restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examining the problem of capital allocation efficiency in China from the perspective of air pollution. • Constructing a new indicator of capital allocation efficiency, measured using actual capital productivity over potential capital productivity. • Constructing a mechanism for air pollution to affect capital allocation efficiency in terms of innovation activities and human capital accumulation channels. • The effect of air pollution on capital allocation efficiency and its heterogeneity are empirically analyzed. As China seeks to transition to a high-quality economic development model, improving its capital allocation efficiency serves as a means to revitalize the capital stock and facilitate a shift from an investment-driven growth approach to an innovation-driven one. By exploring the relationship between air pollution and capital allocation efficiency, new avenues for promoting high-quality economic development can be identified. This paper develops a theoretical analysis framework that posits the mechanisms by which air pollution affect capital allocation efficiency through innovation activities and human capital channels. Based on the data from prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2019, this paper introduces an innovative method to evaluate capital allocation efficiency. Further, using a panel two-way fixed-effects model to examine the impact of air pollution on capital allocation efficiency and its mechanisms. The findings show that ① the intensification of air pollution reduces capital allocation efficiency and the above findings pass the robustness tests. ② The results of heterogeneity analysis show that there is significant heterogeneity in the effect of air pollution on capital allocation efficiency. The intensification of the air pollution significantly inhibits capital allocation efficiency in inland areas, small and medium-scale cities, after 2013, and in areas with high foreign economic dependence. ③ The results of mechanism analysis shows that the intensification of the air pollution will inhibit capital allocation efficiency by suppressing innovation activities and human capital accumulation channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Established conservation key areas identification methodology. • Conducted conservation Gap analysis combining global data with local characteristics. • Delineated six conservation priority levels for the blank areas of nature reserves. The global system of nature reserves is facing adjustment and restructuring towards the goal of harmonizing ecological conservation with regional development. We use multiple ecoregion data at both global and national scales as ecological indicators to explore the gap areas of China's nature reserves, which can help to build a global network of nature reserve systems and lay a spatial foundation for global biodiversity conservation. This paper comprehensively resorts to the ideas and modeling approaches involved in gap analysis, conservation prioritization analysis and eco-region planning. After identifying in both global and national scales the potential areas with gaps in national nature reserves in China, it proposes conservation priority areas and optimization strategies. The study finds that in a global extent, the areas with the gaps in China cover a large area and are distributed widely, mostly on the both sides of the Tengchong-Heihe Line. The conservation priority areas are concentrated in mid-subtropical humid areas, plateau subtropical sub-humid areas and semi-arid areas, and plateau temperate humid/sub-humid areas. These areas are usually not sufficiently protected due to their diversified landforms, complex ecosystems and lack of protection measures. The results have verified and identified the areas with gaps in the building of Chinese national nature reserve system. They may make a unique and important contribution to global ecological conservation efforts in terms of protected area system optimization and conservation network building. This paper analyses the conservation gaps in China's national nature reserves and proposes conservation priority areas for optimising the layout of the nature reserve network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Construct a correlation model of land use transition and ecological restoration in karst mountain areas of Southwest China. • Reveal the feedback mechanism and coupled correlation model of land use transition and ecological restoration in karst mountain areas of Southwest China. • Use a long-time series of data to explore the evolution of land use transition and ecological restoration in case areas. Land use transition (LUT) impacts regional land use and the ecological environment. To reveal LUT and its ecological effects in karst mountain areas (KMA) of Southwest China, this paper first constructs a correlation model between LUT and ecological restoration in the region and carries out an example verification in the typical KMA, the Huajiang Canyon. The study demonstrates that: (1) LUT has occurred in KMA of Southwest China, mainly, the area of sloping cropland has decreased, and the forest land has increased. Land use patterns have shifted from traditional farming to modernized economic and fruit forestry; (2) The driving forces of LUT in KMA of Southwest China can be summarized into three factors: socio-economic, natural, and policy, among which natural factors are the basic conditions of LUT, socio-economic factors play a decisive role in the process of LUT, and policy factors provide policy guarantee for LUT; (3) LUT in KMA of Southwest China has curbed land degradation, promoted ecosystem restoration, and made a certain contribution making China greener, which is conducive to achieving the goal of sustainable development. This paper explores the characteristics of LUT and its driving forces in KMA of Southwest China from the coupling analysis of LUT and ecosystem, reveals the effects of LUT in KMA of Southwest China, and provides some theoretical references for the balance between high-quality development and ecological protection in KMA of Southwest China from the perspective of LUT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A comprehensive assessment method of cropland abandonment risk based on AHP and PCA was proposed. • The verification results show that the risk assessment method proposed in our article is objective. • The high risk area is mainly distributed in the Lancang and Honghe River Basin. • Suggestions for preventing cropland abandonment are based on dominant factors of abandonment. Assessing the risk of cropland abandonment in mountainous area is essential for ensuring food security. However, the current evaluation indicator system is incomplete, and the reliability analysis of the results is lacking. This paper proposes a spatially comprehensive assessment method of cropland abandonment risk based on AHP and PCA using multi-source data of land use, abandoned cropland, administrative area, population density, GDP, cropland soil information, and climate, and applies the method to Yunnan Province in China. Firstly, 14 indicators were selected from four aspects, including social factors, farming conditions, cropland quality, and climate factors, to construct a three-layer indicator system of "target-criteria-indicator". Fuzzy membership was used to calculate the indicator layer, and then the PCA method was applied to calculate the first principal component for the criterion layer. Finally, the AHP method was used to calculate the weighted superposition of the criterion layer. The proposed method showed good reliability in the study areas. In Yunnan Province, 33.03% of cropland is at high risk of abandonment, 37.52% is at medium risk, and 29.45% is at low risk. The high risk area is mainly distributed in the Lancang River Basin and Honghe River Basin. Social factors were found to play the greatest role in the risk of cropland abandonment in Yunnan Province. Factors such as low population density, large shape coefficient of cropland, and low annual average precipitation were identified as the main drivers of cropland abandonment in this region. The research results of this paper can provide decision-making reference for preventing and controlling cropland abandonment in mountainous areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Net carbon sink efficiency is used to measure carbon neutral performance. • A spatial spillover effect existed between urbanization and net carbon sink efficiency across counties. • Being surrounded by highly urbanized units resulted in positive effects on a unit's net carbon sink efficiency. • The impact of socioeconomic factors on net carbon sink efficiency is heterogeneous. Reducing carbon emissions and improving vegetation carbon sequestration (VCS) have long been recognized as the key ways to address the aim of carbon neutrality, requiring global effort and typical regional experiences. This paper develops an assessment framework for measuring the net carbon sink efficiency (NCSE) based on the concept of net-zero carbon sink to depict both carbon emission and VCS simultaneously. This paper primarily runs a spatial autocorrelation analysis to explore spatial characteristics of urbanization and NCSE of Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRD) in China from 2000 to 2020, followed by employs a spatial econometric model to investigate the spatial spillover effect of urbanization on NCSE. The results show that NCSE in YRD exhibits clear spatial disparities, descending from the southern part dominated by mountainous hills to the flatter northern region. The spatial evolutionary trend of urbanization and NCSE has a significant positive correlation, manifested as H-H and L-L agglomeration, covering most counties in southeast coastal areas and northern plains, respectively. The NCSE can improve even during the continued urbanization in YRD. Specifically, for every 1% increase in urbanization, NCSE will increase by 0.164%, of which 0.118% in direct and 0.046% in indirect growth, respectively. In addition, GDP per