Search

The water ecological security pattern is a core factor. A scientific, accurate, and practical evaluation of water ecological security provides a theoretical basis for regional water ecological management. Using water resource data from five cities in the Hexi Corridor of Gansu Province (Jiuquan (JQ), Jiayuguan (JYG), Zhangye (ZY), Jinchang (JC), and Wuwei (WW)) from 2006 to 2021, a water ecological security evaluation index system based on the PSR (pressure-state-response) framework was constructed, covering 27 factors related to water resources, socio-economics, and the ecological environment. The main obstacle factors of water ecological security were identified using the obstacle degree model, and the grey GM(1,1) model was employed to predict water ecological security. Results indicated that the comprehensive assessment index of water ecology in the Hexi Corridor increased from 2006 to 2021, showing a transition from relatively unsafe (0.319) to basic safety and then to relatively safe (0.672). The pressure and response systems were the main limiting factors affecting water ecological security in the Hexi Corridor. After a slight decline in 2008, the overall spatial distribution continued to rise, with WW City and ZY City leading since 2016. ZY had a higher safety grade proportion (25%) compared to other areas in the Hexi region. The pressure system was the most significant obstacle to water ecological security after 2006. Prediction results indicated that the comprehensive evaluation index of water ecological security would continue to rise annually from 2022 to 2031, reaching a very safe level by 2025. The evaluation results provide a scientific basis for ecological security and risk decision-making in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the first application of the pressure-state-response (PSR) model in the comprehensive assessment of construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling benefits. Unlike traditional methods, the PSR model provides a multi-dimensional analysis that integrates economic, environmental, and social factors, offering a more holistic approach to evaluating the impact of CDW recycling strategies. This model enables stakeholders to better understand the pressures, states, and responses involved in CDW management, providing actionable insights to optimize recycling efforts and support sustainable urban development. Using the pressure-state-response (PSR) logical framework of sustainable economics, this paper systematically analyzed the comprehensive benefit mechanism of the recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW), and designed a comprehensive benefit evaluation model for CDW recycling. At the same time, taking Chongqing as an example, the management status of construction and demolition waste, the supply and demand matching of sustainable recycling products, and the impact of the input and output of CDW management were analyzed. The results were as follows: (1) The recovery rate of urban manure fluctuated between 0.13 and 0.17, mainly in temporary landfill. (2) Based on the latest market demand data of CDW recycled products, the supply–demand ratio of recycled products fluctuated between 0.11 and 0.21. This change in the supply–demand ratio reflects improvements in recycling technologies, such as the introduction of C2CA technology, which has greatly increased the supply of high-quality recycled materials. In addition, government policies encouraging the use of recycled products in public projects have contributed to this shift, further aligning supply with market demand. (3) The benefit–cost ratio of CDW management reflects new recycling technologies and the improved efficiency of CDW management. The benefit–cost ratio, which currently fluctuates between 0.32 and 0.39, more accurately reflects the current state of CDW management, which is increasingly adopting advanced technologies, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced costs. Based on this, this paper discusses the supply–demand relationship and benefit–cost ratio in CDW management from supply-side and demand-side perspectives, and puts forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions. The research results provide a clear reference for improving the efficiency of building demolition waste resource utilization, especially in optimizing the balance of market supply and demand, and improving the economic benefits of recycled products. By analyzing the balance between the supply and demand ratio and the benefit–cost ratio, this study helps inform policy makers, businesses, and investors, to promote the sustainable development of CDW recycling projects to maximize resource efficiency, while reducing environmental pressures. These results not only provide practical guidelines for the implementation of CDW recycling projects, but also lay a foundation for future policy formulation and the setting of industry standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are four sizable black soil regions throughout the world, all of which are valuable natural resources. The black soil region in Northeast China is a major foundation for grain production. Serious risks of soil erosion do exist, and they have an immediate impact on both the country's food security and future ecological security. Many soil and water conservation measures have been put in place to control soil erosion. However, how effective and suitable are these measures? Currently, systematic analyses and assessments are lacking. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and suitability of soil and water conservation measures on hillslopes using the comprehensive index method and the Pressure–State–Response model. The categorization of effectiveness and suitability of these measures were similar for both methods: that is, very effective and suitable measures included no-tillage + straw mulch and ridge belt or contour ridge. The two methods validated one another. Thus, this categorization standard is useful for choosing the best soil and water conservation measures for different soil erosion regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The water ecological security pattern is a core factor. A scientific, accurate, and practical evaluation of water ecological security provides a theoretical basis for regional water ecological management. Using water resource data from five cities in the Hexi Corridor of Gansu Province (Jiuquan (JQ), Jiayuguan (JYG), Zhangye (ZY), Jinchang (JC), and Wuwei (WW)) from 2006 to 2021, a water ecological security evaluation index system based on the PSR (pressure-state-response) framework was constructed, covering 27 factors related to water resources, socio-economics, and the ecological environment. The main obstacle factors of water ecological security were identified using the obstacle degree model, and the grey GM(1,1) model was employed to predict water ecological security. Results indicated that the comprehensive assessment index of water ecology in the Hexi Corridor increased from 2006 to 2021, showing a transition from relatively unsafe (0.319) to basic safety and then to relatively safe (0.672). The pressure and response systems were the main limiting factors affecting water ecological security in the Hexi Corridor. After a slight decline in 2008, the overall spatial distribution continued to rise, with WW City and ZY City leading since 2016. ZY had a higher safety grade proportion (25%) compared to other areas in the Hexi region. The pressure system was the most significant obstacle to water ecological security after 2006. Prediction results indicated that the comprehensive evaluation index of water ecological security would continue to rise annually from 2022 to 2031, reaching a very safe level by 2025. The evaluation results provide a scientific basis for ecological security and risk decision-making in the study area.

