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Governments internationally strive to balance environmental health and economic development. Modern economies, specifically emerging ones, emphasize the importance of eco-friendly progress, where the pace of economic growth limits the ecological footprint. The ecological footprint denotes both the trajectory of natural resource extraction in the economic process and how quickly these resources can be replenished, as well as the capacity of the ecological sector to absorb waste from this process. This study examines 38 countries from 1994 to 2020 to investigate the drivers of the ecological footprint and found that environmentally related technologies harmfully influence ecological deprivation but are positively affected by gross domestic product growth. Renewable energy diminishes pollution levels, while urbanization has an insignificant effect. Imports were only found to be significant with one econometric technique, and their impact on the ecological footprint was positive. Income level affects the influence of gross domestic product on the ecological footprint. Lower-income quantiles have a more significant impact than higher quantiles. The Granger causality test shows bidirectional causality between the ecological footprint and exogenous factors: eco-technologies, gross domestic product/capita, renewable energy, urbanization, and imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of spatial and temporal distribution of carbon emissions from various land use types is one of the hot spots of researches. The carbon emission of Shanxi section of the Yellow River during 2000–2019 were analyzed based on the land use type data and fossil energy consumption data for the same period. Here, we explored the spatial and temporal characteristics of ecological stress using carbon emission, carbon footprint, carbon deficit, carbon ecological carrying capacity and carbon footprint pressure index models. The results indicated that the overall net carbon emissions had increased from 27959.67Gg CO2 equivalents in 2000–97355.36Gg CO2 equivalents in 2019 in the study area. During the study period, construction land was the main carbon sources, while forest land was the main carbon sinks. The carbon footprint of coal energy was the most dominant. The carbon footprint was greater than the ecological carrying capacity, which caused an ecological deficit during 2000–2019. The net carbon emissions and carbon footprint showed a continuous increasing trend, which became slower. The ecological pressure was spatially characterized as "less pressure in the northern and more pressure in the southern". The findings can provide scientific guidance for the land use sustainable development for coal cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of comprehensive consideration of the positive and negative ecological values of cultivated land, the ecological service value equivalent factor method and alternative market method were used to estimate the ecological value, and combined with an improved ecological footprint model, the quantification of ecological compensation for cultivated land was achieved. The results showed that from the perspective of ecological value of cultivated land, the ecological positive value and negative value of cultivated land in Xuzhou City showed a trend of "rapid increase" to "gradual decrease". The positive ecological value of cultivated land far exceeded its negative value, accounting for 3.246.44 times the negative value. From the perspective of ecological footprint and compensation of cultivated land, the ecological carrying capacity of cultivated land in Xuzhou City showed a trend of first decreasing, then increasing and then decreasing. However, the ecological footprint of cultivated land had always been decreasing, and the compensation value of cultivated land showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Three Rivers Source, known as the "Water Tower of China", is the birthplace of the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Lancang River. The carrying capacity and environmental capacity of its ecological environment affect the ecological balance and resource utilization in the surrounding areas of the Three Rivers Source region, and are even closely related to the country's ecology and economy. Taking the Three Rivers Source region as the research object, this paper selects six indicator layers and their corresponding 23 indicator items that affect the ecological vulnerability of the region. Nine professors in the field of ecological environment were invited to score and screen the indicators. Finally, a judgment matrix was established, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to comprehensively evaluate the ecological vulnerability of the Three Rivers Source region. The research results show that the most significant factor affecting the ecological vulnerability of the Three Rivers Source region is the reduction in ecological area, with a weight of up to 23.4%. This factor is followed by changes in terrain, growth and development environment, ground trampling effects, changes in vegetation structure, and potential changes in the integrity of natural vegetation. Their weights are 19.8%, 18.5%, 15.4%, 13.8%, and 12.3%, respectively. The weight of reduction in area is approximately 1.6 times higher than the potential impact on the integrity of natural vegetation. Changes in soil environment and terrain are the primary factors affecting ecological vulnerability. The lower the potential integrity of vegetation, the more fragile the ecosystem. Among the 20 research sites in the Three Rivers Source region, one has an extremely fragile ecological environment, and only six sites do not require excessive intervention. By analyzing and evaluating the different influencing factors of ecological vulnerability in the Three Rivers Source region, this study formulates corresponding ecological strategies to ensure the ecological restoration and sustainable development of the Three Rivers Source region. It provides a theoretical basis for the protection, management, and ecological construction of the Three Rivers Source region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the importance of ecological restoration in protecting biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services. It highlights the need for long-term restoration measures and identifies ten key scientific issues that need to be addressed for successful restoration. These issues include choosing reference states, understanding element coupling, and enhancing spatial connectivity. The document emphasizes the importance of collaboration between science, technology, and policy to promote the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. It also emphasizes the need for integrated approaches and the involvement of local communities and stakeholders in restoration projects. [Extracted from the article]

Mountain town ecosystems are fragile and highly susceptible to the impacts of human activities and ecological imbalances. This study aimed to improve the traditional ecological footprint (EF) model by incorporating expanded land functions, localised factors, and temporal continuity. Using Lushan County in Sichuan Province as a case study, we calculated spatial and temporal changes from 2009 to 2022 and evaluated sustainable development through four indicators: ecological pressure, ecological sustainability, ecological occupation, and ecological–economic coordination. The results show that from 2009 to 2022, the per capita ecological carbon footprint in Lushan County decreased by 48%, and the ecological carrying capacity declined by 9%. Despite a more than 73% reduction in the ecological surplus, indicating gradual ecological recovery, Lushan County remains in an ecological deficit state with increasing ecological unsustainability. Only forest land is in an ecological surplus state among the six land use categories, while all other categories are in ecological deficit states. Regarding ecological sustainability assessment, Lushan County's overall land use is in a strong sustainability state, with the sustainable development index gradually improving. However, ecological–economic coordination remains poor, with a high ecological occupation index and significant ecological pressure, indicating an imbalance between economic development and ecosystem protection. For future sustainable development in mountainous areas, Lushan County should focus on reducing the ecological carbon footprint and enhancing the ecological carrying capacity. These research findings provide valuable insights and methodological references for the sustainable development of mountain towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Watersheds are areas that hydrologically have the capacity to drain water, conservation areas, drain water gradually, maintain water quality and reduce mass discharges, and can also be utilized for socio-economic purposes. Improper management and over-utilization of natural resources in the watershed can lead to damage and criticality of the surrounding area. As is the case with the Poleang watershed, due to population growth and activities to fulfill economic needs, it is able to change the function of forests in the Poleang watershed area to other uses that can reduce the quality of the Poleang watershed, therefore monitoring and evaluating watershed management performance is needed. Watershed monitoring and evaluation is carried out to assess watershed support capacity based on the watershed monitoring and evaluation method according to PERMENHUT RI No. P.61/MENHUT-II/2014. In this study, the performance of the Poleang watershed was analyzed by assessing the performance of the watershed based on its socio-economic carrying capacity. Based on the results of the analysis of socio-economic carrying capacity parameters, it was found that social criteria in the form of population pressure on agricultural areas were in the high category, from economic criteria it was found that the population welfare index was in moderate condition, and institutions through the existence and enforcement of laws in the good category. Based on the assessment of the condition of these three criteria, the socio-economic carrying capacity of the Poleang watershed is in the good category with a value of 83.75. which means that the socio-economic conditions of the community are classified as good with the current condition of the Poleang watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arid Zone Research / Ganhanqu Yanjiu is the property of Arid Zone Research 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.)