capita, industrial structure, technological progress, road area and direct foreign investment are benefit for NCSE. In contrast, population density, environmental regulation, and built-up area tend to decline NCSE. These findings may help to formulate the urban sustainable development planning and differentiated carbon neutrality policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Measured from the high-quality development of urban–rural economy and lives.Empirically analyze the environmental and income effects of new urbanization. • The industry driving mechanism is based on the analysis of structural effects. • Discuss partial and marginal effects of the new urbanization in stages. High-quality urban and rural development is an essential topic of China's development and has clarified the new direction of urbanization development. Meanwhile, industrial green transformation is an essential industrial support for promoting new urbanization. This paper primarily discusses the economic and environmental effects of the new durbanization on the high-quality development in urban and rural areas, and further evaluates its structural effects from the perspective of green industry-driven growth. This paper conducts econometric research on sample data through breakpoint regression, impulse response, and dummy variable Tobit models. The main conclusions are: (1) In the long run, the new urbanization is not conducive to income balance and pollutant emission reduction between urban and rural area. In the explosive growth stage, new urbanization began to play a "diffusion effect." In the steady deepening stage, new urbanization significantly promoted the reduction of solid waste emissions. (2) Driven by the industrial green transformation, the steady state of new urbanization shows a marginal increase in urban–rural income balance. In contrast, the explosion stage shows the characteristics of a marginal decrease in carbon emissions and wastewater discharge. (3) Based on the diversity of policy transmission, in the transmission path of industrial green transformation, new urbanization has the most prominent impact on the high-quality development of urban and rural. (4) Based on the regional perspective of policy implementation, the "polarization" effect of new urbanization and industrial green transformation on urban and rural income in the eastern and northern coasts is prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The GI, ER, and its synergies were validated in facilitating China's GDE goals. • Applied the super-efficient SBM-DEA model to calculate the GDE in provincial areas. • Geographical clustering and variability existed in the GDE within China. • The spatial Durbin model illustrated the salience of indirect effects in GI and ER. • The spatial spillover effects of GI and ER improved the GDE in neighboring areas. Despite the worldwide effort to decarbonize societies by implementing green innovation (GI) and environmental regulation (ER) to advance the agenda for sustainable development, a comprehensive theoretical framework covering temporal, spatial, and regional heterogeneity analysis for China still needs to be developed. This paper utilizes the Super-efficiency SBM-DEA and spatial econometric model to evaluate the impact of GI and ER on green development efficiency (GDE) using data from 30 Chinese mainland provinces divided into three regions (east, central, and west) from 2005 to 2021. The data reflected an evolutionary trend from the east to the interior regions, where GI and CO 2 emissions levels decreased initially, but later increased over time. The GDE in different provinces had a significant spatial correlation, indicating the spatial agglomeration of high and low-efficiency regions. Furthermore, the spatial analysis showed that GI positively impacts GDE in the local region through technological mobility, whereas ER relies on the transfer of pollutants to improve ecological conditions in neighboring areas. Finally, the decomposition effects indicated that GI, moderated by environmental regulation, continued to be a driver of GDE and was more prominent in the spillover effects. The study suggests that the government should promote innovation support, develop regulatory systems, initiate regional environmental co-governance programs, and institutionalize green development to meet GDE goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper estimates the relationship between the fertilizer application and medical expenditure. • We identify the effects of fertilizer by distinguishing the food crop and economic crop. • We found that drinking water is one of the channels for disease, and drinking safe water can reduce medical expenses by 0.032%. • We estimate that fertilizer pollution caused a social welfare loss of $678 million, approximately 13% of these economic benefits. Although fertilizer can help alleviate hunger, it can also lead to disease. Using data from the National Fixed-Point Survey spanning from 1998 to 2017, we aimed to determine the impact of fertilizer use on healthcare costs. Our findings indicate that a ten percent increase in fertilizer use is responsible for a 0.63 percentage point rise in medical service fees, which translates to a staggering $678 million in medical expenses. Through an analysis of the various channels of pathogenic exposure, we discovered that food crops and drinking water are the primary sources of contamination. This implies that different rural environments, including fertilizer types, villages, terrain, and water sources, can exacerbate the negative effects of fertilizer use. Our research underscores the need for policymakers to consider compensating farmers who suffer from fertilizer pollution and incur health-related losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a beautiful and livable countryside is essential to farmers' wellbeing, contributing to the development of New Socialist Countryside in China. Few of the existing studies have established a sound theoretical framework to evaluate rural human settlements from the perspective of farmers, who are the major beneficiaries of the rural human settlements. Therefore, this paper establishes a theoretical framework to evaluate both hard and soft rural human settlements qualitatively and quantitatively. Based on surveys from 6 provinces (cities) in central and eastern China, the theoretical framework is tested using Structural Equation Model (SEM). The empirical results show that the surveyed farmers are vaguely unsatisfied with their local rural human settlements, making improvement a must. Moreover, there is a significant correlation between rural sanitation, housing condition, rural infrastructure, farmers' economic burden, social services and rural human settlements, with rural sanitation and social services ranking at the top among the hard and soft human settlement indexes, respectively. Thus, the government should prioritize rural sanitation and social services to improve hard and soft human settlements, respectively. The discussions in this paper could provide solid foundations for policy makers to effectively improve rural human settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The SFA and panel random effects Tobit model are used in this paper. • Fertilizer use efficiency of apple is higher than rice, lower than wheat and corn. • Non-agricultural opportunity has a positive effect on fertilizer use efficiency. • Climate factors have significant negative impacts on fertilizer use efficiency. • The explanatory power of land size for fertilizer use efficiency is relatively low. Overuse of chemical fertilizer in apple production has resulted in environmental contamination in China. Existing research related to fertilizer use efficiency has focused on grain crops, and few studies have considered cash crops despite the significant structural shift of fertilizer application from grain to cash crops and the impacts of climate factors on fertilizer use efficiency. This paper employed a stochastic frontier method to examine the technical efficiency and fertilizer use efficiency of apple production by adopting panel data of eight major apple production provinces in China from 1992 to 2014. Further, the panel random-effects Tobit model was used to explore the factors influencing fertilizer use efficiency. The fertilizer use efficiency score ranged within 0.002–0.878, with a mean value of 0.472, which was much lower and had greater variability than technical efficiency with an average value of 0.868. Irrigation fees, land size, non-agricultural employment opportunities, apple planting area ratio and fertilizer prices had significant positive effects on fertilizer use efficiency in apple production. Disaster ratio, precipitation, sunshine hours, and apple prices had a significant negative effect on fertilizer use efficiency. Formula fertilizer promoted by governments had no significant effect on improving fertilizer use efficiency. Fertilizer use efficiencies are more sensitive to education level and fertilizer price than non-agricultural employment opportunity and land size, and it is weakly sensitive to climate factors, apple price, and apple planting area ratio. Policies aimed at improving fertilizer use efficiency and reducing environment pollution should, therefore, focus on promoting non-agricultural employment opportunities and land circulation, strengthening and expanding rural extension services, raising environmental protection awareness and controlling fertilizer price, and encouraging farmers to adopt new production technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Target fish were identified after investigation and sample ecological analysis. • Different indicators of the fishway are assigned to determine the optimal fishway. • Simulate the flow velocity of the river and ensure that is suitable for target fish. • Simulate fishway with different partition spacings and determine the suitable one. Abstract In order to mitigate the threat that hydraulic engineering will have on the fish's living environment, fish migration can be accomplished by building fishway. This paper takes