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Introduction: The Yellow River Basin is an important national energy base and ecological protection area, and it is of great significance to promote the coordinated development of high-quality development and eco-environmental carrying capacity in the region. Methods: Taking the 73 prefecture-level cities along the Yellow River as the study unit, this paper measures the changes of high-quality development level and eco-environmental carrying capacity of municipalities from 2005 to 2020, using the coupling coordination degree model and fuzzy logic algorithm. Results and discussion: 1) The capital city and its surrounding cities have a high level of high-quality development, with the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River having higher levels than the upper reaches. From 2005 to 2020, the level of high-quality development showed an upward trend. 2) The eco-environmental carrying capacity of cities in the lower reaches is higher than that in the upper reaches. From 2005 to 2020, the eco-environmental carrying capacity of cities in the lower reaches of the Yellow River increased first and then decreased. 3) The provincial capital cities have a high degree of coupling coordination, with cities in the lower reaches having a higher level than those in the middle and upper reaches. A high degree of coupling coordination reduces spatial differences, but dominated by primary coordination. 4) From 2005 to 2020, the eco-environmental carrying capacity tended to be coordinated with the high-quality development, close to a high level and system optimization. In the end, we conclude with policy recommendations to promote high-quality urban development and harmony between people and nature in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources are crucial for the development of ecosystems and humanity. The Yellow River Basin (YRB), as an important ecological area in China, is facing significant challenges in ecological protection and high-quality development due to global climate change and intense human activities. In order to alleviate the water resources crisis in the YRB, it is necessary to calculate the resilience of the water resources system and identify the main influencing factors. This paper considered the factors of water resources, social economy, and ecological environment, then constructed an evaluation framework of the water resources system resilience (WRSR) from three aspects: resistance, restoration, and adaptability. Taking nine provinces along the YRB as a case study, the WRSR was measured by using the entropy weight TOPSIS model, and its driving factors were analyzed with Geographical Detectors (GD). The results showed that: (1) From 2010 to 2022, the WRSR in the Yellow River Basin and various provinces was showing a fluctuating increasing trend, in which Ningxia had the highest average WRSR (0.646), while Shanxi had the lowest (0.168). (2) From three dimensions, the development trends of resistance, restoration, and adaptability in the YRB and various provinces from 2010 to 2022 were relatively stable. Shandong's resistance level far exceeded that of other provinces, having the highest average resistance value (0.692), and Ningxia had the highest average value of restoration (0.827) and adaptability (0.711). However, Gansu had the lowest average value of resistance (0.119), Sichuan had the lowest average value of restoration (0.097), and Shandong had the lowest average value of adaptability (0.110). (3) In terms of impact factors, the development and utilization rate of water resources (C13) and the development and utilization rate of surface water resources (C14) in the restoration subsystem consistently ranked in the top two of influencing factors. Similarly, the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP (C26) in the adaptability subsystem consistently ranked within the top ten. On the other hand, the natural population growth rate (C6) in the resistance subsystem, as well as the impact of ammonia nitrogen emissions (C9) and total precipitation (C2) in wastewater, exhibited an upward trend. Based on these, this paper provides relevant suggestions for improving the WRSR in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uneven distribution of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) continuous stations in the Yellow River Basin, combined with the sparse distribution of GNSS continuous stations in some regions and the weak far-field load signals, poses challenges in using GNSS vertical displacement data to invert terrestrial water storage changes (TWSCs). To achieve the inversion of water reserves in the Yellow River Basin using unevenly distributed GNSS continuous station data, in this study, we employed the Tikhonov regularization method to invert the terrestrial water storage (TWS) in the Yellow River Basin using vertical displacement data from network engineering and the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) GNSS continuous stations from 2011 to 2022. In addition, we applied an inverse distance weighting smoothing factor, which was designed to account for the GNSS station distribution density, to smooth the inversion results. Consequently, a gridded product of the TWS in the Yellow River Basin with a spatial resolution of 0.5 degrees on a daily scale was obtained. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a correlation analysis was conducted between the inversion results and the daily TWS from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.68, indicating a strong correlation, which verifies the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper. Based on the inversion results, we analyzed the spatial–temporal distribution trends and patterns in the Yellow River Basin and found that the average TWS decreased at a rate of 0.027 mm/d from 2011 to 2017, and then increased at a rate of 0.010 mm/d from 2017 to 2022. The TWS decreased from the lower-middle to lower reaches, while it increased from the upper-middle to upper reaches. Furthermore, an attribution analysis of the terrestrial water storage changes in the Yellow River Basin was conducted, and the correlation coefficients between the monthly average water storage changes inverted from the results and the monthly average precipitation, evapotranspiration, and surface temperature (AvgSurfT) from the GLDAS were 0.63, −0.65, and −0.69, respectively. This indicates that precipitation, evapotranspiration, and surface temperature were significant factors affecting the TWSCs in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences is the property of Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arid Land Geography is the property of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Yellow River, a critical water resource, faces challenges stemming from increasing water demand, which has led to detrimental effects on hydropower generation and ecological balance. This paper will address the complex task of balancing the interests of hydropower generation, water supply, and ecology within the context of cascade reservoirs, specifically Longyangxia and Liujiaxia reservoirs. Employing a systemic coupling coordination approach, we constructed a multi-objective synergetic model of the upper Yellow River in order to explore synergies and competitions among multiple objectives. The results reveal that there is a weak competitive relationship between hydropower generation and water supply, a strong synergy between hydropower generation and ecology, and a strong competitive relationship between water supply and ecology. The Pareto solution set analysis indicates a considerable percentage (59%, 20%, and 8% in wet, normal, and dry years, respectively) exhibiting excellent coordination. The probability of excellent coordination decreases with diminishing inflow. The optimization scheme with the highest coupling coordination demonstrates significant improvements in power generation, water supply, and ecological benefits in the upper Yellow River without compromising other objectives, fostering the sustainable operation of hydropower generation, water supply, and ecology in the upper Yellow River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the sustainable development of resource-based cities is of great significance for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. In order to solve the dilemma of the sustainable development of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin, this paper constructs an ecological security evaluation system. It calculates the ecological security level of 30 resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2006 to 2020 using the TOPSIS model and carries out a classification convergence analysis. The DID empirical test of ecological security factors by sustainable development planning policies is used to distinguish the development characteristics of different resource-based cities. The results show that (1) the ecological security level of resource cities in the Yellow River Basin is generally well developed, and there are differences between different types of resource cities; (2) the resource cities in the Yellow River Basin mainly rely on industrial transformation to improve the ecological security