[Objective] The purpose of this study was to analyse and evaluate the sustainable utilization of cultivated land in the black soil region of China, explore the use of natural capital of cultivated land, and provide policy recommendations for promoting the rational utilization of cultivated land resources in the region. [Methods] Based on the crop yield, population, and economic data of China’s black soil region from 2009 to 2016, this study analyzes the sustainable use of cultivated land by constructing an “open” three-dimensional ecological footprint model and a comprehensive sustainable utilization index. [Results] (1) Based on the ecological footprint after adjustment, between 2009 and 2016, 0.084 hm2 per capita of cultivated land resources in the black soil region were occupied by non-local residents, and 0.208 hm2 were occupied by local residents. (2) From the perspective of natural capital flow, per capita occupation of the natural capital flow of the entire cultivated land area in the black soil region was about 0.199 hm2, with the highest value of 0.200 hm2 in 2016; from the perspective of natural capital stock, between 2009 and 2016, the footprint depth first increased to 1.114 and then fluctuated to 1.071. (3) The comprehensive index of sustainable utilization of cultivated land in the black soil region basically fluctuated around 0.55; except for Liaoning Province, the index values for all other provinces were between 0.45-0.56. [Conclusion] This study showed that the black soil region bears part of the pressure of cultivated land transfer, experiencing a three-stage evolution path of stock maintenance, stock consumption and stock recovery. Meanwhile, the degree of sustainable utilization of cultivated land in the black soil region and provinces is not high, and there is still much room for policy improvement. This study can provide some theoretical basis and policy insights for the subsequent sustainable utilization of cultivated land resources in the black soil region.

Assessment of ecological security is essential for understanding the status of bay ecosystem and developing appropriate management strategy. Based on the driving force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model, the demographic, economic, social, and ecological data of Laizhou Bay and its three neighboring counties were selected for the period from 2015 to 2021. An ecological security evaluation index system of Laizhou Bay containing 26 indicators was established, and the weights of each indicator were determined by the methods of AHP and EWM, and a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological security of Laizhou Bay was carried out by ESI. Correlations between indicators were analyzed by the Spearman's rank coefficient of correlation. The results showed that there were significant correlations between marine conditions and indicators such as population size in the surrounding area, mariculture area, industrial and domestic wastewater discharge, and treatment rate. Overall, from 2015 to 2021, the ecological security of Laizhou Bay showed a favorable trend, from a relatively unsafe level to a generally safe level, and then to a relatively safe level. Through the comprehensive evaluation of the ecological security of Laizhou Bay, we can recognize the utilization of marine resources and ecological carrying capacity, guide the rational development and utilization of marine resources, and promote the sustainable development of the marine economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current economic development paradigm, which is based on steadily rising resource consumption and pollution emissions, is no longer viable in a world with limited resources and ecological capacity. The "green economy" idea has presented this context with a chance to alter how society handles the interplay between the environmental and economic spheres. The related concept of "green nanotechnology" aims to use nano-innovations within the fields of materials science and engineering to generate products and processes that are economically and ecologically sustainable, enabling society to establish and preserve a green economy. Many different economic sectors are anticipated to be impacted by these applications, including those related to corrosion inhibitor nanofertilizers, nanoremediation, biodegradation, heavy metal detection, biofuel, insecticides and pesticides, and catalytic CO2 reduction. These innovations might make it possible to use non-traditional water sources safely and to create construction materials that are enabled by nanotechnology, improving living and ecological conditions. Therefore, our aim is to highlight how nanotechnology is being used in the green economy and to present promises for nano-applications in this domain. In the end, it emphasizes how critical it is to attain a truly sustainable advancement in nanotechnology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are vital for terrestrial ecosystems, providing crucial functions like carbon sequestration and water conservation. In the Yellow River Basin, where 70% of forest coverage is concentrated in the middle reaches encompassing Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi provinces, there exists significant potential for coal production, with nine planned coal bases. This study centered on Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, a representative coal mining area in the Yellow River Basin, and combined the MSPA analysis method and MCR model to generate the five-period forest ecological network of Jincheng City from 1985 to 2022 under the background of coal mining and calculate the degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality; the correlation between the four centralities and carbon sequestration ability is further explored. Simultaneously, employing the RAND-ESU algorithm for motif identification within forest ecological networks, this study integrates the ecological policies of the research area with the specific conditions of the coal mining region to optimize the forest ecological network in Jincheng City. Findings reveal the following. (1) Forest ecological spatial networks: Forest ecological networks exhibit robust overall ecological connectivity in the study area, with potential ecological corridors spanning the region. However, certain areas with high ecological resistance hinder connectivity between key forest ecological nodes under the background of coal mining. (2) Correlation between topological indices and carbon sequestration ecological services: From 1985 to 2022, the carbon sequestration capacity of Jincheng City's forest source areas increased year by year, and significant positive correlations were observed between degree centrality, betweenness centrality, eigenvector centrality with carbon sequestration ecological services, indicating a strengthening trend over time. (3) Motif Recognition and Ecological Network Optimization: During the study, four types of motifs were identified in the forest ecological network of Jincheng City based on the number of nodes and their connections using the RAND-ESU network motif algorithm. These motifs are 3a, 4a, 4b, and 4d (where the number represents the number of nodes and the letter represents the connection type). Among these, motifs 3a and 4b play a crucial role. Based on these motifs and practical considerations, network optimization was performed on the existing ecological source areas to enhance the robustness of the forest ecological network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquatic macrophytes like Salvinia sp. have rapid proliferation and a great capacity for ecological adaptation. In addition to these characteristics, this study points to their ability to adsorb contaminants such as dyes, metals, and oils. This work aims, through an adsorption study, to propose an alternative treatment using chemically modified Salvinia sp. (SOH) biomass to remove oil from water. Batch adsorption experiments were performed to observe the effects of concentration, pH, time, temperature, desorption, and reuse of the biomass. The adsorption mechanisms, performance, kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, and reusability of biomass were evaluated. Both adsorbents were well-defined by the Freundlich model isotherm. According to the results obtained, the qmax was 898.0 mg g−1 for SOH in oil-in-salt water emulsion in 15 min and 930.59 mg g−1 for Salvinia sp. in natura (SS) in the oil-in-water emulsion. In the fixed-bed column adsorption, the adsorption capacity was 2.99 g g−1 for SS and 3.49 g g−1 for SOH, and the saturation capacity was 42.89 g g−1 SS and 42.99 g g−1 SOH. According to the adsorption models, the Bohart–Adams model best fits the experimental data of this study. The SOH adsorbed oil recovery test was successful, with 100% oil recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate analysis of the relationship between humans and the land in oasis areas is essential for the formulation of policies for differentiated oasis urban development and resource management measures. Therefore, researchers have conducted numerous studies based on the linear relationship between "people and land" in oasis areas. To address this gap, this paper takes the Wuwei oasis as an example and re-examines the impact of human activities on the sustainability of natural capital from a new research perspective (nonlinear perspective). The study selected four variables, namely planted forests, scientific R&D investment, urbanization, and population density, as the main human activities affecting the Wuwei oasis area. The NARDL model, the nonlinear Granger causality test, is employed to investigate the interactions between the variables and the oasis natural capital in both the short and long term. The results indicate the following: (1) During the study period, the consumption of natural capital in the Wuwei oasis has been increasing annually and has long exceeded the local