the Diversion Dahaerteng River to Danghe Reservoir project in Gansu, China as an example. Through field investigation and data analysis, it was found that the main fish in the study area was Triplophysa. Through the comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the fishways, it is determined that the fishway and the nature-like fishway are suitable. By constructing the evaluation method, the 19 indicators of the fishway were scored from the aspects of ability to lure fish, ability to pass fish, fish adaptability, engineering quantity, operation and maintenance, and the nature-like fishway was determined to be the best choice. The surface runoff from March to August is calculated by the P-III curve to simulate the flow field of the Dahaerteng River under the conditions of maximum, minimum and average runoff. The flow velocity of the simulation results is suitable for the Triplophysa migration, and the right bank is suitable for building nature-like fishway. The fishway section is rectangular, with a slope of 1%, a width of 2 m, and a total length of 520 m. It is arranged with a staggered baffle, and the revetment is rough masonry stones. The inside of the fishway is inlaid with pebbles so that the roughness of the fishway is more than 0.03. Then, numerical simulation calculations were carried out for the fishways composed of the partitions of 10 m and 5 m apart. The comparison shows that the fishway with the partition gap 5 m is closer to the right bank of the river, which is suitable for Triplophysa migration and survival. For later evaluation and adjustment, an observation room and a fish collection pool are provided near the entrance of the fishway, and an observation room is provided near the exit. This paper can provide reference for the planning, construction and post evaluation of fishways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Hot areas and the frontiers of EF are visually analysed using CiteSpace since 2000. • EF framework is established from the view of international and Chinese research. • EF research focuses on exploring methods for guiding practice such as 3D EF. • EF is shifting from the single footprint to the integration of the footprints. • Investigating market or government-led EF research. Abstract The ecological footprint (EF) methodology, which is a tool for evaluating the natural resource use level and regional carrying capacity, has been extensively used to measure the capacity to reach both an ecological supply and demand balance and a level of sustainable development. In this study, to systematically sort and analyse the distribution of EF research, its hot areas and the evolution of its fronts, papers with "ecological footprint" as the subject term in the Web of Science Core Collection Database and the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database Core Journals since 2000 are visually analysed using CiteSpace. The characteristics of these papers, including the quantity trend, quality, author group, affiliated institution type and journal type, are summarized, and keyword co-appearance and paper co-citation knowledge maps are produced. The results show the following: (1) Chinese researchers have been closely following international research fronts and steadily improving their research results. (2) Hotspots such as carbon dioxide emissions, the carbon footprint (CF), water footprint (WF) and sustainable use have been receiving attention both in China and internationally. International researchers focus on hot topics such as public satisfaction, land and resource use, spatial equity and policy analysis. In comparison, Chinese researchers prefer to modify and improve relevant methods, such as the three-dimensional EF (3D EF) and footprint family methods. (3) The research frontier of EF is based on improving the EF accounting method, which is aimed at assessing and monitoring the relationship between ecology and the economic society on a multi-scale basis, establishing an index system that can evaluate the demand for natural resources and environmental pressure, and explore the issues of mechanisms of regional ecology resource allocation fairness, and market-led and government-led ecological governance efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Changes of ecosystem services based on Nature-based solutions were evaluated from 76 screened papers. • Five ecosystem services have improved after the implementation of ecological restoration projects. • Tradeoffs and synergies among ecosystem services had mixed effects. • Natural factors had a greater influence on ecosystem services than socioeconomic ones. Nature-based solutions (NbS), an upgraded version of ecological restoration concept, has developed as an integrated approach to encompass a broad range of actions that protect, restore, or sustainably manage ecosystems to provide benefits to people. However, it is challenging to obtain a thorough understanding of the effectiveness of NbS because of the uncertainty of the assessment in different regions based on ecosystem services. Here, we conduct a synthesis analysis of the effects of ecological interventions on ecosystem quality within China. We systematically analyze 76 studies selected from 275 peer-reviewed papers, which were undertaken at regional scale and published between 2011 and 2022. Average values of ecosystem services before and after the ecological interventions are extracted to quantify the ecosystem changes. Results show that ecological restoration purposefully contributes to the improvements of ecosystem services with an increase in Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of 31% and an increase in soil conservation (SC) of 21%. Effects on water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS) and habitat quality (HQ) are all not significant. Restoration interventions have a mixed effect on ecosystem service trade-offs which may vary by regions. Trade-offs primarily exist between WY and other ecosystem services on the Northeastern Forest Belt and the Southwestern Karst, while synergies mainly exist among NPP, SC and CS on the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Moreover, utilizing grey correlation analysis methods, factor analysis reveals that temperature and precipitation are highly correlated with the changes of the five ecosystem services. Natural factors contribute more to the changes of NPP, SC and WY than the human factors. This research is aimed at obtaining an overall perception of the effectiveness of ecological restoration programmes implementation in different regions across China, which will provide references for reducing ecosystem services trade-offs and adjusting the layouts of regional ecological restoration programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coupling coordination indicators for pollution and carbon reduction is proposed. • The first time to focus on the issue in cities along the Yellow River Basin. • "East-high and west-low" spatial differentiation characteristics of coupled degree. • "Pollution reduction is hindered and carbon reduction is lagging". • There is a phenomenon of "spatial club" clustering in the coordination degree. Collaborative efforts to reduce pollution and carbon emissions are a notable feature of the current era. Achieving the "pollution reduction" and "carbon reduction" dual-driven new development model is the inevitable requirement and significant practical measure for building a new development pattern and realizing a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. The synergistic effects between pollution reduction and carbon reduction (PRCR) have been demonstrated. However, the measurement and quantitative analysis of the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of PRCR have not received enough attention. Therefore, the evaluation index system was constructed based on the scientific connotation of PRCR, and the CCD of PRCR in cities along the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from 2009 to 2018 was measured quantitatively by constructing the coupling coordination model in this paper. In addition, we comprehensively investigated its spatial pattern, distribution characteristics, and evolution trend using ESDA, Kernel density estimation, and Markov chain. The primary findings can be summarized as: (1) PRCR levels and their CCD fluctuated and increased in the YRB, with "east-high and west-low" spatial differentiation characteristics, and the coupling phenomenon of "pollution reduction is hindered and carbon reduction is lagging". (2) There is a phenomenon of "spatial club" clustering in the coordination degree of PRCR in the YRB, with most cities in the downstream areas belonging to the type of high-high clustering, while the middle and upstream areas had the opposite type. (3) The CCD of PRCR in the whole and upper reaches of the YRB have transformed from low-level divergence to high-level convergence. (4) Spatial geographic factors have a significant spillover effect on the evolution of the CCD of PRCR, and there is a phenomenon of the "Matthew effect". This paper provides a comprehensive framework for analyzing the synergistic effects between PRCR, and the research findings can also provide insights for other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper constructed a framework for green water assessment in the Loess Plateau gully region using MIKE SHE model. • A new concept and extraction method for green water components was defined based on existing research. • A new concept of the potential of green water was defined in relation to the dried soil layers' classification indicators. • We assessed the dependence on green water components and potential for environmental changes. Exponentially increasing water demand and increasingly uncertain hydrological conditions due to climate change (CC) and land use/cover change (LUCC) undoubtedly pose significant challenges to the sustainability of water systems in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide, and even more so in the rain-fed agricultural area of the Loess Plateau (LP) in China, where green water supports all ecological