level; and (3) the local governments pay limited attention to environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water market development in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) unfolds new opportunities for alleviating water scarcity and improving water productivity. However, the further development of an effective water market in the basin faces challenges such as unclear water rights, regulatory deficiencies, market deficiencies, and insufficient compensation to third-parties, among others. Studying water market development in Western countries provides useful insights for addressing similar challenges, thus providing useful case studies despite the different cultural, economic, institutional, and political settings. This paper investigates water markets in the Murray–Darling Basin in Australia, the western United States, and Chile to synthesize cases of water market development that could potentially contribute to overcoming the challenges encountered in the YRB. After analyzing these cases, recommendations are made for enhancing the YRB's water market development from the perspectives of water rights systems, as well as the roles of the government and market, legal system, and third-party effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arid Land Geography is the property of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Climate change has become an unavoidable problem in achieving sustainable development. As one of the major industries worldwide, tourism can make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change. The main objective of the paper is to assess the development level of low-carbon tourism from multi-aspect, using the Yellow River Basin as an example. Firstly, this study quantified tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy, and analyzed their evolution characteristics. The interaction and coordination degree between tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy were then analyzed using the improved coupling coordination degree model. Finally, this study analyzed the change in total factor productivity of low-carbon tourism by calculating the Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index. The results showed that: (1) the tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin has the characteristics of the initial environmental Kuznets curve. (2) There was a strong interaction between tourism carbon dioxide emissions and tourism economy, which was manifested as mutual promotion. (3) The total factor productivity of low-carbon tourism was increasing. Based on the above results, it could be concluded that the development level of low-carbon tourism in the Yellow River Basin has been continuously improved from 2000 to 2019, but it is still in the early development stage with the continuous growth of carbon dioxide emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Yellow River is the property of Editorial Board of Yellow River and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to provide theoretical support and decision-making basis for improving the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin and promoting the transformation and building industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin, the panel data of nine provinces (regions) in the Yellow River Basin from 2012 to 2021 were used to calculate the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin by using entropy weight-TOPSIS model. The differences were analyzed from spatial distribution, temporal characteristics and provincial levels, and the obstacle factor diagnosis model was used to explore the main obstacle factors affecting the green industrial development in the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin shows an over- all upward trend from 2012 to 2021, with the value increasing from 0.378 in 2012 to 0.498 in 2021. The main obstacles to green industrial development in the Yellow River Basin are industrial environmental control and industrial innovation. The main obstacle factors are the proportion of industrial pollution investment in industrial added value, industrial labor productivity, the proportion of industrial wastewater treatment funds in industrial pollution control investment, the number of valid invention patents per household of industrial enterprises above designated size, and the level of innovation capital investment. Finally, the paper put forward some suggestions to improve the level of industrial green development in the Yellow River Basin from three aspects of optimizing industrial structure, strengthening environmental governance and building green innovation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By exploring the coupling and coordination relationship between high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment in the Yellow River Basin, and providing scientific reference for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Ba- sin, this paper took nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin as the research object, and based on the panel data from 2012 to 2020, adopted the entropy value method, coupling coordination degree, spatial autocorrelation and spatial econometric model to study the coupling and coordination characteristics of high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment, and analyzed the spatial and temporal pattern evolution and driving factors of the coupling and coordination degree between them. The results show that the high-quality development level of agriculture and the ecological environment level in the Yellow River Basin are both on the rise, the regional pattern of the former is mainly "high in the upper and lower reaches and low in the middle reaches". The regional pattern of the latter is mainly "high in the middle and lower reaches and low in the upper reaches". The degree of coupling coordination between high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment is at a relatively low level, higher coupling coordination in the downstream than that of the middle and upper stream, there is a significant spatial agglomeration effect. Scientific and technological innovation and agricultural products trade play a significant role in the coupling and coordination level of high-quality agricultural development and ecological environment in the province (autonomous region), environmental regulation, scientific and technological innovation and agricultural trade have a significant positive space spillover effect, however, the spatial influence degree of each factor is different. In order to promote the improvement of coupling and coordination degree, the following suggestions are put forward; formulating development strategies in accordance with local conditions, strengthening interregional coordination and cooperation, and correctly playing the role of government and market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quantitatively evaluate the impact of inter-industry water rights transfer on economy and society in the main stream of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia, the paper analyzed the impact of water rights transfer on agriculture, and the impact of water rights transfer on water use, production and operation, annual income, people's livelihood and economy of all industrial enterprises. The results show that the transfer of inter-industry water rights in the main stream of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia in 2019-2021 has driven the total investment of industrial projects to 599.58 billion Yuan, created 122 145 new jobs, the gross regional product is 44.709 billion Yuan, the industrial added value is 238.821 billion Yuan, the annual tax revenue is 19.47 billion Yuan, the newly paved road area is 13.161 7 million km², and the new green area is 30.995 million km². The agricultural output value and farmers' income have been significantly increased, local livelihood issues have been effectively solved, and ecological protection and social and economic development along the Yellow River have been promoted. The transfer of water rights between industries in the main stream of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia has alleviated the bottleneck of water resources of industrial enterprises along the Yellow River, realized the multi-win of farmers' production increase, economic efficiency increase and ecological restoration, and provided strong support for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to promote the implementation of the action of deep water saving and control in the Yellow River Basin and improve the level of intensive utilization of water resources in Shaanxi Province, this paper discussed the definition of deep water saving, using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to establish the evaluation index system of deep water saving level, evaluated the deep water saving level of cities in the Yellow River Basin of Shaanxi Province, put forward the existing problems and countermeasures, and calculated the deep water saving potential according to the deep water saving goal, which had theoretical support for the implementation of deep water saving in Shaanxi Province. The results show that in the current year, the level of deep water saving in