ecological carrying capacity. (2) In the short term, planting forests is the most beneficial human activity. The most beneficial human activity is the planting of trees, while in the long term, scientific R&D investment has the most positive effect on enhancing the oasis' resource reserves. (3) Urbanization, population density, and planted forest land all have a direct effect on the sustainable development of natural resources in the oasis. The findings of the study indicate that the application of scientific and technological innovation to promote the sustainable development of resources and the environment is a more reliable approach for oasis cities with a high degree of industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various services which are provided by nature for humans are called ecosystem services. Planning and managing for optimal productivity of the land ecosystem services is done with help of knowing the land suitability. One of the types of ecosystem services is called ecosystem cultural services and ecotourism is included in this category. The purpose of this research is zoning land suitability for the ecotourism ecosystem service in Ghoochan city. The research method is based on multi-criteria decision making. After identifying the effective environmental criteria in zoning (height, slope, aspect, geology, soil, distance from the river, land use, distance from the road and distance from the settlement), the desired layers are entered into the ArcMap software, then the AHP method was applied to evaluate relative importance among all the criteria and the normalization of the layers was done with Fuzzy logic. Finally, by overlapping and combining all the layers, excellent, medium and weak areas for the ecotourism activities in the city were determined. The findings show that 31% of the studied area is in the high class and 47% in the medium class in terms of ecological capacity to provide eco-tourism ecosystem service, which indicates the significant capacity of the region for ecotourism planning .It has made possible the sustainable productivity on areas with the high potential to promote the economy of the local people while preserving the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to global warming and the disturbance of the interannual variability of precipitation, the frequency of extreme drought events has increased. The impact of global climate change on water resources is becoming increasingly apparent, then it is particularly necessary to explore the carrying capacity of water ecological environment under extreme drought conditions, which can guarantee the ecological water security in river basins. This study takes the Guanzhong area of the Wei River Basin as an example, calculating the water environment carrying capacity of 40 areas in the Weihe Guanzhong area in different levels of years under extreme drought conditions by comprehensive evaluation model of carrying capacity and using geographic information system GIS to display the spatial distribution of water environment carrying capacity in 40 regions. According to the results of the spatial distribution of water environmental bearing capacity, four different schemes are designed to improve the bearing capacity. The first plan reduces the industrial water consumption and irrigation quota by 5%, the second plan increases the industrial water and sewage treatment rate on this basis. the third plan further improves the development and utilization rate of surface and groundwater, and the fourth plan, on the basis of the first three plans, supplies 600 million cubic meters of industrial and agricultural water to Guanzhong region. Through comparative analysis, without taking any measures, under the extreme drought conditions, the water environment carrying capacity of the 40 areas in Guanzhong is all in an unbearable state. Overall, plan 4 has the most significant improvement in the water environment-carrying capacity, especially the Dong zhuang Reservoir of the Jing River which has played a very important role in enhancing the water ecological environment carrying capacity of the downstream water of the Wei River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring ecological carrying capacity is relevant to regional ecological security. In order to explore the spatial and temporal changes in the ecological carrying capacity in the mountainous section of the Hutuo River basin in recent years and the future, first, the ecological footprint model with improved vegetation net primary productivity was applied to measure and analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of ecological carrying capacity in the basin from 2015 to 2020. Second, the spatial and temporal patterns of ecological carrying capacity in the region in 2030 were predicted by the PLUS model with accuracy verification under three scenarios, including trend continuation, economic development, and ecological protection. The results show that：the overall pattern of ecological carrying capacity per unit area in the region from 2015 to 2030 did not change greatly, but the internal spatial differentiation was clear, and the overall ecological carrying capacity per unit area was high in the southeast and northwest regions, while it was low in the northeast and southwest regions. From 2015 to 2020, the total regional ecological carrying capacity increased from 1.078 0×106 to 1.079 6×106 bhm², showing an upward trend. From 2020 to 2030, the total regional ecological carrying capacity was predicted to be 1.078 3×106 bhm² under the trend continuation scenario, while it was predicted to be 1.078 2×106 bhm² under the scenarios of economic development, showing a decreasing trend. This was mainly because of the transfer of pasture to arable land and the transfer of forest to construction area. The total ecological carrying capacity was predicted to increase under the scenario of ecological protection. This is mainly because of the transfer of arable land to forest and pasture. The total ecological carrying capacity of each land use type decreased in the order of：pasture, arable land, forest, construction area, and water area. The total ecological carrying capacity of forest and grassland was predicted to increase under the ecological protection scenario. The total ecological carrying capacity of arable land and construction land was predicted to increase under the economic development scenario. The total ecological carrying capacity of water area changed less under the different development scenarios. The ecological protection scenario was more conducive to the increase in ecological carrying capacity in the future, which is consistent with the future development direction of the region. The transformation of pasture to arable land and forest to construction areas should be strictly controlled. The regional ecological carrying capacity will be improved by the continuous implementation of the Grain for Green project and strengthening the ecological reclamation of regional abandoned mines in the future. This will achieve regional ecological security and sustainable development of economy, society, and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological sensitivity is the degree to which an ecosystem responds to external disturbances. Climate change and increasingly intensified human activities have individually or interactively influenced regional ecological sensitivity, which has in turn exposed the overall or regional population, resources, and environmental problems. Therefore, clarifying the impact of climate change and human activities on ecological sensitivity and making graded improvements are conducive to enhancing the resilience and sustainable development of the regional ecological environment. This study focused on 31 provinces in China and constructed a climate change, human activity, and ecological sensitivity indicator system based on meteorological, remote sensing, and statistical data from 2001 to 2020. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to explore the impact of single factors and interactions between climate change and human activities on ecological sensitivity. Based on the composite sensitivity values that include ecological and climate sensitivity, this study divided the optimization zone, control zone, and governance zone and explored the improvement paths of the governance zone with high comprehensive sensitivity to climate and ecology. The results showed that: (1) The national ecological sensitivity value fluctuated and decreased over time, decreasing by 2.2% from 2001 to 2020. The overall spatial distribution showed a pattern of 'high in the west and low in the east, high in the north and low in the south.' The number of provinces with severe sensitivity and above continued to decrease, with a decrease of 7.1% in 2020 compared to 2001. (2) The main influencing factors varied in different regions. In terms of single factors, the proportion of provinces whose regional ecological sensitivity was affected by economic development, climate change, and population size was 77.4%, 67.7%, and 54.8%, respectively. In the analysis of interactions between economic development, climate change, and population size, the percentage of negative interaction effects was 69.6%, indicating that changes in one of most of the influencing factors had a reverse effect on the ecological sensitivity effect of another factor. (3) To reduce the negative impact of climate change on ecological sensitivity, it is necessary to coordinate economic development or population growth in a targeted manner to ensure sustainable economic and social development within the ecological carrying capacity of places with different natural conditions or development rates in the governance areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Electrónica de Enseñanza de las Ciencias is the property of Revista Electronica de Ensenanza de las Ciencias 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.)