landscapes and most agriculture. Therefore, an accurate assessment of green water resources is crucial for regional development. This paper constructed a comprehensive framework for assessing green water resources based on the MIKE SHE model, defined a new concept of green water components (GWCs) that can be extracted based on existing studies, proposes the potential of green water (GW P), and present a research methodology. To validate this research framework, we applied it to a typical basin in the LP gully area of the Nanxiaohegou (NXHG) basin. The model was calibrated using runoff data from basin outlet stations to extract four GWCs: high-efficiency green water (GW H), low-efficiency green water (GW L), unused green water (GW U), ineffective green water (GW I). We then assessed the GW P of the basin and analyzed its trends, consistency, and dependence on changing environments. The assessment framework is simple and easy to use, providing valuable information for regional revegetation and basin water management, and is highly recommended for replication in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Environmental regulation affects economic growth through green innovation. • When green innovation exceeds the second threshold, the marginal of environmental regulation on economic growth effect is weakened. • The regional specific heterogeneity effect. • The panel threshold models are less commonly used in environmental research, this paper employ these to analyze. Behind the rapid economic growth, the problems of environmental pollution have gradually become prominent. Environmental regulation is an important means for the government to deal with environmental problems in economic development and promote the construction of ecological civilization. Using the provincial data of China from 2005 to 2020, this paper studies the intermediary effect and threshold effect of green innovation in the process of environmental regulation affecting economic growth. The stepwise regression model of intermediary effect shows that environmental regulation promotes green innovation significantly, which further promotes economic growth. The panel threshold regression model shows that when green innovation is below 7.984 (the second threshold), environmental regulation positively affects economic growth, and when green innovation exceeds the second threshold, their marginal effects weaken. Further research shows that there is the regional specific heterogeneity effect. This paper analysis from 4 regions of China. When green innovation exceeds a certain threshold (eastern threshold is 4.382, central threshold is 6.553, western threshold is 5.037, northeastern threshold is 5.347), it decreases the marginal impact effect each region. The research results can provide reference for the government to formulate reasonable policies to balance environment and economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• From the perspective of spatial cross-sectional data, this study explores causal inference in the ecological environment. • Two primary causal pathways are identified. • The study unveils the intricate mechanisms among diverse factors within the ecological environment system. The ecological environment is closely related to natural conditions, climate change, and human activities. However, existing research predominantly concentrates on evaluating the direct impacts of various factors on the ecological environment, yet lacks an in-depth exploration of their causal relationships and pathways. This paper introduces a new perspective to research in this field by incorporating spatial cross-sectional data analysis methods. The study utilized the 2020 China's High-resolution Eco-Environmental Quality (CHEQ) dataset to evaluate the spatial differentiation characteristics of Ecological Environmental Quality (EEQ) within the western urban agglomeration of Guangdong Province. A framework of "terrain-urbanization-climate" influencing factors was constructed, and the Geographical convergent cross mapping (GCCM) method was employed to infer the causal relationship between EEQ and influencing factors. Additionally, the spatial distribution characteristics of influencing factors on ecological environment quality were studied using the Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression Model (MGWR). The results indicate that seven influencing factors including Elevation, Population, Precipitation, TEMP, TMMX, TMMN, and Slope have clear causal relationships with EEQ and exhibit bidirectional coupling relationships. There exist complex causal relationships among influencing factors, revealing the interaction mechanisms and causal pathways among multiple factors in the ecological environment system. These analyses enrich our understanding of the intricate and complex relationships between the ecological environment and influencing factors, providing a valuable reference for ecological protection and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A liner positive correlation is revealed between wind farm distance and ecological impacts. • The ecological obstacle points increased 350 % after construction of wind farm. • The proportions of forest around weak points raised from 38 % (50 m range) to 49 % (150 m range). • Protection, restoration, and compensation strategies are proposed according to recession degrees. The wind energy industry is developing rapidly in China with a maximum capacity worldwide. Meanwhile, the stability of the ecological network is challenged by extensive renewable energy expansion. There are still research deficiencies in wind farm ecological impacts at project scale from an ecological restoration perspective. It is of great necessity to monitor the ecological impacts with time going and explore ecological restoration strategies for wind power development. The research case of Zhongying Wind Farm is selected based on investigation and interviews regarding its ecological impact in the prior study. It employs a comparative methodology by comparing the ecological quality before and after the construction of Zhongying Wind Farm. Raw data from Landsat 8, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and wind turbine statistics originating from open data platforms are analyzed and visually represented with ArcGIS. This paper establishes an ecological network based on morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model to quantify wind farms' impacts on ecological corridors. The circuit theory and Pajek software are used to identify and categorize the ecological nodes into weak and obstacle points. The results reveal that ecological impacts on ecological corridors decay with distance, reflecting changes in length, connection strength and cumulative values of corridors. While the impacts on ecological nodes depend on nodes' attributes: the number of weak points increased by 18.5 %, and obstacle points increased by 350 %, with their locations shifting from the edges of urban construction sites to the edges of wind farm. Differentiated strategies are proposed according to the impact magnitude of each ecological corridor and node: such as dynamic inspection mechanism, construction prohibition for protection; corridor structure and function recovering, stepping stones addition for restoration; buffer belts, warning radar, and monetary schemes for compensation. This research fills the gap of ecological impact assessment under the challenges of wind energy expansion. It helps to balance wind energy development and ecological restoration at the regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pilot Free Trade Zones (PFTZ) can promote green technology innovation efficiency. • Providing reference for developing countries to develop green economy. • Proposing a more holistic index system of green technology innovation efficiency. • The impact of PFTZ exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity. • Market potential affects the green effect of PFTZ. The Pilot Free Trade Zone (PFTZ) policy represents a significant step in China's institutional innovation and broader opening-up, crucial for fostering green and high-quality economic growth. The existing literature has conducted in-depth studies on the economic effects, energy conservation, emission reduction and green innovation of PFTZs, but the effect on green technology innovation efficiency (GTIE) remains underexplored. Institutional innovation in the PFTZs will profoundly affect regional green development, and green innovation, and will certainly affect the regional GTIE. Based on this, this paper uses the city-level data of prefecture-level cities in China from 2005 to 2020 to empirically test the impact of PFTZ establishment on GTIE. First, the Super-SBM model was applied to evaluate the GTIE across 281 Chinese cities. Then, taking the establishment of PFTZs as a quasi-natural experiment, the multi-stage differentially differential model is constructed to empirically assess PFTZ policy's impact on GTIE. The findings indicate that PFTZs can significantly enhance the GTIE. This improvement is facilitated through four pathways: the digital economy, the high-tech industries agglomeration, innovation agglomeration, and talent agglomeration. The results offer strategies for balancing external openness with environmental protection in developing countries and furnish empirical support for creating high-quality development frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Decoupling state of ecological footprint in 30 province of China is analyzed. • There are four decomposition indicators for decoupling. • Technological factors, and economic factors are important factors driving decoupling. • The methods of realizing environmental sustainability are discussed. Nowadays, economic development and ecological environment protection are difficult to synergize, which poses a challenge to global sustainable development. This paper uses the Tapio decoupling model to evaluate the decoupling between ecological footprint and economic growth, and uses the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition methods to identify the driving