Xi'an, Xianyang, Yan'an, Tongchuan, Baoji, Hancheng, Yangling, Yulin, Shangluo and Xixian New District is strong, and the level of deep water saving in Weinan is general. The deep water saving potential of the Yellow River Basin in Shaanxi Province during the 14th Five-Year Plan period is 323.9 million m³, which can increase the water saving potential of 82.7 million m³ compared with the general water saving situation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quantify trade-associated virtual water flows and evaluate their impact on regional water systems, this paper used the multi-region input-output model to reveal the pattern and structure of the virtual water trade inside and outsided of the Yellow River Basin in 2012,2015 and 2017 and used LMDI method to analyze the impact of the virtual water net output of the watershed relative to others, and used the QAP model to analyze the impact factors of the virtual water trade among provinces within the watershed. The results show that a) the Yellow River Basin as a whole presents a virtual water net input state, but the Yellow River Basin net exports virtual water to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and other 12 regions. b) The virtual water trade export industry is mainly the production and supply of agriculture, electricity, gas and water. c) Structure effect and intensity effect are important driving factors of virtual water net output in the watershed. d) QAP regression outcomes prove that economic development level, geographic distance and water use intensity differences are the main factors affecting the virtual water trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive finance is an important way to promote farmers’ income increase and adjust farmers’ income structure. This paper uses the panel data of the Yellow River basin from 2011 to 2020 to explore the impact of inclusive finance on the income structure of farmers. The results show that:①The total inclusive financial index has a significant positive impact on the income of rural residents and income from all sources in the whole and all regions of the Yellow River basin, but only has a negative impact on property income in the upstream region, but the negative impact is not significant. ②The inclusive financial coverage index has a significant positive impact on the income of rural residents and income from all sources in the whole and all regions of the Yellow River basin, a significant negative impact on the income of downstream households, and a significant negative impact on downstream property income. ③The depth index of inclusive financial use has a significant positive impact on the per capita net income of rural households and the net income of household management in the whole Yellow River basin, but has no significant positive impact on wage income, while property income and transfer income have a significant negative impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the provincial panel data of the Yellow River basin from 2011 to 2020, this paper first calculates the agricultural modernization level of the Yellow River basin using entropy method, and then uses OLS model to empirically analyze the impact of agricultural scientific and technological innovation investment and agricultural modernization in the basin. The results show that:①The average agricultural modernization index of the Yellow River basin is 0. 399, which is in the initial stage, and shows an upward trend in 2011-2018; However, the decline occurred in 2018-2020, which cast a shadow on the development of agricultural modernization in the Yellow River basin. In all regions, the average value of the comprehensive index of agricultural modernization development in the downstream is significantly higher than that in the middle and upstream, and the development index in the upstream is the lowest. Among the provinces and autonomous regions, the average comprehensive development index of agricultural modernization in Shandong Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Henan Province is higher than that in other provinces (regions), while the average comprehensive development index of Gansu Province is the lowest. ②The scale of investment in agricultural scientific research has a significant positive impact on the overall and downstream agricultural modernization development of the Yellow River basin, and a significant negative impact on the upstream and midstream; The investment intensity of agricultural research funds has a significant positive impact on the development of agricultural modernization in the Yellow River basin, the upper and middle reaches, and a significant negative impact on the lower reaches; The impact of human investment in agricultural research on agricultural modernization in the Yellow River basin and the upper, middle and lower reaches is significantly positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide reference for the institutional construction of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, from a methodological perspective, this paper analyzed the new institutional construction needs for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, and the contradiction of the overall requirements of basin governance between fragmented management in reality. On the premise of adhering to ecological priority and green development, and implementing tailored and classified policies, the above issues could be solved by finding the smallest tool unit that covered both ecological protection and high-quality development. Green credit is the minimum common multiple between ecological protection and high-quality development. Establishing a green credit system through laws, regulations and policy regulations is a necessary foundation and logical starting point for basin collaborative governance. Yellow River Conservancy Commission and the nine provinces (regions) in the Yellow River Basin can, in accordance with higher-level laws and relevant policies such as the Yellow River Protection Law, promptly introduce operational norms applicable to the basin and region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of carbon budget and carbon compensation zoning is of great significance in formulating strategies to adapt to the low-carbon development of each region, promoting synergistic management of regional ecological environment, and realizing high-quality develop‐ ment. This paper takes 56 municipal units in the Yellow River Basin as the study area, and by constructing a conceptual structure of carbon income and expenditure as well as carbon compensation zoning of the cities in the basin, it studies the spatio-temporal differentiation law of carbon income and expenditure as well as carbon compensation zoning of the urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin by using methods such as the centralization index and the location-con‐ strained multivariate spatial clustering, and then it provides constructive theoretical solutions for the low-carbon development strategy in the process of urbanization. The study shows that: (1) the cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020 are characterized by obvious geographical differentiation of carbon expenditure and revenue, specifically, the carbon expenditure and revenue centralization index of the study area fluctuates up and down around the warning line of 0. 4, and the overall curve shows an obvious fluctuating upward trend. (2) The spatial and temporal variation of carbon income and expenditure among cities in the Yellow River Basin is remarkable, and the data show that carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin show a structure of "low in the west and high in the east and central parts of the country", with the high-value centres in Gansu, Shaanxi and Shandong provinces in 2000, and then the number of high-value areas of carbon emissions has increased year by year, while at the same time, the absorptive capacity of carbon sinks in each city is roughly equal. (3) Based on the framework of carbon offset zoning, the study area is divided into five types of carbon offset spatial optimization zones, and suggestions are made for green and low-carbon development planning in different types of zones. (4) In the future, the study will refine the spatial scale of the study area, explore the balance of carbon budget and carbon compensation of smaller units, and strive to explore the optimization of the green and low-carbon development mode of small areas, so that the energy conservation and emission reduction and green development of small areas can lead the cities in the region to achieve the dual-carbon goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the provincial panel data of the Yellow River basin from 2011 to 2020, this paper uses the entropy weight method to evaluate the overall and regional agricultural green development level of the Yellow River basin from four aspects of resource utilization, environmental impact, ecological conservation and economic benefits, and carries out regional difference analysis. The results show that: ① The overall agricultural green development level of the Yellow River basin is not high and shows an overall upward trend, only in 2018 did it decrease. From the perspective of classification