This article provides an overview of the evaluation of the Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) in the Changdao sea area in China from 2017 to 2019. The GEP represents the total monetary value of ecosystem products used by people within a specific administrative jurisdiction. The study found that the GEP in the area experienced a slight overall decrease of 5.64% during the three-year period, with the values of regulating and cultural products decreasing. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating ecological benefits into performance evaluations and suggests areas for future research and improvement in evaluation methods. The article also references scientific articles related to ecosystem services and the quantification of natural capital, providing valuable information for researchers interested in the relationship between ecosystems and economic policy. [Extracted from the article]

Simple Summary: Antarctic marine invertebrates live in the constant of the Southern Ocean and are characterised by sensitivity to small increases in temperature. We conducted a series of aquarium experiments that tested this ability and found species-specific responses to warming. We found that some species were able to survive for many months at up to 10 °C, a temperature which is up to 4 °C warmer than previously recorded. We found that the survivors of three species had adjusted their biological systems (acclimated) and were better able to survive additional rapid warming, but one anemone species did not elevate its upper temperature limit, even though it survived for 270 days at 6 °C. There were also species-specific effects of increasing oxygen concentration on long-term survival to elevated temperatures, with extended, no change, or reduced survival duration all found in different species. Thermal sensitivity is clearly the product of multiple ecological and physiological capacities, and this diversity of response needs further investigation and interpretation to improve our ability to predict future patterns of biodiversity. Antarctic marine ectotherms live in the constant cold and are characterised by limited resilience to elevated temperature. Here we tested three of the central paradigms underlying this resilience. Firstly, we assessed the ability of eight species, from seven classes representing a range of functional groups, to survive, for 100 to 303 days, at temperatures 0 to 4 °C above previously calculated long-term temperature limits. Survivors were then tested for acclimation responses to acute warming and acclimatisation, in the field, was tested in the seastar Odontaster validus collected in different years, seasons and locations within Antarctica. Finally, we tested the importance of oxygen limitation in controlling upper thermal limits. We found that four of 11 species studied were able to survive for more than 245 days (245–303 days) at higher than previously recorded temperatures, between 6 and 10 °C. Only survivors of the anemone Urticinopsis antarctica did not acclimate CTmax and there was no evidence of acclimatisation in O. validus. We found species-specific effects of mild hyperoxia (30% oxygen) on survival duration, which was extended (two species), not changed (four species) or reduced (one species), re-enforcing that oxygen limitation is not universal in dictating thermal survival thresholds. Thermal sensitivity is clearly the product of multiple ecological and physiological capacities, and this diversity of response needs further investigation and interpretation to improve our ability to predict future patterns of biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational construction of the central-local distribution mechanism of natural resource assets income has a positive effect on rationalizing the relationship between the central and local natural resource assets income bodies, realizing the rights and interests of natural resource owners, enhancing the ecological compensation capacity of the natural resource development regions, and contributing to the growth in the scale and scientific utilization of natural resource assets income at the central and local levels. In the current system, the implementation of the central-local distribution mechanism of natural resource assets income is based on the central-local decentralized natural resource asset management framework and presents a regulatory structure in which local income is dominant. Under this regulatory structure, on the one hand, the natural resource governance authority and natural resource management responsibilities after the central-local decentralization cannot be connected with the central-local income distribution results, resulting in an imbalance of central-local natural resource asset management rights, responsibilities, and benefits. On the other hand, it also restricts the national macroeconomic regulation ability of natural resource assets income, leads to a lack of national ownership income, and increases the risk of regional 'resource curse' economic growth and uneven allocation of resource returns among regions. The income central-local allocation mechanism needs to be constructed in a standardized manner, aiming to achieve a balance of power, responsibility, and interests in the management of central-local natural resource assets through income distribution. In terms of pathways, we should start with the optimization and adjustment of the relationship between the central and local authorities in the management of natural resource assets, establish a mechanism for the central government to dominate and control the natural resource assets income, and set up a mechanism for the flexible income management of the central and local authorities based on the division of authorities. We should also ensure that the natural resource assets income is distributed between central and local authorities in an orderly and efficient manner, and this should be achieved by implementing a mechanism for the integration of central and local authorities and responsibilities, a mechanism for flexible division of authorities and responsibilities, a mechanism for flexible retention of the income by localities, a mechanism for horizontal and vertical flow of income between the central and local authorities, and a mechanism for scientific management of locally retained income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a management framework based on community size‐spectra (CSS) to establish targets to maximize desirable gamefish. We evaluated the influence of relative abundance of fish functional groups and watershed characteristics on the slope of the CSS or ecological efficiency. Both ecological efficiency and capacity were strongly influenced by relative abundance of fish functional groups and the degree of water level variation. Steeper slopes indicated overfished gamefish populations, whereas flatter slopes indicated systems dominated by undesirable invasive large‐bodied low trophic position fish. We hypothesize that a desirable fishery would have a target range of CSS slopes that provides a deterministic community‐based framework of predictable responses to environmental and food web changes that can be used to evaluate outcomes of management actions and a means to assess annual progress toward desirable conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research aims to determine to what extent (1) ecological carrying capacity influences the Development of the Independent Integrated City of Lunang Silaut, (2) ecological carrying capacity influences community satisfaction, (3) ecological carrying capacity affects the service quality of Independent Integrated City of Lunang Silaut, (4) development of Independent Integrated City of Lunang Silaut has an effect on community satisfaction, (5) the service quality has an effect on community satisfaction. The environment's carrying capacity means a place's ability to optimally support the life of living things for a long time. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach, involving 100 respondents from the community, community leaders, local government officials, academics, NGOs, and professionals. The Likert scale five questionnaires comprise 20 questions distributed proportionally to respondents. The results showed that (1) ecological carrying capacity has a positive effect on the Development of the Independent Integrated City of Lunang Silaut, (2) ecological carrying capacity has a positive effect on community satisfaction, (3) ecological carrying capacity has a positive effect on Independent Integrated City of Lunang Silaut service quality, (4) the Development of Independent Integrated City of Lunang Silaut has a positive effect on community satisfaction, (5) Independent Integrated City of Lunang Silaut service quality has a positive effect on community satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the degree of spatial correlation between carbon emissions and ecological support coefficients among cities in the middle reaches of Yangtze River (MRYR) region by using social network analysis method and spatial autocorrelation analysis. The actual carbon compensation quota (ACCQ) of each city in MRYR is also calculated based on the carbon revenue and expenditure method, and the theoretical carbon compensation quota (TCCQ) is obtained by introducing technology level and ecological value factors. The results show that (1) carbon sinks in the MRYR region increased very little, while carbon emissions increased significantly during the study period, resulting in an overall carbon deficit in 2015. (2) Wuhan and Changsha, as regional economic centers, are at the center of the carbon emission spatial network, with significant carbon emission spillover. (3) The ecological carrying capacity of the MRYR region showed a spatial and temporal pattern of decline at the center and stability at the periphery. (4) The TCCQ is more convergent in revenues and expenditures than the ACCQ and is more suitable for government policymaking. Based on these findings, we recommend that governments establish regional carbon emission quota systems and horizontal carbon compensation mechanisms based on carbon budget accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the uniqueness of the occurrence conditions of coal resources in Xinjiang and the fragility of the ecological environment in the coal occurrence area, it is urgent to develop coal resources in Xinjiang scientifically. Therefore, in this paper, the geological occurrence conditions, hydrogeological conditions, physical geography and ecological environment conditions of coal resources in Xinjiang were briefly discussed, and the exploitation potential of coal resources was analyzed. The results show that the coal resources in Xinjiang are extremely abundant, with an estimated coal resource of 2.19 trillion tonnes in the entire region, accounting for more than 40% of the total estimated coal resources in China. There are 24 coal fields in Xinjiang with estimated resource levels exceeding 10 billion tonnes, of which 5 have estimated resource levels exceeding 100 billion tonnes, 8 have estimated resource levels between 40 billion−100 billion tonnes, and 11 have estimated resource levels between 10 billion−40 billion tonnes. Among the potential coal resources, shallow resources below 1000 meters account for 52.8%. The main coal rank of Xinjiang’s coal resources is low-rank bituminous coal and medium-rank bituminous coal, fol-lowed by high-rank bituminous coal in middling coal rank coal, while lignite in low-rank coal, ultra-high rank bituminous coal in middling coal rank coal and anthracite in high-rank coal have extremely limited distribution range and quantity, accounting for a very low proportion of the total resources. Taking into account the transportation of coal from Xinjiang, the transmission of electricity from Xinjiang, the transmission of natural gas from the west to the east, and the local coal chemical industry plan, it is expected that Xinjiang’s coal production capacity will exceed 800 million tonnes by 2035. On this basis, an ecological environment carrying capacity evaluation index system was constructed, and the ecological environment carrying capacity of the five major coal mining areas planned and constructed in Xinjiang was evaluated. The results show that the overall ecological environment carrying capacity of the coal resource areas in Xinjiang is at a medium to low level, and the average ecological environment carrying capacity of the five major coal mining areas is ranked as Yili (0.42)>Kubai (0.38)>Hefeng (0.31)>Zhundong (0.25)>Tuha (0.22). It shows a decreasing trend from west to east. In response to the conditions and potential of coal resource development in Xinjiang, strategies have been proposed to optimize the layout of coal resource development, promote mining technology upgrading, promote intelligent mining technology, strengthen the concept of green mining, and expand diversified channels for coal utilization.