factors of decoupling at national and provincial levels. There are four driving factors: industrial structural, technological innovation, economic development, and population size. It is found that: (1) The ecological footprint of 28 provinces show an upward trend, with an average increase of 40.26%. Among them, the ecological footprint of three provinces in the northwest region increased by more than 100%, and there is an urgent need to reduce natural resource consumption and ensure resource sustainability; (2) The number of provinces with good decoupling show a change of first declining and then rising. Moreover, the spatial distribution characteristics of the decoupling state are obvious, with the northeastern region in negative decoupling; and (3) Technological innovation plays a positive and leading role in decoupling, with a contribution rate of 0.5402. However, economic development inhibits decoupling, with a contribution rate of 0.3829. According to the results, this paper suggests countermeasures and approaches to promote the decoupling of ecological footprint and economic growth, and establishes three key regional concerns. It provides a basis for further analysis of environmental governance in China. Not only that, the regulatory measures and methods proposed in this study will also help promote the decoupling process of other developing countries in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is an area with highly distinctive natural and socio-cultural characteristics. In recent years, the pastoral areas of northern Tibet have undergone a phase transition from nomadic to settled grazing, and the settlement system is in a stage of formation and evolution. Against the backdrop of China's new strategy of rural revitalization, conducting associated research on the evolution of the settlement system and the prospect of rural revitalization is of great significance for improving the living and working conditions of herdsmen in alpine pastoral areas and promoting sustainable development on the QTP. Using settlement patch data obtained by visual interpretation of high-definition remote sensing images, combined with field investigations, this paper explores the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the settlement system in Nagqu County, northern Tibet, summarizing its development status and existing problems from the perspective of factor-structure-function, and details the paths for rural revitalization on this basis. The results show the following: (1) Since 2005, the settlement system of Nagqu County has undergone a phase transition from concentrated settlement to functional expansion, with the continuous enrichment of development elements and the enhancement of functions. The density distribution of settlements shows strong adaptability to the natural geographical environment. The pattern of settlement has gradually changed from resource-dependent to facility-dependent. Transportation and public service facilities play an important role in guiding the speed and direction of settlement evolution. (2) There are still various problems in the settlement system of Nagqu County, including a weak industrial foundation; some occupation of important ecological spaces and ecologically fragile areas by settlements; insufficient attention to the cultural aspect of the Tibetan settlement system; a scattered settlement layout, which makes grassroots governance difficult; a large talent gap; and weak spatial support system of settlements. (3) From the perspective of enriching and integrating the development factors of rural settlements, reorganizing the diversified structure of rural settlements, and improving and expanding the functions of rural settlements, this paper explains the correlation mechanism between optimization of the rural settlement system and rural revitalization, and puts forward the implementation paths for rural revitalization in alpine pastoral areas of the QTP. The study expands our understanding of the characteristics of settlements in sparsely populated alpine pastoral areas, and provides valuable, up-to-date policy guidance for the promotion of rural revitalization in alpine pastoral areas on the QTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • China's biodiversity decrease due to a declined ecological connectivity. • We modeled the resistance surface of human activities based on spatial databases. • Ecological corridors was established to connect natural reserves in national level. • Importance of eco-corridors was ranked with key pinch point identified. • Scenario of priority protection have developed by combining the descending centrality rankings and current resistance. The decline of ecological connectivity poses a challenge for China as it faces a continuous loss of biodiversity. However, this phenomenon also increases the country's natural reserves and afforestation area. With the approval of the national plan for combating climate change and the implementation of the "ecological redline" policy, there is an opportunity to improve China's eco-connectivity with significant investments available for a continuous ecological restoration. However, little research has been conducted with respect to ecological connectivity, thus preventing policy makers from allocating a central investment between provinces for ecological restoration. This study modelled the resistance map against connectivity conservation by quantifying indicators of human disturbance and subsequently derived the national eco-corridor network by using least-cost path methods. A total of 2790 potential eco-corridors, connecting 97% of the protected areas in continental China were extracted. The paper ranked the importance of each eco-corridor for maintaining national ecological connectivity and identified the pinch points with high resistance. Based on the national eco-corridor framework, this paper proposed a two-dimensional coded table to help policy makers conduct effective management. The table also develops scenarios to aid decision makers in allocating central investments in provinces. By prioritizing ecological restoration to enhance ecological connectivity, the established eco-corridor network and scenario analysis will contribute to biodiversity conservation in China. This paper gives policy suggestions on cross-border management and plan implementation of eco-corridors, which helps decision makers in working towards ecological protection in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilizes the slacks-based measure (SBM) undesirable model to analyze the environmental regulation efficiency (ERE) from 2003 to 2013, and uses the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) Malmquist productivity index to divide the environmental regulation total factor productivity (ERTFP) into a technical progress index, pure technical efficiency index and a scale efficiency index from the perspective of scale change. The results show that the ERE presents “polarized” effect and the ERTFP has an obvious “agglomeration” effect in China. There is also a very significant “match-up” effect between the ERE and economic development level. In addition, the paper also finds that the technical progress index has the largest contribution to ERTFP, followed by pure technical efficiency index and then the scale efficiency index. The preceding results can provide scientific suggestions for regional environmental departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines the concept of Ecological Footprint (EF) with the framework of total-factor energy efficiency to develop a new index of total-factor ecology efficiency ( TFEcE ), which is constructed as the ratio of the target EF input obtained from SBM (slack-based measure) model to the actual ecology input under the consideration of labor and capital inputs. This paper computes the TFEcE of 28 provinces in China for the period 2000–2012. Findings show that China’s TFEcE remains a low level of 0.5, which urgently needs to be improved. China’s regional TFEcE is extremely unbalanced and the eastern area ranks first with the highest score. Compared with total-factor energy efficiency and traditional single-factor ecological efficiency, The TFEcE index evaluates ecology efficiency more comprehensively through taking EF in conjunction with the total-factor framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper is the first attempt to analyze GIE from the perspective of UA. • This paper systematically examines the spatiotemporal pattern evolution features of GIE in China's eight UAs. • The method of GSSBM is used to measure GIE. • The overall difference, distribution dynamics and convergence trend of China's eight UAs' are investigated. Based on adopting the global super-efficiency slacks-based measure (GSSBM) model to calculate green innovation efficiency (GIE), this paper systematically investigates GIE's overall difference, distribution dynamics and convergence trends in eight national urban agglomerations (UAs) of China from 2004 to2018 by combining the methods of Dagum Gini Coefficient (DGC), Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), Variation Coefficient (VC), fixed-effect model (FEM) and spatial Durbin model (SDM). The results show that: (1) the average GIE of eight UAs was 0.632 during 2004–2018, which is generally low and has substantial potential for improvement, and seven of them achieved positive growth with an annual average growth rate of 2.70%. (2) The overall difference of GIE within eight UAs was significant with the inter-UA difference as the main contributor. (3) The distribution curves of GIE in eight UAs were distinct in terms of location, form, ductility and polarization trend. (4) Besides five UAs presenting significant σ convergence characteristics, all eight UAs displayed significant absolute or conditional β convergence trends with different speeds and cycles. The findings of this paper can provide important insights on the promotion of green innovation-driven development for UAs in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The land surface area of the mainland China was calculated based on 30 m