indicators, the scores of each classification indicator are quite different. The score of resource utilization is the highest, the score of environmental impact is the lowest, and the score of ecological conservation and economic benefits is lower than that of resource utilization, but the difference between the three is not significant. ② The average comprehensive score of agricultural green development level in the downstream region is the highest, followed by the middle reaches, and the lowest in the upstream region. From the perspective of development trend, the upstream region shows an overall upward trend during the sample period, but there are still fluctuations. Although the average score of agricultural green development level in the relatively stable downstream region is the highest, the volatility of its development trend is significantly greater than that in the upstream and midstream regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide scientific and technological support for the implementation of major national strategies for ecological protection and high-quality development and rural revitalization in the Yellow River Basin, this paper systematically summarized the research results, key technologies and typical models of the coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy in the Yellow River Basin over the years, analyzed the current existing and outstanding issues, and put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions. Over the years, various regions in the Yellow River Basin have explored a variety of coordinated development models of ecological governance and ecological economy for serious soil erosion. It includes the comprehensive ecological and economic management model with high adaptability of soil and water conservation-geomorphology-ecological economy, the ecological agriculture economic model of soil and water conservation, the integrated development model of soil and water conservation and ecological economy in wind-sand area, the coordinated development model of ecological management and derivative industries in Pisha sandstone area, the virtuous cycle model of rural energy ecology in semi-arid areas, and the governance model of ecological and economic belt of soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau. At present, the existing outstanding issues include the concept of coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy is weak, the synergy between the two is not high, the space for coupling and coordination is unbalanced, and the development model has a single structure and low scale efficiency. The suggestions: To innovate the theory and key technologies of coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy; To establish a diversified investment mechanism, create a new model of coordinated development of ecological governance and economy and its production and industrial system with the goal of high-quality development, and explore the promotion mechanism and model of “full trust and full chain”; To build an appropriate technical system, industrial system, management system and talent support system; To establish a pilot demonstration county for the coordinated development of ecological governance and ecological economy, lead and optimize the coordinated development of regional modern ecological governance and economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the sustainable utilization level of water resources in the nine provinces (autonomous regions) of the Yellow River Basin, improve the status of water resources and realize the sustainable utilization of regional water resources, this paper proposed a comprehensive evaluation index of sustainable utilization of water resources suitable for the nine provinces (autonomous regions) of the Yellow River Basin based on the water footprint model. Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the driving factors of sustainable water resources utilization in the nine provinces of the Yellow River Basin. The results show that the water resources footprint of the nine provinces (autonomous regions) in the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2020 increases first and then decreases in a small amplitude, and the water environment footprint shows a decreasing trend, and the spatial distribution of water resources footprint and water environment footprint is very uneven. In the nine provinces (autonomous regions) of the Yellow River Basin, the level of sustainable utilization of water resources has increased to different degrees. The level of sustainable utilization of water resources in the upstream provinces (autonomous regions) is higher, while the level of sustainable utilization in the middle and downstream provinces (autonomous regions) is lower. The main driving factors of sustainable water resources use are population density, wastewater treatment rate and the proportion of secondary industry, followed by per capita water consumption and fertilizer application intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the dynamic evolution and regional differences of quaternity cooperation of water resources-ecology-city-industry in the Yellow River Basin, the paper adopted the synergy model, kernel density estimation, Dagum gini coefficient and its decomposition to estimate it based on the data of 76 major prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2016 to 2020. The results show that the number of cities in primary, intermediate and good coordination is 30, 33 and 13 respectively. The level of synergy among cities is on the rise, but the absolute difference between cities is expanding and the relative difference is narrowing. except for Hu-Bao-E-Yu urban agglomeration, the absolute difference of the coordination degree of the other six urban agglomerations all shows an expanding trend. The internal differences between the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River show a downward trend, while the internal differences in the middle reaches show an upward trend. The difference between the upper and middle reaches is the largest, and it shows a further expansion trend, and the difference between the upper and lower reaches is gradually narrowing. The difference in Hu-Bao-E-Yu urban agglomeration is the smallest and the difference in Guanzhong urban agglomeration is the largest. The difference between Guanzhong urban agglomeration and Shandong peninsula urban agglomeration is the smallest, and the difference between Jinzhong urban agglomeration and Shandong peninsula urban agglomeration is the largest. In the future, we should further strengthen factor coordination and regional coordination, give play to the dynamic comparative advantages of various regions, and promote the in-depth implementation of ecological protection and high-quality development strategies according to local conditions in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between water resources utilization and urban development in urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin is the key to the high-quality development of urban agglomerations in the basin. There is an urgent need to explore the coupling and coordination relationship between the two under the sustainable development goals, and provide new ideas for exploring the collaborative mechanism of ecological protection and high-quality development of urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin. Taking 72 cities and five urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin as examples, this paper established an analysis framework for the coupling of water footprint and city development index in 2010-2019 according to the sustainable development goal proposed by the United Nations and the difference of water resources utilization. The Theil variation index method was used to evaluate the spatial differences in coupling coordination results. The results show that the water footprint is decreasing year by year and the city development index is increasing year by year. The coupling relationship between water footprint and city development index is in an unstable state of “rising-falling-rising”. The difference in the level of urban water resources utilization within the urban agglomeration is the main reason for the difference in the level of development, and there are significant differences in the coordination relationship between water resources utilization and urban development in different urban agglomeration development stages. It suggested to build a trans-regional water resources co-governance system, give full play to the regulatory role of public water resources policies in urban agglomerations, and systematically plan the safety pattern of aquatic environment protection and water resources development and utilization among urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing carbon productivity is an effective means to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality. To coordinate the relationship between economic growth and carbon emissions reduction in the Yellow River Basin, the carbon productivity of 9 provinces（regions） in the Yellow River Basin from 2007 to 2017 is calculated. Based on DEA-Malmquist’s total factor carbon productivity model, the spatiotemporal evolution trajectory and spatial distribution pattern of total factor carbon productivity of 9 provinces（regions） is deduced. The potential improvement space of total factor carbon productivity is scientifically decomposed and the influencing factors of the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon productivity is identified. Based on this, the improvement path of carbon productivity in the Yellow River Basin is condensed. The results show that, 1) in the time dimension, the carbon productivity of 9 provinces（regions） rise steadily with the growth of per capita GDP,an increase of 283.3%, while the total factor carbon productivity remains at around 1.000. 