The West Liaohe River Basin (WRLB) is a typical agro-pastoral interlaced zone in Northeast China where excessive economic development activities brought great pressure on the ecosystem and caused a series of ecological problems, having a negative effect on regional ecological carrying capacity (ECC). The rational construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) is an effective way to improve regional ECC and alleviate the contradiction between ecological protection and economic development. In this study, taking the WLRB as an example, spatiotemporal changes of ECC in the WLRB from 2000 to 2020 were explored by using spatial principal component analysis (SPCA). Furthermore, ecological sources were determined by coupling ECC evaluation results with important ecological patches such as natural protected areas, and the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model combined with the circuit theory method were employed to identify ecological security zoning, ecological corridors and key ecological nodes. Then a comprehensive ESP of the basin was constructed. The results show as follows: 1) The ECC of the overall WLRB was at medium carrying level, yet was spatially differentiated, which decreased from the periphery to the center of the basin in general. ECC showed a fluctuating upward trend from 2000 to 2020. 2) The ecological source area of the WLRB was 21926.91 km2, accounting for 17.33% of the total study area. The ecological sources were seriously fragmentated and mainly distributed in the mountain area. The area of ecological conservation zone, optimized buffer zone, ecological transition zone, ecological prevention and control zone were 55672.69 km2, 32662.24 km2, 23862.84 km2 and 12021.04 km2, accounting for 44.82%, 26.29%, 19.21% and 9.68%, respectively. We also extracted 95 ecological corridors (with a total length of 3130.97 km), 49 ecological pinch points (with a total area of 200.33 km2) and 30 ecological barrier points (with a total area of 318.30 km2), constituting a "pointslines-planes" comprehensive ecological security pattern. This research can provide scientific reference for the protection and restoration of ecological environment and regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of the ecological carrying capacity of marine ranching is a prerequisite and guarantee for ensuring the sustainable development of aquaculture activities, protecting and maintaining the stability and security of marine ecosystems. Based on high-resolution satellite remote sensing data and survey data of Wailingding marine ranching in Zhuhai from 2006 to 2021, this study constructed a marine ecological carrying capacity (MECC) index system with three levels: resources, environment, and ecology. A combination of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and entropy method was applied to assign values to indexes, and then, the MECC of marine ranching was evaluated based on the state-space model and the weighted Bonferroni mean (WBM) model. Results showed that the MECC of Wailingding marine ranching increased from 0.49 (2006) before the marine ranching construction to 0.79 (2021) after the marine ranching construction. Marine ranching had elevated MECC from a loadable state to a fully loaded state. The intertidal subsystem, with a weight of 52.51%, dominates the MECC of marine ranching, in which resource and environmental factors are the major influencing factors. The increased rate of the state-space model (61.73%) was higher than that of the WBM model (44.34%), indicating that the state-space model is more feasible for the MECC assessment of Wailingding marine ranching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This documentary research develops a study on the School Environmental Projects Program (PRAE), focusing on its theoretical and pedagogical aspects, and its influence on the formation of environmental subjectivities in the school context. The article advocates for a critical interpretation of environmental education from the principles of ecological ethics and political ecology. It problematizes the instrumental, extractivist, and conservationist approaches that have historically predominated within the field. In methodological terms, the research adopted a framework of documentary analysis, with a dual hermeneutic-emancipatory interest, and divides its structure into two complementary parts: the development of an analytical review on the institutional emergence of the PRAE under educational policies of Decree 1743 of 1994 and the National Policy of Environmental Education of 2004. This constitutes a prelude to the critical evaluation of its qualities and gaps in terms of its capacity to agency ecological subjects. It also explores the pedagogical potential of the categories of subjectivity and experience, as possible catalysts for a transcendental and meaningful environmental education through the PRAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The environment is a constant and absolute phenomenon and has a limited ecological capacity for human use. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the use of available natural resources. One of the appropriate tools in this field is the ecological footprint index. In this regard, the current research has assessed the ecological sustainability of these areas by measuring the footprint of rural settlements in Homail district. The conducted research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of nature. Documentary and field methods have been used to collect information. The territory under study is the rural settlements inhabited by the Homail district, of which 17 villages were selected using a systematic method (number of households, distance from the city, and natural location). The sample size was determined based on Cochran's formula, 360 households. The collected information was analyzed using ecological footprint index in five consumption sectors (housing, food, transportation, built land and consumer goods). Also, factorial variance analysis and LSD post hoc test were used to investigate the effects of natural position on the amount of footprints. The evaluation of the ecological footprint of the region showed that 64.7 percent of the villages surveyed, equivalent to 11 villages, are in unstable and ecological deficit conditions. Kandahar village has the largest deficit and Mian Tang Mansouri village has the largest ecological surplus. Also, the results of examining the interrelationships of the variables showed that there is a significant difference between the effects of the natural location on the total footprint and the biological capacity of the selected villages, and it was found that the forest villages have a larger footprint than the plain and mountain villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions from land use change have become one of the main sources of regional carbon emissions. In order to explore the changes, 87 districts and counties in Gansu Province are taken as research objects. Based on the remote sensing data and statistical data of land use, the carbon emission coefficient method was used to investigate the spatial characteristics of land use carbon emission of each district and county in Gansu Province in recent 20 years from the perspective of carbon ecological support coefficient and per capita carbon footprint. The main results are as follows: (1) the growth of land use carbon emissions in Gansu Province from 2000 to 2020 was significant, but the growth of carbon emissions after 2010 was fast, and the growth of carbon sinks was relatively slow. (2) The ecological support coefficient of carbon emissions at county level in Gansu Province showed a trend of high in the south and low in the north, high in the east and low in the west, and this trend became more and more obvious with the passage of time. (3) Based on carbon emission, county population, and carbon ecological support capacity, the per capita carbon footprint of each county in Gansu Province was analyzed. The results showed that the per capita carbon footprint in Gansu Province was increasing, indicating that the gap between carbon emission and carbon absorption in each county was widening. By the above result, the author divides the counties of Gansu Province into three regions, low-carbon maintenance area, green development area, and ecological optimization area, and puts forward development suggestions for different regions, respectively. Therefore, this paper can also provide a theoretical reference for the formulation of carbon neutral planning measures in inland northwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Yangtze River Delta is where "the Belt and Road" and China's Yangtze River Economic Belt converge, which plays a crucial strategic location. However, with the demands of economic growth, environmental issues are frequently present in the Yangtze River Delta as a result of human and exploitation of ecological resources, and there is an urgent need to coordinate the relationship between human development and ecology. Methods: The Yangtze River Delta region is used as the research subject, quantitatively analyzing various ecosystems within the region from three dimensions: ecosystem services value, ecological carrying capacity, and ecological footprint, and analyzing various factors that affect economic and environmental balance. Then calculate eco-compensation and its payment order based on this information, in order to build a foundation for coordinating ecological interests and safeguarding the environment in the Yangtze River Delta region. Results and discussion: (1) Jiangsu Province was the main provider of ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Delta; the Yangtze River Delta's three main ecosystems-waters, forests, and wetlands-accounted for 90% of the ecosystem services valued in the area and must be