Copyright of Tunnel Construction / Suidao Jianshe (Zhong-Yingwen Ban) is the property of Tunnel Construction 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.)

The ecological damage caused by the accelerated urbanization process has continued to endanger the sustainable development of the Loess Plateau region, and the conflict between economic development and environmental protection has become increasingly critical. It is meaningful to explore the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between urbanization (UZ) and the ecological environment (EE) in the Loess Plateau and the mechanism of its influence to eliminate the locking of the rapid urbanization development paths in ecologically fragile regions, using panel data of 39 cities in the Loess Plateau region from 2010 to 2020. The empirical results have found that the level of UZ shows a fluctuating upward trend while the level of EE fluctuates and decreases. The synthesis CCD is at a barely coordinated level with an apparent upward trend, and the spatial characteristics are represented by "central depression," with low levels in the neighboring cities and high levels in the provincial capital cities. Regarding the driving factors, residents' living, industrial structure, and openness have a favorable impact on CCD, while enhancing the government's regulatory capacity has a negative blocking effect. These findings provide novel insights into the Loess Plateau's regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are four sizable black soil regions throughout the world, all of which are valuable natural resources. The black soil region in Northeast China is a major foundation for grain production. Serious risks of soil erosion do exist, and they have an immediate impact on both the country’s food security and future ecological security. Many soil and water conservation measures have been put in place to control soil erosion. However, how effective and suitable are these measures? Currently, systematic analyses and assessments are lacking. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and suitability of soil and water conservation measures on hillslopes using the comprehensive index method and the Pressure–State–Response model. The categorization of effectiveness and suitability of these measures were similar for both methods: that is, very effective and suitable measures included no-tillage + straw mulch and ridge belt or contour ridge. The two methods validated one another. Thus, this categorization standard is useful for choosing the best soil and water conservation measures for different soil erosion regions.

Humanity has consumed a large amount of energy and resources to maintain the rapid development of the economy and society, causing greenhouse gas and air pollutants to rise continuously, generating enormous pressures for the sustainable development of many cities. It is economical to control greenhouse gas and air pollutants from the synergy perspective. To identify the key driving factors involved in synergistic control, this paper uses the pressure-state-response (PSR) model to design a performance evaluation model of greenhouse gas and air pollutants synergistic control (GASC) utilizing pressure, state, and response dimensions. The performance evaluation factor system of GASC comprises three primary aspects and 18 criteria. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to determine the weight of each factor in the evaluation system. The technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method was used to calculate the ranking of the synergistic control effects of the four representative provinces in China. We use Importance-performance analysis (IPA) to analyze the performance of driving factors of synergistic control in the province with the lowest ranking from 2016 to 2020. The research shows that in Northeast China, represented by Liaoning province, the government’s response should include changing the support strategy for the new energy consumer, introducing synergistic control standards and policies, and making flexible adjustments to the supply chain. The research provides a scientific basis for the performance evaluation of GASC and decision-making support for lean response strategies.