2) In the spatial dimension, the regional heterogeneity of carbon productivity and total factor carbon productivity is relatively large affected by economic development and resource endowments, showing a spatial evolution pattern of “downstream significantly higher than midstream, and midstream slightly higher than upstream”. 3) From the point of influencing factors, the midstream and upstream belong to technical efficiency-driven, the role of technological progress is weak, while the downstream is a co-promotion type of technological progress and technological efficiency. Based on this, this paper proposes strategic suggestions such as innovating institutional mechanisms, promoting low-carbon development models, focusing on lowcarbon technology innovation, accelerating energy structure adjustment, strengthening regional integration cooperation, and improving factor allocation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to clarify the current situation of digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, explore the coupling coordination and interaction between these two aspects and provide a reference for implementing ecological protection and high-quality development strategies in the Yellow River Basin, the interactive mechanism between digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin was analyzed theoretically. Based on the panel data 2011 to 2020, a total of 64 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin were selected. This paper measured the development level of the digital economy and high-quality development level, empirically examined the coupling coordination relationship between these two dimensions by using coupling coordination degree model and explored the interactive relationship between the two through a PVAR model. The results of the study show that a) the development level of the digital economy in the Yellow River Basin has shown improvement during the research period, however, it remains generally lower with significant regional differences, which forms a circle distribution pattern with Jinan, Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Taiyuan and Hohhot as the core cities, and has the spatial distribution characteristics of high in the east and low in the west. b) The imbalance of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin is prominent, characterized by the polarization and a distinct circle structure. This has resulted in the formation of a high-value area with Jinan, Zhengzhou, Taiyuan, Xi’an, Lanzhou and other provincial capitals as the core cities. c) The coupling coordination degree between the digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin has been increasing annually, but the overall coordination level remains insufficient. The current implementation only achieves the transition from the mild imbalance to near imbalance levels, and the coordination degree also illustrates a pattern of lower reaches＞middle reaches＞upper reaches. d) Both the digital economy and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin are characterized by self-reliance. High-quality development plays a significant role in promoting the digital economy, while the role of the digital economy in enhancing high-quality development needs to be reinforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating the enhancement of green technology innovation competitiveness is an inevitable requirement for achieving high-quality development in Yellow River Basin. Building upon a systematic evaluation of the green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin from 2009 to 2020, using vertically and horizontally opening grade method, an in-depth analysis of its spatiotemporal distribution pattern and dynamic evolution features was further conducted through the utilization of kernel density estimation and spatial Markov chain; additionally, an obstacle degree model was employed to analyze the main factors hindering the improvement of green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin. The results show that the overall development of green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin exhibits a “W”-shaped trend with four stages, including decline period, ascendancy period, re-decline period, and revitalization period; the absolute differences in green technology innovation competitiveness between regions have diminished, yet a significant gradient development characteristic persists, with competitiveness increasing successively from upstream to downstream. There is a transfer inertia of green technology innovation competitiveness between different levels in Yellow River Basin; regions with low competitiveness face severe grade barriers, while regions with high competitiveness exhibit a club convergence phenomenon; under spatial effects, the probability of grade locking in the transfer of green technology innovation competitiveness decreases, but cross-level transitions remain elusive. The obstacles to green technology innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin mainly manifest in the aspects of inadequate green development and outcome transformation; factors such as unit GDP energy consumption, energy consumption structure, energy consumption, openness, and the number of green technological papers published are identified as the primary impediments to the enhancement of green technological innovation competitiveness in Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an essential way to enhance farmers’ self-development ability, off-farm employment plays an indispensable role in farmers’ multidimensional poverty reduction in many countries. Employing a survey of 1926 farmers in five provinces of the Yellow River Basin in China, this paper examined the multi-dimensional poverty reduction effect of off-farm employment and the heterogeneous influence of different dimensions of off-farm employment (modes, levels, distances and frequency). The results showed that (1) although absolute poverty in the income dimension was largely eliminated in the Yellow River Basin, the poverty in social resources, transportation facilities, employment security were the key bottlenecks restricting farmers’ self-development. (2) The province with the best multidimensional poverty reduction effect for non-farm employment was Shaanxi, with the largest contribution to employment security. (3) Improving off-farm employment level, distance and time can significantly alleviate the multi-dimensional poverty of farmers. Therefore, to lessen the multi-dimensional poverty of farmers in the Yellow River Basin, it is necessary to focus on the governance of multi-dimensional key poverty-stricken areas, such as the middle and upper courses of the Yellow River, adopting multidimensional poverty alleviation strategy of off-farm employment according to local conditions, working on the farmers’ deficiencies in social resources, mobility, employment security, and deepening the effect of off-farm employment on benefiting farmers and helping the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy (DIE), a new economic form with digitalization at its core, has become an important driving force for promoting regional economy development. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the impact path of the DIE on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) is conducive to giving full play to the "carbon-reduction-and-efficiency-enhancement" role of the DIE, and to promoting the realization the "dual carbon" goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. In this paper, the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) are taken as study areas, the panel Tobit model is used to explore the impact of the DIE on CEE, and the intermediary-effect model and threshold-effect model are constructed to test the intermediary and threshold effects of technological innovation, respectively. The results show that the DIE has a U-shaped nonlinear impact on CEE in both the YRB and the YREB and that the impact has regional heterogeneity. Technological innovation can play a mediating effect between the DIE and CEE, whereas the mediating effect in the YRB is stronger than that in the YREB. Technological innovation has a threshold effect on the DIE to improve CEE, while the threshold value in the YREB is higher than that in the YRB. Furthermore, this paper proposes some suggestions to guide regional low-carbon and sustainable development. Impact path of digital economy (DIE) on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). [Display omitted] • The Super-SBM model is used to evaluate the urban carbon emission efficiency (CEE), and the entropy weight method is used to evaluate the development level of urban digital economy (DIE). • The DIE has a U-shaped nonlinear impact on CEE in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) and the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). • The intermediary model and threshold model are used to test the intermediary effect and threshold effect of technological innovation between DIE and CEE. • Technological innovation can play a mediating effect between DIE and CEE, whereas the mediating effect in the YRB is stronger than that in the YREB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources are crucial for the development of ecosystems and humanity. The Yellow River Basin (YRB), as an important ecological area in China, is facing significant challenges in ecological protection and high-quality development due to global climate change and intense human activities. In order to alleviate the water resources crisis in the YRB, it is necessary to calculate the resilience of the water resources system and identify the main influencing factors. This paper considered the factors of water resources, social economy, and ecological environment, then constructed an evaluation framework of the water resources system resilience (WRSR) from three aspects: resistance, restoration, and adaptability. Taking nine provinces along the YRB as a case study, the WRSR was measured by using the entropy weight TOPSIS model, and its driving factors were analyzed with Geographical Detectors (GD). The results showed that: (1) From 2010 to 2022, the WRSR in the Yellow River Basin and various provinces was showing a fluctuating increasing trend, in which Ningxia had the highest average WRSR (0.646), while Shanxi had the lowest (0.168). (2) From three dimensions, the development trends of resistance, restoration, and adaptability in the YRB and various provinces from 2010 to 2022 were relatively stable. Shandong’s resistance level far exceeded that of other provinces, having the highest average resistance value (0.692), and Ningxia had the highest average value of restoration (0.827) and adaptability (0.711). However, Gansu had the lowest average value of resistance (0.119), Sichuan had the lowest average value of restoration (0.097), and Shandong had the lowest average value of adaptability (0.110). (3) In terms of impact factors, the development and utilization rate of water resources (C13) and the development and utilization rate of surface water resources (C14) in the restoration subsystem consistently ranked in the top two of influencing factors. Similarly, the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP (C26) in the adaptability subsystem consistently ranked within the top ten. On the other hand, the natural population growth rate (C6) in the resistance subsystem, as well as the impact of ammonia nitrogen emissions (C9) and total precipitation (C2) in wastewater, exhibited an upward trend. Based on these, this paper provides relevant suggestions for improving the WRSR in the YRB.

Examining the interplay among water-energy-environment-economy in the Yellow River Basin holds paramount importance for ecological conservation and fostering the high-quality advancement in this region. This research establishes a theoretical framework for understanding the water-energy-environment-economy interplay and proposes a comprehensive evaluation index system targeting for holistic development of the water-energy-environment-economy system. Analyzing data from 57 cities in the Yellow River Basin in 2002–2022, this research employes the coupling coordination model, spatial autocorrelation model, and obstacle model for in-depth analysis. The findings indicate: (1) The overall development of water-energy-environment-economy in the Yellow River Basin demonstrates a steady upward trajectory, with distinct evolution patterns in each subsystem. (2) The coupling coordination degree in water-energy-environment-economy exhibits a gradual improvement, with the coupling coordination values showing the sequence of Lower reaches > Upper reaches > Total average > Middle reaches. (3) Coupling coordination degree reveals a spatial pattern of high values in peripheries and lower values in the central areas, suggesting a certain spatial agglomeration. (4) Water resources per capita emerges as the primary obstacle factor in the Yellow River Basin, with its obstacle degree on the rise. Building upon these insights, the paper presents targeted policy recommendations. • A theoretical framework for relationship among water, energy, environment, and economy is built. • Coupling coordination degree of WEEE in the YRB was evaluated. • Spatiotemporal evolution of WEEE coupling coordination was analyzed. • Obstacle factors of WEEE were identified in the YRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developed a method to assess synergy and competition in water-energy-food systems. • Energy and food industries face intense competition for water in the Yellow River Basin. • Considering water quality exacerbates competition for water between food and energy and diminishes synergy. • Resource endowment and technological level have significant impact on the degree of competition. Water, as an indispensable component of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, plays a pivotal role in shaping its stability and safety. The competition for water between the food and energy systems is accentuated in the concept of the nexus. However, existing quantitative frameworks and assessment mechanisms have limitations as they often neglect to consider water quality in water competition within the WEF nexus. Therefore, a WEF nexus synergy and competition assessment method was proposed by coupling water footprint theory and the Lotka-Volterra model in this paper. This method establishes two scenarios based on the water footprint perspective, namely, water quantity and water quality-quantity. It effectively addresses the deficiencies in quantitative analysis of WEF system trade-offs and synergies. To illustrate the application of the method, this study conducted a case study in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) of China, evaluating the complex competitive and synergistic mechanisms of water use in the energy and food industries. Compared to the water quantity scenario, the results reveals that the inclusion of gray water footprint intensifies the competition for water in the food and energy industries in the YRB from 2000 to 2020, particularly in resource-based and economically developed cities. The spatial distribution characteristics of water resource competition and synergy in the YRB's WEF system align with WEF endowment and economic technology levels. To address water conflicts in the WEF nexus and enhance nexus security, this study proposes a regulatory pathway for WEF system synergistic security based on two aspects (water competition and synergy characteristics and resource endowment). It contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of water competition and synergy in the WEF nexus and provides valuable insights for resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introductions: Since the reform and opening up, the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) has provided a steady stream of capital, technology, talent and other resources for the development of the Yellow River basin, while caused problems such as environmental pollution, ecological fragility and industrial structure upgrading difficulties to some extent. Environmental regulation is a pivotal initiative to achieve mutual harmony between ecological environment and economic development, which could enhance the quality of the introduction of FDI and accelerate the green transformation of the development mode. Methods: Based on urban panel data from 2006-2019, this study empirically examined the impact of FDI and environmental regulation on industrial structure upgrading in the Yellow River Basin. Moreover, taking environmental regulation as a threshold variable, a panel threshold model was established to further explore the role of environmental regulation in the impact of FDI on industrial structure upgrading in the Yellow River Basin. Results: (1) The relationship between FDI and industrial structure upgrading in the Yellow River Basin is not a simple linear relationship, but an inverted "U"-shaped relationship that rises first and then falls, and the results of this inverted "U"-shaped relationship are still robust after replacing key indicators. (2) The environmental regulation policy has a driving effect on the upgrading of industrial structure in the Yellow River Basin. (3) Environmental regulation has a positive role in the influence of FDI on the industrial structure upgrading in the Yellow River basin, and the positive role increases gradually as the intensity of environmental regulation increases moderately, but if the intensity of environmental regulation is too high, it will have a negative impact on the upgrading of industrial structure in the Yellow River basin to some extent. Discussion: In the future, policymakers should make reasonable and effective use of FDI and improve the quality of FDI; reasonably formulate environmental regulation