resolution DEM. • Absolute difference and relative difference of ESV based on surface area and plane area was conducted at country, provincial and county levels. • The characteristics of temporal-spatial variation of ESV of various ecosystems based on surface area in China were revealed. • The total ESV based on surface area was compared with other studies. • The importance of the surface area in land resource survey, natural asset estimation and ecological protection was emphasized. The assessment of ecological assets is of great significance for protecting and using ecological resources. Traditional methods of ecological assets assessment, which adopt the planar area as the standard, often ignore the impact of the surface area, resulting in a large difference between the evaluation and the actual result. To fill this gap, this paper conducted research on ecological assets assessment based on surface area. Taking mainland China into consideration, this paper constructed a triangulation network based on 30 m resolution DEM data to simulate the real land surface form and calculate its surface area. Then, land use/cover data from 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 were used to estimate the ecosystem service value (ESV) and analyze its spatial variation. This paper found that: (1) The surface area of mainland China is 1.04 × 107 km2, which is 8.2 × 105 km2 larger than the planar area; (2) A huge difference was found between the total ESV based on the surface and planar area, with an absolute difference of ∼$141.66-$144.14 billion and a relative difference of ∼ 10%. For different ecosystem types, the largest difference was found in the forest ecosystem, followed by the grassland ecosystem, while the wetland ecosystem showed the smallest difference; (3) The high value of absolute difference between the ESV based on the surface and planar area was concentrated in Tibet and Northeast China. The high value of relative difference was mainly distributed in Central and Southern China. On the provincial level, the absolute difference in Tibet ranked in the first place. There was a total of 14 provinces showing a relative difference above 10%; (4) The total ESV based on surface area was basically unchanged, while various ecosystems underwent significant changes. The ESV of wetland increased by nearly 50%, while the ESV of grassland decreased by more than 10%; and (5) Change in the ESV based on surface area showed obvious spatial heterogeneity. High-High cluster was located in Tibet and the Northeast China while the Low-Low cluster was distributed in the North China Plain and Xinjiang. This paper emphasized the importance of the surface area in resource survey and asset estimation and gave more effective suggestions for ecological protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposing a comprehensive research method to evaluate the environmental impacts. • Considering the impact of ecological security patterns and red lines. • Proposing a new ecological control pathway from the spatial dimension. The rapid development of the energy and mining industry has supported the industrialization process in China, but it has also caused a series of negative impacts on the ecological environment. As a resource concentration and regional development pivot, evaluating the impact of mineral exploitation on the ecological environment under the scope of urban agglomeration can efficiently mitigate the contradiction between mineral exploitation and ecological environment protection. Therefore, this paper chose 14 urban agglomerations under the nationally planned mining areas as the research object. This paper analyzed the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecological stress in mineral exploitation from multi-aspects, including the ecological base's vulnerability, ecological function, and the stress degree of critical environmental factors. The results of the study show as follows: (1) The distribution of the vulnerability of the ecological base is highly spatial correlated, the Yellow river basin and Yangtze-river basin are clustered with high ecological base vulnerability and low vulnerability urban agglomerations respectively; (2) More than half of the urban agglomerations are stressed by ecological functions, the threats were mainly coming from the water and land resources; (3) Highly stressed cities concentrated in the Yellow-river and Yangtze-river basins, with strong geographical concentration, the impact of mineral exploitation on the ecosystem is profound than water and air environment. (4) Comprehensive stress was the most common type for mineral cities, typically clustered in urban agglomerations with sufficient mineral resources or heavy soil and water loss, presented as a centralized distribution pattern in general. In the end, based on the results, this paper proposed three different control advice for spatial, intensity, and exploitation, respectively, to provide theoretical support and practical solutions for controlling mineral exploitations in urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper analyzes the impact of psychological characteristics and policy environment on public participation. • The paper expands the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and adds policy variables to the TBP model. • The paper provides a research perspective of management science and psychology for ecological compensation research. • Psychological cognition can significantly improve the public's willingness to participate. • The influence of policy environment on public behavior is far greater than that on their will. Public participation in river basin ecological compensation is one of the effective means to adjust the multi stakeholder relationship and promote low-carbon development. This paper takes the upper Yellow River basin section as the research area, adds ecological compensation policy variables to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). An integrated theoretical framework is established from the two levels of personal psychological cognition and policy environment, which can comprehensively consider multiple factors that affect individual behavior. This paper uses the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to empirically analyze the impact of psychological factors and river basin ecological compensation policy on the public's willingness and behavior to participate in river basin ecological compensation. The results showed that the three psychological cognitive factors of behavior attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control had a significant impact on the public's willingness to participate in ecological compensation. The ecological compensation policy also has a significant impact on the willingness and behavior of the public to participate in ecological compensation. The impact coefficient of ecological compensation policy on the participation willingness is 0.085, and the impact coefficient on the participation behavior is 0.551. The existing ecological compensation policies in carbon neutral contexts have a stronger effect on the public participation behavior, but a weaker impact on the public's willingness to participate. The existing policies in carbon neutral contexts play a small role in mobilizing the public's enthusiasm from the psychological cognitive level, but the willingness to participate has a significant direct impact on the participation behavior. The research conclusions of this paper can help to broaden the theoretical framework of public participation and provide new ideas and methods for improving the ecological compensation mechanism of the river basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A global meta -frontier super SBM approach was employed to explore the marine ecological efficiency. • There was a significant gap between regions and the potential optimal production technology. • The primary factor affecting marine ecological efficiency was technological progress. • We propose some suggestions from inefficiency, regional differences and sources of efficiency growth. With the promotion of the maritime power strategy and progressively increasing and severe environmental problems, marine ecological efficiency is fast becoming an essential object of research in achieving sustainable development. By applying the meta -frontier super SBM model and the global Malmquist-Luenberger index, this paper aims to explore the marine ecological efficiency of coastal regions in China and the technology gaps between different regions during 2006–2017. On this basis, the changes in marine ecological efficiency were decomposed to investigate the driving factors. The results indicate that the marine ecological efficiency of China's coastal regions was still ineffective, and there was a significant gap between the group production technology and the potential optimal production technology. Also, there was a significant regional technological heterogeneity. The Yangtze River Delta region had optimal production technology level, while the Beibu Gulf region distinctly had a sizeable technological gap with the other three regions. Besides, the primary factor affecting marine ecological efficiency was technological progress. Finally, the results of this paper passed the robustness check. Based on these conclusions, some specific policy suggestions are provided for China's coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose a methodology for measuring of regional synergistic emission reduction. • Regional synergistic emission reduction networks have a multilevel nested structure. • Explained the evolution characteristics of regional synergistic emission reduction. • Identified driving factors of regional synergistic emission reduction networks. Synergistic regional emission reduction (SRER) is an important part of the strategy to achieve carbon neutrality. In this paper, a system efficiency value-added model is proposed to measure the strength of SRER network relationships for 40,186 sets of city pairs and the SRER levels of 284 cities in China from 2011 to 2021. Subsequently, the evolution characteristics of