preserved. (2) The Yangtze River Delta as a whole belonged to an ecological deficit area, showing varying degrees of unsustainable development; In terms of ecological deficits, cultivated land and fossil energy had the worst, and both need to be treated severely. (3) The Yangtze River Delta was a region that paid ecological compensation. The payment order and total amount was 6825.596 billion yuan in Shanghai, 6412.264 billion yuan in Jiangsu, 12088.852 billion yuan in Zhejiang, and 3675.637 billion yuan in Anhui. At the same time, considering the current state of Anhui, the amount of eco-compensation can be appropriately reduced. Finally, recommendations are made based on the findings above, in order to improve the overall ecological benefits of the Yangtze River Delta region and foster ecological integration, all provincial and municipal governments should take reasonable action to reverse the ecological deficit of fossil energy and cultivated land, and also aim to achieve an ecological surplus in both land uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can a transition to a green capitalism remain within the planet’s ecological and environmental capacities and could such a transition prove socially just? A transition to new sources of energy and new green technologies depend upon the appropriation of new sources of materials from the planetary ecosystem. Reserves and the capacity to process them are highly concentrated spatially in the Global South and in large corporations leading to inter-imperialist struggle as Global North countries seek to develop secure supplies and processing capacity. The demand for these materials and processed outputs is expected to explode. Spatial concentration is a source of strategic risks. The ability of renewable energy sources to provide sufficient stable supplies is questionable, especially given the energy-intensity of equipment and infrastructure industries. All pose challenges. As a capitalist transition run by and for major corporations an energy transition will be subject to the same contradictory socio-spatial relations that marked carbonbased capitalisms, exacerbating social and spatial inequalities, delivering relatively few benefits to places that see growth and generating unjust transitions rather than responsible disengagement from carbonbased economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berhampore was a former Armenian-to-British colony and historic commercial centre, had steady expansion during the colonial era, a still-ongoing trend. The natural landscape is transforming from the centre to the periphery in an extremely unpredictable way due to rapid urbanization. The current study examines the urban growth of Berhampore town in West Bengal, India, using geospatial techniques. To understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of the urban landscape from remotely sensed data, four indices are used: the Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Built-up Index (BUI), and the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI). The result of these indices shows the unsustainable urbanization in this region. Over the course of thirty years, the built-up area increased by nearly 7.80 percent, depleting the prime vegetative cover, water bodies and, in some cases, the barren land. According to the study, it is helpful to determine current urban growth and development so that local planning authorities may control growth and development in accordance with the ecological or environmental carrying capacity of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events across the globe. Understanding the capacity for ecological communities to withstand and recover from such events is critical. Typhoons are extreme weather events that are expected to broadly homogenize ecological dynamics through structural damage to vegetation and longer‐term effects of salinization. Given their unpredictable nature, monitoring ecological responses to typhoons is challenging, particularly for mobile animals such as birds. Here, we report spatially variable ecological responses to typhoons across terrestrial landscapes. Using a high temporal resolution passive acoustic monitoring network across 24 sites on the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, we found that typhoons elicit divergent ecological responses among Okinawa's diverse terrestrial habitats, as indicated by increased spatial variability of biological sound production (biophony) and individual species detections. This suggests that soniferous communities are capable of a diversity of different responses to typhoons. That is, spatial insurance effects among local ecological communities provide resilience to typhoons at the landscape scale. Even though site‐level typhoon impacts on soundscapes and bird detections were not particularly strong, monitoring at scale with high temporal resolution across a broad spatial extent nevertheless enabled detection of spatial heterogeneity in typhoon responses. Further, species‐level responses mirrored those of acoustic indices, underscoring the utility of such indices for revealing insight into fundamental questions concerning disturbance and stability. Our findings demonstrate the significant potential of landscape‐scale acoustic sensor networks to capture the understudied ecological impacts of unpredictable extreme weather events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological carrying capacity (ECC) of Inner Mongolia is the foundation of its sustainable development. As a result, a comprehensive investigation of Inner Mongolia's ECC and its influencing factors is critical for promoting regional sustainable development. However, an ECC evaluation index system for the ecological environment and economic development features of Inner Mongolia has not yet been developed. In addition, as ECC attributes rise, traditional methods become ineffective at extracting the structural characteristics of high-dimensional data, leading to an incomplete evaluation. In view of this, based on the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework, we developed an ECC evaluation index system that takes into account the ecological environment and economic development features of Inner Mongolia. The projection pursuit model based on real coded accelerating genetic algorithm (RAGA-PP), which can analyze high-dimensional data, was applied to achieve ECC comprehensive assessment in Inner Mongolia. Finally, the analysis of the ECC obstacle factors in the study area was conducted. The findings reveal that (1) from 2000 to 2020, there was an average increase of 28.4% in the ECC for all of Inner Mongolia cities. The spatial divergence feature is obvious, and the northeastern cities' ECC is higher than the southwestern. (2) From 2000 to 2020, the value of the drive, pressure, and state subsystems primarily shows fluctuation. The impact and response subsystems both exhibit an increase, while the response subsystem's characteristic values are lower. (3) The obstacle degree of driving force subsystem is significant and ranges from 17.6 to 33.9% between 2000 and 2020. Main obstacles to ECC are the average annual temperature, the disposable income of farmers and herdsmen, the urban registered unemployment rate, and the seeded area per capita. The findings of the research can provide useful guidance to developing efficient policies that take into account the various ECC in different cities in order to improve ECC performance throughout Inner Mongolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban greenspace systems are key components of urban ecosystems. However, a quantitative index for the recovery ability of urban green space and a corresponding effective restoration model is lacking. We selected the key indicators that characterize the damage degree and recovery ability of green space ecosystems, constructed an evaluation index system of green space damage, and established a recovery capacity model using the attributes of self‐organization and resilience of green space ecosystems as core attributes. Using the ecosystem damage and recovery capacity indexes, a discrimination matrix of the ecological restoration model, with a total of 12 different scenarios, was constructed to provide a differentiated model of ecological restoration. The highly urbanized Shenzhen Metropolis was selected as the study area. Based on the results, most of the green space in Shenzhen had no damage, however, 13.70% of the space had moderate and severe damage. Most of Shenzhen's green space had a medium recovery capacity level; while 14.21% and 15.69% of the areas had high and low recovery capacities, respectively. We outlined the areas where ecological restoration modes such as nature conservation, auxiliary restoration, and ecological reconstruction need to be applied. Our findings can be used to evaluate the self‐restoration ability of ecological restoration sites and provide a conceptual basis and a case study reference for ecological restoration planning and management of urban green space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest park tourism ecological security is the cornerstone of ensuring ecological tourism safety. Delineating the ecological carrying capacity within forest parks is crucial for enhancing the security of forest tourism resources. This study utilizes statistical data from China's forest parks spanning 2004 to 2019, employing methodologies to comprehensively depict the spatiotemporal dynamic characteristics of forest park tourism ecology in China. Subsequently, this research forecasts the prospective trajectory of forest park tourism ecology in China from 2020 to 2029. The research findings reveal that China's forest park tourism ecological footprint exhibits oscillating characteristics, while the overall touristic ecological carrying capacity shows a sustained upward trend. However, a