policies; coordinate the intensity of FDI and environmental regulation; thus, bring into play the promotion effect of FDI and environmental regulation on industrial structure upgrading, and then realize the win-win of ecological protection and high-quality economic development in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectively and accurately identifying the spatial structure and protection scope of intangible cultural heritage and constructing intangible cultural heritage corridors are crucial for the comprehensive systematic protection of intangible cultural heritage and the synergistic development of the region. However, the current research on intangible cultural heritage is limited to the protection and development of intangible cultural heritage in specific locations or specific areas. Thus, systematic and holistic research perspectives are relatively limited. Therefore, this study employs geographic information system spatial analysis and the minimum cumulative resistance model to construct an intangible cultural heritage corridor in the Yellow River Basin. This study aims to establish a systematic protection method and framework for intangible cultural heritage. The results show the following: (1) The intangible cultural heritage in the Yellow River Basin has a large-scale centralized distribution and small-scale scattered distribution, which provides an important spatial basis for the construction of intangible cultural heritage corridors. (2) Overall, intangible cultural heritage corridors can be more effectively constructed in the eastern region of the Yellow River Basin than in the western region, with 84.6% of the area being suitable and 15.4% being unsuitable. (3) Based on the suitability analysis, the "18 + N" corridor system of intangible cultural heritage in the Yellow River Basin, distributed across the eastern, central and southern regions, is constructed. The major corridor has a suitable width of 60–100 km, a total length of 11,935 km, and an area of 625,976 km2–919,942 km2, and can connect 634–711 intangible cultural heritage sites in series. On this basis, this study proposes a multilevel construction system for intangible cultural heritage corridors in the Yellow River Basin that integrates the "network structure–spatial scope" and "element–axis–region" levels. This approach culminates in a pattern of intangible cultural heritage protection and development in the Yellow River Basin characterized by "connecting points into lines, distributing in groups, and linking regions." This study reveals that combining geographic information system spatial analysis tools with a minimum cumulative resistance model effectively identifies potential heritage corridor networks and clarifies the hierarchical relationships of heritage element protection in the study area. This approach provides a reference model for the comprehensive protection and systematic development of intangible cultural heritage in the Yellow River Basin. Furthermore, the effectiveness and universality of this framework make it applicable to the protection and development of other similar international heritage areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the Dynamic Coupling between Land Use Economic Efficiency (LUEE) and Urban Ecological Resilience (UER) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). This exploration is pivotal for elucidating the interaction mechanisms between economic growth and ecological governance. Furthermore, understanding this relationship is essential for fostering high-quality, sustainable urban development in the YRB. Utilizing panel data from 56 cities spanning 2003 to 2020, this study employed the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, spatial correlation analysis, Kernel density estimation, convergence model, and Geodetector to systematically analyze the spatio-temporal distribution, dynamic trend, and determinants of the CCD between LUEE and UER in the YRB. The findings indicate that: (1) A general upward trend in both LUEE and UER, accompanied by a steady improvement in their CCD. (2) Significant spatial disparities in their CCD, with higher levels in the lower reaches. (3) Marked positive spatial autocorrelation, predominantly characterized by clusters where high (low) values are surrounded by high (low) values. (4) Regarding the impact of individual factors, government fiscal budget expenditure demonstrates the most robust explanatory power for the CCD within the YRB. Concerning the effects of two-factor interactions, the interplay between industrial structure upgrading and government fiscal budget expenditure emerges as the most significant determinant in influencing the CCD between LUEE and UER. This study enhances our comprehensive understanding of the interplay between economic and ecological systems. It offers scientific insights and strategic direction for harmonizing ecological governance with urban economic growth at both the regional and global scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological well-being performance (EWP) is a key indicator of sustainable development and has garnered significant research attention. This study measures the overall and stage-by-stage efficiency of the urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin based on the ends–means framework of steady-state economics. This study then delves into the spatiotemporal transfer characteristics of EWP through Moran's I, and spatial Markov chains. Additionally, this research investigates the factors influencing EWP using a random forest model. The findings indicate a notable enhancement in EWP in the urban agglomerations in the YRB from 2006 to 2021, showing clear spatial agglomeration patterns. The shift in EWP types displays a "path dependence" effect, with distinct evolutionary paths influenced by spatial lag effects. Ecological input emerges as a key internal driver of EWP, while urbanization and technological advancements are highlighted as significant external factors. Industrial agglomeration and industrial structure also contribute to improving EWP. The findings of this study help to clarify the spatial and temporal characteristics of ecological welfare performance and its driving mechanisms in the urban agglomerations of the Yellow River Basin. This is conducive to the achievement of high-quality urban transformation and regional green development, and it provides a reference for the construction of an ecological civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most vital ecological regions in China, the well-being of the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin directly hinges upon comprehending the variations in its ecosystem. The current research puts emphasis on the analysis of single-factor ecological indicators within the Mongolian section of the Yellow River and lacks summarization and analysis regarding the overall state of the ecosystem within the Mongolian section of the Yellow River. This study, using methods such as remote sensing interpretation and model simulation, combined with ground surveys, analyzes the macrostructure, quality status, service functions, and driving factors of the ecosystem in the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that (1) in 2020, the ecosystem structure in the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin was predominantly composed of forest, grassland, and other types of systems. (2) From 2000 to 2020, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC), and net primary productivity (NPP) all showed increasing trends in the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River Basin, with NPP showing a slightly greater increase compared to the NDVI and FVC. (3) Over the past two decades, the overall rate of decrease in the wind erosion modulus per unit area was 1.675 t hm−2. (4) An analysis of the drivers of ecosystem changes revealed that while climate change has exerted an influence, human activities have likewise had a substantial effect on the ecosystem over the past 20 years. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the current status and changes in the ecosystem, providing a decision-making basis for subsequent ecological protection and management projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change has a significant impact on the sustainability of ecosystems, and ecological security patterns (ESPs) can improve environmental quality through spatial planning. This study explored a multi-scenario ESP framework by integrating future land use simulation (FLUS) and minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) for urban agglomeration along the Yellow River Basin (YRB) in Ningxia. The research involved simulating land use change in 2035 under four development scenarios, identifying ecological security networks, and evaluating network stability for each scenario. The study revealed that the ecological sources under different development scenarios, including a natural development scenario (NDS), an economic development scenario (EDS), a food security scenario (FSS), and an ecological protection scenario (EPS), were 834.82 km2, 715.46 km2, 785.56 km2, and 1091.43 km2, respectively. The overall connectivity values (OG) for these scenarios were 0.351, 0.466, 0.334, and 0.520, respectively. It was found that under an EPS, the ESPs had the largest area of ecological sources and the most stable ecological network structure, which can effectively protect natural habitats. This study provides a valuable method for identifying ESPs that can respond to diversity and the uncertainty of future development. It can assist decision-makers in enhancing the ecological quality of the study area while considering various development scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the carbon effect of land use in watersheds is important for mitigating global warming, promoting coordinated emission reduction in different regions within the watersheds, and realizing high-quality development of the watersheds. Although a number of scholars have carried out relevant studies in the past, they mainly focused on carbon emissions, rarely involved the carbon balance formed by carbon sources and sinks, and lacked relevant studies on the development of low-carbon economy sub-region. Based on this, this study takes the Yellow River Basin as an example, explores the spatial and temporal evolution of carbon emissions from land use in counties in the Yellow River Basin from 1980 to 2020, and predicts the spatial pattern of carbon income and expenditure from land use under natural conditions in 2030 and 2060 using the PLUS model; and then superimposes on the main functional area planning, divides 735 counties in the Yellow River Basin into six low-carbon economic development subregions, and analyzes their economic development The model of their economic development is analyzed. The results show that: (1) the spatial and temporal differentiation of land use carbon balance in the Yellow River Basin has changed greatly over the past 40 years, (2) the spatial distribution pattern of land use carbon balance in the natural context in 2030 and 2060 is more similar to that in 1990, (3) the carbon emission reduction potentials and pattern optimization of the different low-carbon economic development subregions differ greatly, and they have different low-carbon economic development patterns. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for scientifically and rationally formulating economic policies for low-carbon development in the counties of the Yellow River Basin, and also provide an important reference for related studies in other similar basins or regions in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the camping sites in the Yellow River Basin published by Amap, this study examines the spatial distribution pattern of camping sites using various indices, including the average nearest neighbor index, geographical concentration index, disequilibrium index, and kernel density estimation. The research findings are as follows: (1) Camping sites exhibit a highly significant agglomeration distribution, and the spatial scale presents a non-equilibrium characteristic of "east dense west sparse". The distribution density of camping sites shows clear hot and cold spots, forming a general pattern of "one belt, one mass, two points". The locations of these camping sites commonly follow the rule of "backing mountains, along roads, and accompanied by scenery". (2) The spatial distribution of camping sites is influenced by both natural factors, such as elevation and air quality, and social factors, such as highway mileage and the number of high-level scenic spots. The impact of social factors is found to be more substantial than that of natural environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment and comparison of the S&T innovation competitiveness among the provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin are helpful to better utilize the supporting and leading role of S&T innovation in the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Combined with the real characteristics of S&T innovation in the Yellow River Basin, the study considers five dimensions horizontally: S&T innovation input, S&T innovation output, S&T entrepreneurial condition, S&T innovation revenue, and S&T innovation influence. Vertically, it considers two types of indicators, namely, strength and efficiency, and constructs the index system of evaluation of S&T innovation competitiveness in the Yellow River Basin. A multi-dimensional indicator system for measuring the competitiveness of S&T innovation in the Yellow River Basin is constructed, taking into account the differences in scale and efficiency indicators. Based on this, the study analyzes the evolution trend and current situation of S&T innovation competitiveness of the nine provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin from 2012 to 2021, and further compares the differences in S&T innovation competitiveness among the provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin. The study finds the followings. (1) The nine provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin have formed three echelons with significant differences in the level of S&T innovation competitiveness, and the upstream provinces and regions lag behind noticeably in S&T innovation competitiveness. (2) The evaluation results of five horizontal dimensions show that the low level of S&T entrepreneurship conditions and S&T innovation benefit are the key factors constraining the S&T innovation competitiveness of all provinces and regions in the Yellow River Basin. (3) The results of vertical "strength-efficiency" evaluation show that Shandong Province, which is in the first echelon of S&T innovation competitiveness in the Yellow River Basin, should focus on improving its competitive effectiveness in S&T innovation, while the provinces and regions in the third echelon (Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Gansu, Shanxi, and Ningxia) should optimize their competitive strength in S&T innovation. Finally, the study proposes countermeasures to improve the competitiveness of S&T innovation in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the Ecological Conservation and High-Quality Development of the Yellow River Basin (YBCD) can provide the institutional context for economic outcomes of environmental regulations and influences on corporate financial asset allocation. The basic objective of this study is to examine the impact of the YBCD on corporate financialization, analyzing the influencing mechanisms and heterogeneity. Using the data of A-share listed companies spanning 2015 to 2022 in China, this study employs the differences-in-differences method to investigate the impact of the YBCD on corporate financialization. The findings reveal that (1) the YBCD could significantly inhibit corporate financialization and suppress financial asset allocation driven by arbitrage motivation. It will help corporate financial asset allocation shift towards physical businesses, emphasizing long-term development. (2) The YBCD could inhibit corporate financialization by reducing corporate agency costs and fostering environmental, social, and governance (ESG), leading to crowding-out effects on financial assets. (3) The heterogeneity analysis indicates that the YBCD could generate significant inhibitory effects on corporate financialization in non-state-owned enterprises, high-polluting companies, and companies located in regions with stronger environmental regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid industrialization and urbanization, the contradiction between the human exploitation of land production and living functions and natural ecosystem service functions has intensified. The issues of how to coordinate the exploitation and conservation functions of land and guide the rational distribution of human activities have become important for global sustainable development, especially considering the realization that multifunctional land use is an effective way to relieve land pressure and improve land use efficiency, that land multifunction has significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity, and that there is a mutual promotion and stress relationship between multifunctional land use. However, few existing studies have discussed the decoupling relationship among land use functions. In this study, a system of 10 sub-functions and 25 indicators was established based on the production function (PDF), living function (LVF), and ecological function (ELF) for 59 cities in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). There are both subjective and objective procedures employed to determine the weights, while an exploratory spatial data analysis is used to analyze the time-based and territorial changes in various functions of land use in the study area from 2000 to 2020. The decoupling relationship between the three functions is detected utilizing the theoretical foundation of the decoupling analysis. The results show that land use is multifunctional, LUFs develop unevenly, and their spatial distribution varies substantially. The results of the decoupling analysis demonstrate that the predominant types of correlations among the land use ELF and PDF and LVF over the research period are strong decoupling and strong negative decoupling correlations, with the former being a dilemma and the latter being a sustainable type of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]