the SRER network, the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban SRER levels, and the driving factors of the SRER network evolution are further analyzed. The results are as follows: SRER network is shifting from a fan-shaped network pattern of "three-region clustering and sporadic coverage" to a shuttle-shaped nested network pattern of "east-west linkage and multi-region support". Time series analysis found that urban SRER level in China showed fluctuating growth characteristics during the study period. Spatial analysis reveals that the spatial autocorrelation of urban SRER level is decreasing, and the spatial distribution range is expanding towards the southwest. Emission reduction comparative advantages (CAER), green innovation division of labor (GIDL) and urban economic linkages (LCEL) are driver factors of SRER network evolution. This study proposes an evaluation method for the urban SRER level from network relationships perspective. Subsequently, network evolution characterization, spatial and temporal characterization, and driving factor analysis were conducted. The results of the study provide important theoretical guidance and inspiration for grasping the current status and enhancement paths of China's urban SRER level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This paper proposed general laws of rural housing-industry transformation and revitalization. • Complex adaptability system theory is developed to identify the pattern of rural housing-industry transformation. • The pattern of TGRA' rural housing-industry transformation process was identified. • Policy suggestions were given for TGRA of China's rural revitalization. The core of dual circulation in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA) and the greening Yangtze River is sustainable development. Reservoir housing-industry coordinate sustainable is extremely important to ensuring a more sustainable TGRA. Here, we investigate the overall characteristics of housing-industry transformation development and rural revitalization path in the TGRA at microscopic perspective. Taking Wutu village (WTV), a historical and cultural rural in the TGRA, as case study area, we also analyze the evolution, stage characteristics, and trends of housing-industry system (HIS) using theoretical analysis and empirical research from the perspective of spatio-temporal-development and complex adaptability system model. The findings reveal that: (1) In the traditional housing-industry separation stage(1978–1998), the development of villagers' self-organization and the positive and correct leadership of the village party branch are the dominant forces for the evolution of HIS in WTV. The adaptive behavior of the main body and the strength of the housing-industry effect are limited, and the evolution of the HIS is in the accumulation stage of quantitative change. (2) In the stage of cooperative transformation of housing-industry (1999–2018), the positive and correct leadership of the village party branch is the dominant force of the evolution of HIS in WTV, and the government's policy support is the main force of the evolution of HIS in WTV. (3) In the stage of modern housing-industry integration (2019 to present), the interaction of multiple subjects is the dominant force in the evolution of HIS in WTV. Multiple entities further adapt to various changes in the external environment, and the system structure and level have taken a qualitative leap. Overall, the evolution of HIS in WTV is a dynamic and continuous process. Based on the evolution stage and driving mechanism of HIS, it is necessary to improve the self-organization and adaptive response and ability of the complex adaptive system in WTV, adapt to the general law of system evolution, and effectively regulate the transformation and upgrading of HIS in WTV. Our research outcomes offer valuable insights for fostering rural transformation, enhancing the housing-industry environment, and ultimately propelling the TGRA towards a more sustainable and prosperous future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dam regulation disturbances influence distribution of planktonic organisms. • Ecological environment status of the upstream was better than middle and downstream. • The negative impact of human interference on the ecological health of the Shaying River is greater than the positive. In multi-dam river systems, human disturbances can significantly disrupt river connectivity, fragment habitats, and harm aquatic ecosystems. Aiming at the comprehensive assessment of the spatial distribution of water ecological health, as well as the investigation of the impacts of human activities on river health, Shaying River in China between 2011 and 2015 was taken as a case study. Data on water environment, ecology, and habitat quality were collected by field investigations and then investigated by correlation analysis and principal component analysis. The SMI-P method was adopted to estimate the water ecological health condition. It was found that oxygen-consuming organic pollutants and nutrient salts were predominantly concentrated in the midstream and downstream sections, leading to severe pollution and degraded aquatic biodiversity. All monitored river sections were classified as the sub-healthy state or worse, while the Huaidian section exhibited the poorest conditions, with 100% of ratings falling into medium and sub-morbid categories. It was concluded that dam regulation, tributary water quality, and seasonal drivers like fertilizer use and river flow discharge, were the primary factors affecting the spatial variability of river ecological health. Furthermore, this paper has proposed a well-suited framework for the assessment of the water ecological health of dam-controlled rivers. This framework can be widely applied to similar river systems, providing valuable insights for effective management and conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Significantly changes of LAI and GPP mostly occurred in eastern and southern China. • Divergence between LAI and GPP were found in regions with dense vegetation coverage. • The importance of VPD, SM, and PT to vegetation indices increased as latitude decreases. Climate change notably boosts terrestrial hydraulic redistribution pattern, which could directly affect the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of vegetation productivity. However, the spatiotemporal evolution pattern of long-term hydrometeorological controls of vegetation productivity is still not fully understood. This paper comprehensively explored the impacts of hydrometeorological controls on leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) in China during 1982–2015 using both satellite observations and reanalysis. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD), evapotranspiration (ET), precipitation (PT), and soil moisture (SM) were used as representative indicators during investigation. The dynamics of LAI and GPP displayed increasing trends on the whole. And significantly changes mostly occurred in eastern and southern China, accompanied by moderate to dense vegetation coverage. An accelerated increasing trend for LAI could be observed since September 2003 (+0.175 per decade), while the growth rate of GPP (+16.76 g C/m2 per decade) basically maintained stable. In terms of hydrometeorological controls, VPD and ET showed consistently increasing trend and SM presented falling trend in the context of warming climate. Through analysis of feature importance index established by Random Forest, the importance of VPD, SM, and PT obviously increased as latitude decreases, which implied the high sensitivity of vegetation in semi-humid\humid regions to water availability. Additionally, divergence between LAI and GPP can be found in southern Tibet Plateau region and coastal regions, which provides compelling evidence that in the case of high LAI, increasing LAI could weaken the improvement effect on GPP. Findings of this study is expected to promote the understanding of long-term vegetation responses to hydrometeorological variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Scientometric analysis of MPs in soil ecosystems was performed. • A total of 2210 articles on MPs from 2012 to 2022 were analyzed. • Knowledge bases, trends, and hotspots in MP research were identified. • China was the top country in terms of publications and funding. • The migration of MPs from terrestrial to aquatic systems should be considered in the future. Soil microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing global environmental issue leading to a series of ecosystem problems and functional losses. However, understanding the advances and trends in soil MP pollution research proved to be difficult based on individual studies. Herein, CiteSpace visualization analysis software was used to sort the literature obtained on soil MP research from the Web of Science (WoS) TM core collection database, and bibliometric analysis of publication volume, country/region, keywords and other information was conducted. Results showed that soil microplastics (MP) research had much lower publication volume than hydrological system MP research, and was still in its developing stage. However, the number of research hotspots in soil MP research increased continuously since 2018. Countries such as China, the United States, the Netherlands and Australia have published more papers in this field than other countries, and collaboration among research institutions is strong. The source, pollution status, analysis methods and toxic effects of MPs in soils are current research hotspots. In the future, the focus of MP research in terrestrial ecosystems should shift from ecotoxicology to the impact of MPs on ecosystems and earth system feedback. The bibliometric analysis results of this study can serve as a reference for in-depth studies of the pollution status of MPs in soils. For MP soil pollution research, cross-background, cross-institution, cross-country cooperation and cross-disciplinary roles should be encouraged to accelerate the growth and diversification of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ten