significant portion of regions experience deficits in tourism ecology. Notably, the coldspot regions with ecological security features demonstrate relative stability, while the hotspot areas gradually transition from inland to eastern coastal regions. Spatially and temporally, the disparities in touristic ecological profit and deficit depict a "U"-shaped distribution, more pronounced along the east–west axis than the north–south orientation. The migratory shift in the touristic ecological surplus and deficit center gravitates towards the southwest, demonstrating a fluctuating trend characterized by varying migration speeds. The discernible difference between the east and west concerning touristic ecological profit and deficit amplifies the likelihood of imbalance, surpassing disparities between the north and south. Projections suggest a deepening forest park tourism ecological deficit in China from 2020 to 2029, particularly accentuating the unsustainable development of forest park resources in economically developed regions. Through this study, a more comprehensive understanding of the current status and changing trends in the ecological carrying capacity of forest park tourism can be obtained. This research provides theoretical and practical support to promote sustainable tourism development and establishes a solid foundation for the ecological security of future forest park tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve sustainable urbanization development, it is crucial to enhance social well-being within limited ecological resources. Industrial agglomeration (IA) and technological innovation (TEI) are considered as important factors affecting eco-efficiency. This paper constructs a two-stage Super-NSBM model to measure the ecological welfare performance (EWP) of 48 major cities in the urban agglomerations of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta from 2009 to 2018, a PVAR model is also constructed to explore the relationship between industrial agglomeration (TEI), technological innovation (IA) and ecological welfare performance. The results show that: Ecological welfare performance increases year by year, and the ecological welfare performance of the production development stage (EWP1) is lower than that of the welfare development stage (EWP2). Technological innovation and industrial agglomeration have a two-way interaction, and the effects of both on ecological welfare performance have regional differences. In the short term, industrial agglomeration most significantly inhibits the ecological welfare performance of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, while technological innovation promotes the ecological welfare performance of the three major urban agglomerations; In the long term, the promoting effects of industrial agglomeration and technological innovation on ecological welfare performance gradually weaken, which are very obvious in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta. This study has practical implications for optimizing industrial agglomeration patterns, improving technological innovation capacity and ecological welfare performance, and achieving high-quality sustainable development of urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the quantitative analysis of grassland ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity in Xilin Gol League in the past 20 years, this paper found that the grassland ecological footprint in Xilin Gol League is increasing, while its ecological carrying capacity is decreasing, and the grassland has been in ecological deficit for a long time. The problems of grassland ecological deficit in Xilin Gol League are caused by factors such as lack of vitality in grassland ecological construction and restoration and still prominent contradiction between man, grass and livestock. In order to eliminate the ecological deficit of grassland and promote the sustainable development of grassland ecology, the countermeasures and suggestions of strengthening grassland ecological restoration and building grassland natural park system are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development requires social development and economic construction to be coordinated with the carrying capacity of the ecological environment. It necessitates adhering to the concept of sustainable development while pursuing economic development and social progress, improving the effective utilization rate of natural resources, and protecting and improving the ecological environment in which people live. This paper takes the e-commerce trade ecological industrial park in Dalian Economic Development Zone as an example to comprehensively evaluate its sustainable development ability using the state-of-the-art techniques of soft computing. Soft computing has recently gained appeal over traditional hard computing because it can cope with uncertainty just as easily as a human can. The basic aim of the study is to avoid excessive resource and environmental pressure hindering the coordinated development of various subsystems of the park. First, an evaluation index system containing four subsystem elements of the environment, society, economy, and resources was constructed, and the importance of each index in the evaluation index system was calculated. Second, the distance model and fuzzy logic of soft computing were used to comprehensively evaluate the sustainability of the selected industrial park. Six criteria were established to describe the sustainability of the industrial park based on the opinions of industry professionals, with references to the research findings of local and international forerunners. The finding of the paper shows that the development level index of each subsystem of the industrial park has continued to rise, except for a few cases. The result also demonstrates that the overall coordinated development degree of the park has increased year by year from 2010 to 2019. This means that the coordinated development level has improved from the initial barely coordinated level in 2010 to the high-quality coordinated development level in 2019; however, the overall coordinated development degree is still less than 0.9. Through this study, it is possible to judge the sustainable development ability of the four subsystems of the industrial park and whether it meets the relevant standards of resource consumption and environmental protection stipulated by the state. It is of great practical significance for promoting the formation of a good ecological chain between enterprises in the park, realizing resource recycling, and reducing waste discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional manufacturing industry is China's second-largest source of carbon emissions, and the successful completion of dual carbon target depend on the traditional manufacturing industry's ability to reduce emissions. This paper constructs the evaluation index system to analyze the driving factors and green coupling level of the digital economy enabling the green development of traditional manufacturing industry from three aspects: industry digitalization capacity, socio-economic benefits capacity and ecological resources carrying capacity based on the theory of social shaping of technology. From the perspective of regional economic development, this paper constructs the spatial Durbin model and threshold regression model to analyze the mediation effect and spatial spillover mechanism of the digital economy empowering the green development of traditional manufacturing industry. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2020, the empirical analysis show that digital economy has the positive impact on the green development of traditional manufacturing industry through the digital innovation, industrial upgrading and human capital. At same time, the digital economy has a positive spatial autocorrelation pattern of the green development of traditional manufacturing industries with "high in the eastern and low in the western of China" from the global Moran index. Through the policy test of carbon-trading pilot programs by the difference-in-differences model, the digital economy has a non-linear impact on the intensive production of traditional manufacturing industry, which green finance activate the new impetus of market and the data element resources enhance industrial coordination development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological compensation for cultivated land is a prominent means to coordinate the protection and utilization of cultivated land ecosystems. This study assessed the ecological compensation for cultivated land, considering both the ecological footprint and value of ecosystem services. We used the ecological footprint model to calculate the ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity of cultivated land, combined with the value of its ecosystem services, with a focus on estimating its ecological compensation standard, and we analyzed the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of Northeast China. We found that the ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity of cultivated land showed a fluctuating growth trend in Northeast China from 2000 to 2020, increasing by 288.83 × 105 ha and 131.37 × 105 ha, respectively. The spatial distribution of cultivated land's ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity showed growth from the southwest to the northeast. The value of its ecosystem services presented an overall trend of growth over the past 20 years, increasing by CNY 13.64 billion, or an increase of 12.47%. In terms of spatial distribution, the trends of the ecological compensation for cultivated land showed obvious differences. This study mainly focused on black soil cultivated land, and its results are helpful for governments in different countries solving similar problems in terms of the ecological compensation for