indicators assessed the ecological health of the Taitema Lake wetland. • The result witnessed a 15.6-fold area increase and a twentyfold vegetation increase. • The wetland health has improved since 2000 but achieved a Good status in 2021. • Wetness increase and water body expansions promote the wetland recovery. The Taitema Lake wetland in the lower reaches of the Tarim River (northwest China) is sensitive to hydrological changes and provides necessary ecosystem functions for biodiversity conservation. Monitoring and evaluating the long-term dynamics of the Taitema Lake wetland is essential for conserving and restoring regional wetland ecosystems. This paper used a dense time series of Landsat images from 1986 to 2021 to map the Taitema Lake wetlands. It analyzed the annual and seasonal variations of the wetlands by ten ecological indicators, which include area extent, vegetation, hydrology, and landscape features. A systematic assessment of the ecological quality of the wetlands over the past 36 years, along with their influencing factors, was conducted from the perspective of wetland health. The results showed that (1) the recovered water areas and the wetlands showed a clear trend of ecological restoration since 2000, accompanied by an increased fragmentation. The total wetland area increased from 69.95 km2 in 1986 to 1164.47 km2 in 2021, with a 15.6-fold increase, and the vegetation area increased twentyfold to 639.84 km2. (2) The wetness in the core zone increased consistently across seasons, coupled with a simultaneous vegetation expansion surrounding the core zone. The areas with increasing wetness levels account for 48 % during winter and spring, and the areas with vegetation expansion account for 81 % and 72 % in summer and autumn, respectively. (3) The wetland ecological health status recovered to a "Good" level in 2021 and has not reached the "Excellent" status. The expansion of the water body is the primary driver behind the promotion of wetland ecological recovery. Small water bodies within the area range of 0.05 to 0.1 km2 notably exhibited the most stimulating effects on the wetlands. Thus, increasing the count of smaller water bodies helps rehabilitate vegetation growth and mitigating the water supply's stress to sustain large lacustrine bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We reconstructed a complex wetland with nature-based solutions. • This eco-economic system was driven by renewable emergy flows and high exergy. • The mulberry-related industry provided good economic benefits. • The stable equilibria of the eco-economic coupling mode represented a state of synergistic symbiosis. Nature-based solutions (NBS) are effective approaches for solving ecological and economic problems related to wetland reconstruction, while emergy and exergy are well suited for evaluating reconstructed eco-economic systems. In this paper, we executed a wetland reconstruction project involving a mulberry-fir woodland and dike-pond complex (MFWDPC) with NBS in the water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), China. We evaluated the coupling mode of this eco-economic system by using emergy and exergy theories. After wetland reconstruction, the emergy density that entered the MFWDPC was 1.48E + 18 sej yr−1 hm−2, in which the naturally renewable flow accounted for 96.31 % of the emergy inflows, and the emergy sustainability index (ESI) for the eco-economic system was 708.88. The exergy and specific exergy were 2.41E + 14 j yr−1 and 2.08E + 08 j yr−1 kg−1, respectively, and the emergy/exergy ratio was 1.55E + 03 for the MFWDPC. In addition, mulberry trees with strong flooding tolerance provided good economic benefits due to the use of these plants in reconstructed eco-economic systems. Our study of NBS for wetland reconstruction helps in understanding the synergistic symbiosis between ecosystems and economic systems, thereby promoting the reconstruction of degraded wetlands in China and other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The extent of flooding in China is greater than in any other country. • Nearly 66% of China's landmass is submerged by flooding. • Financial toll of flooding accounts for approximately 1.42% of the annual GDP. • Various forms of climatic change contribute to flooding. The extent of flooding in China is more significant than in any other country. Our research reveals that approximately 66 % of China's landmass is submerged by flooding, affecting about 50 % of the population. Furthermore, the financial toll of flooding now accounts for approximately 1.42 % of the annual gross domestic product (GDP), which is almost 40 times higher than the corresponding figure for the United States. We have observed that Zhengzhou city in Henan province, which faced a devastating flood in 2021, received a significant amount of rainfall, specifically a total of 552.5 mm within a 24-hour period. The floods in Henan province in 2021 caused considerable damage, including impacting nearly 15 million people, resulting in almost 400 deaths, damaging over 10,000 square kilometers of agricultural land, causing almost $19 billion in economic losses, and leading to the collapse of over 35,000 households and damage to various properties. In a similar manner, the significant flooding that occurred in southern China in 2020 impacted approximately 7.1 million individuals across eight provinces and resulted in 54 fatalities, the collapse of 6,700 houses, and incurred a direct economic loss of US$3.33 billion. We found that rainstorms have significantly increased to 10 % in the last 60 years in China. In this paper, we delved into exploring the existing published articles, reports, and government and authoritative legal texts to analyze the causes and impacts of flooding in China's flood-prone regions and potential mitigation strategies to reduce the repercussions of distressing flood events. We believe this study will help policymakers by providing new insights while formulating policy to reduce the loss caused by high-level flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A composite index named GLCDES is developed to dynamically assess the level of Green Low-carbon Circular Development. • The combined-assignment VIKOR model based on game theory is developed to thoroughly estimate the construction level of GLCDES. • Southwest China's Green Low-carbon Circular Development Economic System construction level is examined from 2012 to 2021, showing how the long-side principle governs each region's value. • Selecting and strengthening the long side in combination with its reality is an effective way to improve the construction level of GLCDES. Emission peak and carbon neutrality are critical components of China's overall ecological civilization, and the establishment of a sound Green Low-carbon Circular Development Economic System (GLCDES) is a fundamental countermeasure for solving China's resource, environmental, and ecological problems. This paper used the new development concept as entry points to establish a comprehensive evaluation index system encompassing six subsystems: development dynamics, production and living systems, green benefits, low-carbon benefits, circularity benefits and socio-economic benefits. The combined-assignment VIKOR model, based on game theory, was used to thoroughly estimate the construction level of GLCDES by combining panel data from four southwestern provinces, including Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, from 2012 to 2021. The study discovered that: the construction level of GLCDES in all four southwestern provinces increased over the past ten years, but the increase was not significant, the four development effectiveness indices, including green, low-carbon, circularity and socio-economic, were significantly improved, the development dynamics index was not significantly enhanced, and the index of production and living systems declined in fluctuation from year to year. The construction level of GLCDES between regions was very uneven and can be divided into two echelons, with the gap between Chongqing and Guizhou being particularly obvious. Regions can be categorized into three major categories based on the number of dominant subsystems. According to the above results, the total value of the dynamic comprehensive evaluation of each region is governed by the principle of the long side, which is an effective way to improve the construction level of GLCDES by selecting and strengthening the long side in combination with its reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quantitatively describes the groundwater recharge process for lakes. • Constructed a model for the groundwater table-lake area relationship in groundwater-dependent lakes in arid regions. • Suggested a groundwater depth of 1.73 m to maintain stable lake area within the Hetao Irrigation District. • Constructed model can serve as an effective reference tool for groundwater management and the protection of lake ecosystems. The groundwater table constitutes a significant factor in sustaining the ecosystems of lakes in arid regions. To elucidate the mechanism by which variations in groundwater tables affect lake areas, this paper presents a case study of a typical groundwater-fed lake in China's Hetao Irrigation District. An analytical model correlating groundwater tables with lake areas was developed to simulate and predict the impact of changes in groundwater tables on lake areas. The findings indicate that the analytical model adeptly simulates the lake area dynamics of the groundwater-fed lake cluster (Taerhu lake cluster) from 1998 to 2018, achieving a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) value exceeding 0.6 and a root mean square error (RMSE) value below 0.1 square kilometers. Maintaining a groundwater depth at 1.73 m ensures the stability of the lake area; a decrease in groundwater depth to 1.93 m would result in a 79.5 % reduction in lake area. The model constructed in this study offers a crucial tool for the ecological protection of lakes and groundwater management in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]