cultivated land. This study will provide a valuable reference to measure the compensation standard scientifically and to provide policy recommendations for sustainable cultivated land's protection and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Territory space is an ecological resource carrier and place for human development. Human activities and ecological systems are the basis of ecological product supply. Promoting territories' spatial protection and governance by improving the supply of ecological products is very important. In this study, we established an ecological product supply capacity evaluation index system involving three types of ecological products, i.e., ecological environmental products, ecological material products, and ecological cultural products. For the case of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, we comprehensively used principal component analysis, the equivalent factor method, and the entropy method to evaluate the supply capacity of ecological products from 2011 to 2021. Then, we analyzed the spatio-temporal pattern, combining the natural breakpoint and quantile classification methods, and analyzed the obstacle factors using the obstacle degree model of ecological supply. The results show that the supply capacity of different ecological products in each city are closely related to their ecological resource endowment. The supply capacity of ecological products exhibited an upward trend, with the highest ecological environmental product supply being relatively smaller than the ecological material product supply, while the largest growth rate was for ecological cultural product supply. The supply capacity of different ecological products varied across cities over time and displayed noticeable spatial differentiation. The main obstacle factors included eco-land, eco-tourism, eco-leisure, park green space, and fishery products, although there were variations among cities. Finally, based on the level, spatial-temporal pattern, and obstacle factors of ecological product supply, we proposed strategies for territory spatial protection and governance from the perspectives of the integrated protection of elements, structural regulation, and systematic governance. The results reflected the ecological functional heterogeneity of the territory space, which can provide spatial planning guidance for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trails are important recreation settings; determining an appropriate trail usage amount to avoid unacceptable ecological impacts is important for protected areas. However, there is a lack of studies examining trail usage's direct and indirect relationships and the influence of landscape-level conditions to evaluate ecological carrying capacity. This study integrated a path analysis model and stakeholder assessment to estimate the ecological carrying capacity of trails in a protected area. This study surveyed the biophysical environment along the trails and conducted a path analysis to establish the use–impact model for the trails in the study area. Based on the use–impact model, this study developed four-level usage scenarios and collected the stakeholders' acceptance evaluation to determine the ecological carrying capacity range. The results showed that the weekly usage of the trails directly affected the soil hardness and plant coverage of the trail. The trail's soil hardness directly affected the surrounding soil hardness, decreasing its plant coverage, while the vegetation type and slope also affected its plant cover. The stakeholders of the Mt. Xiaoguanyin Area reached a consensus on the ecological carrying capacity range, which was 288 to 404 total weekly hikers. The study results revealed the effect paths of the landscape-level conditions and usage impacts and provided managers with an implementable ecological carrying capacity. The estimation framework could be a reference for determining ecological carrying capacity in other protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the water resource carrying capacity of Guyuan City, an analysis was conducted using the load index method, principal component analysis, and ecological water footprint method. A comprehensive analysis was carried out using these three methods to evaluate the current state of water resource carrying capacity in Guyuan City. The results indicate that the water resource carrying capacity in Guyuan City is mainly influenced by economic development factors, water supply–demand balance factors, and natural factors. During the period from 2002 to 2016, the water resource carrying capacity fluctuated in response to changes in the total water resources. However, from 2016 to 2021, it exhibited an increasing trend due to improvements in water resource utilization efficiency and effective water conservation measures. However, the water resource carrying capacity remains at a relatively low level, and it has consistently been in an overloaded state, with the development and utilization of water resources approaching their limits. Water scarcity in Guyuan City is a pressing concern, characterized by severe limitations on its potential for development and utilization. The persistent supply–demand imbalance is anticipated to impede the region's pursuit of high-quality economic development in the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the ecological carrying capacity has emerged as a crucial factor for maintaining ecosystem stability for sustainable development in vulnerable eco-regions. Here, we propose a new framework for ecological carrying capacity quantification suitable for vulnerable eco-regions. We applied this framework to calculate the ecological carrying capacity of Inner Mongolia from 1987–2015 and used a geographical detector to identify the driving factors behind spatial heterogeneity. Our results revealed the following. (1) The above-ground net primary production (ANPP) required to support the ecosystem service of soil conservation (ANPPSC) decreased from northeast to southwest, whereas the distribution pattern of ANPP required to support the ecosystem service of sand fixation (ANPPSF) exhibited a contrary trend. The average annual ANPP required to support the ecosystem service of natural regeneration (ANPPNR) in Inner Mongolia from 1987 to 2015 was 101.27 gCm-2year-1, revealing a similar spatial distribution with ANPP. (2) The total ecological carrying capacity of Inner Mongolian grassland was 78.52 million sheep unit hm-2. The regions with insufficient provisioning service capability accounted for 4.18% of the total area, primarily concentrated in the east and northwest. (3) The average optimal livestock number for grasslands in Inner Mongolia was 1.59 sheep unit hm-2 from 1987–2015, ranging from 0.77 to 1.69 sheep unit hm-2 across different zones. The average ecological carrying capacity of the cold temperate humid, medium-temperate arid, and warm temperate semi-humid regions was less than 1.08 sheep unit m-2, suggesting a need to prohibit grazing in these areas. (4) The primary influencing factors affecting ecological carrying capacity distribution were normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), precipitation, and soil type. The framework developed herein can help identify sustainable development potential from the ecosystem service perspective and effectively contribute to decision-making in grassland ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecomodernists argue that decoupling human well-being of its ecological impacts through a wise use of science and technology is required to reach justice and sustainability in the Anthropocene. This article defends the pertinence of the Capabilities Approach to support normatively this notion by the following way. Firstly, I argue that ecomodernism shares with the Capabilities Approach a specific meaning of human flourishing derived from freedom of choice. Secondly, I present an ecomodernist conception of the Sustainable Ecological Capacity, as well as its links with the capability ceilings to establish the foundations of my proposal. Finally, I conclude that such an exploration brings to a new «weak» ecomodernism, based on a simultaneous application of sufficientarian and limitarian accounts on distributive justice of ecosystem goods and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ski industry in China has been entering into a phase of rapid development, since the beginning of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, with the typical distribution characteristics of ski tourism in main snow-ice resources area. The North Slope region of the Tianshan Mountain contains the favorable endowment of ski resources in China and has become one of the best tourist destinations. However, ski tourism are facing a significant challenge in ecological and environmental protection. Few China Ski tourism studies considered the discussion of ecological footprint. Therefore, this study aims to explore an ecological accounting scheme for ski tourism, based on evaluating the local ecological carrying capacity and ecological pressure, and to examine the sustainability of the regional ski industry layout, took a representative Tianshan ski tourist city as the research case. It is indicated that the ecological footprint of ski resorts are considerably larger than that of other tourism activities, which highlights the urgent need to manage ecological issues of ski resorts. The regional tourist attractions cannot match ski tourism endowment. Nalati ski resorts presents a state of ecological deficit, as the largest tourism area in North Slope region of Tianshan Mountain. Ski tourism accommodations contribute to the largest proportion of the ecological footprint. Fundamentally, this study offers an industry ecological model consideration based on ski tourism sustainability assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]