A complex relationship exists between natural environmental and urban systems. This study focuses on the province of Qinghai, which is a major part of the Tibetan Plateau. For the period 1995–2020, we explore the relationships between ecosystem health and urbanization. We established an indicator system for ecosystem health and urbanization and quantitatively analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern of coupling coordination between the two. It shows that between 1995 and 2020, the urbanization level in Qinghai showed a continuous upward trend, with the urbanization index in 2020 increasing by 147.20% compared to 1995. The level of ecosystem health also showed an upward trend, with the ecosystem health index (EHI) value in 2020 increasing by 3.31% compared to 1995. The coupling coordination degree between ecosystem health and urbanization in Qinghai increased year-on-year. Areas with high coupling coordination between ecosystem health and urbanization basically overlapped with areas with high urbanization, and the area gradually increased during the study period. Locations with slightly unbalanced development were located on the periphery of high coupling-coordination areas, and that area expanded in the years covered in this study. The low coupling-coordination areas were located in the northwest and southwest of Qinghai, bounded by the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. These results can support the evaluation of ecosystem health and urbanization on the Tibetan Plateau and high-altitude river source areas similar to Qinghai in China and elsewhere, contributing to sustainable land use policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatiotemporal evolution of ecological entropy (EE) reflects the differences and correlations among the different elements (roads, rivers, land, etc.) and regions in an ecosystem. In this study, an index system for evaluating the EE in an ecologically vulnerable area in China from 2005 to 2020 is constructed according to the pressure–state–response model. Models of the EE and its gradient are constructed, and they are evaluated using GIS and remote sensing. The results show that except for the utilization rate of solid waste, the index values of EE have increased dramatically in the past 16 years. Investment in waste pollution control, GDP per capita, vegetation index in July, and utilization rate of solid waste make large contributions to the EE. The EEs on the edge of the ecologically vulnerable area increased from 2005 to 2020, indicating that the ecological environment in these areas has deteriorated year by year. The regions with the largest outflow of EE indicate that the EEs of these regions had a large impact on those of their surrounding regions. The regions with the largest inflow of EE indicate that the ecological security of these regions is relatively stable to the surrounding regions. Large EE gradients existed between adjacent regions show large rate of change and inflow and outflow of EE. The results contribute to alleviating the high entropy, reversing the ecological imbalance, enhancing the ecological benefits, and improving the environmental quality in an ecological entropy system. The present results offer decision support for ecological evaluation, protection, restoration, compensation, and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With global climate change and rapid urbanization, it is critical to assess urban flood resilience (UFR) within the social-economic-natural complex ecosystem in dealing with urban flood disasters. This research proposes a conceptual framework based on the PSR-SENCE model for evaluating and exploring trends in urban flood resilience over time, using 27 cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of China as case studies. For the overall evaluation, a hybrid weighting method, VIKOR, and sensitivity analysis were used. During that time, UFR in the YRD region averaged a moderate level with an upward trend. This distinguishes between the resilience levels and fluctuation trends of provinces and cities. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces all displayed a trend of progressive development; however, Shanghai displayed a completely opposite pattern, mainly because of resilience in the state dimension. During that time, 81.41% of cities exhibited varying, upward trends in urban flood resistance, with few demonstrating inverse changes. Regional, provincial, and city-level implications are proposed for future UFR enhancement. The research contributes to a better understanding of the urban complex ecosystem under flood conditions and provides significant insights for policymakers, urban planners, and practitioners in the YRD region and other similar flood-prone urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists have paid attention to the evaluation of the ecological security for maintaining sustainable ecological development, yet the performance of the existing frameworks could be improved for tackling the challenges in the evaluation. In this study, the grid cells were used as evaluation units to overcome the boundaries of previous administrative units. The classic pressure–state–response framework was employed to devise the ecological security index. The framework was applied to evaluate the ecological security of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (Chongqing Section). Results show that spatial differences in overall ecological security were significant, and they gradually decrease from east to west. The state factors have the greatest effect on ecological security in the study area, followed by pressure factors. The areas of various grades in descending order were marginally secure, relatively secure, relatively insecure, secure, and insecure, accounting for 49.82%, 33.17%, 9.45%, 6.14%, and 1.42%, respectively. The various ecological security grades showed significant spatial variation characteristics in land use, elevation, slope, and population density. The global Moran's I index for regional ecological security was 0.80. The regional ecological security shows a strong spatial correlation and exhibits continuity and an agglomeration effect. Ultimately, the outcome of the study provides a better understanding of ecological security in Three Gorges Reservoir Area that is helpful for policymakers in developing measures for eco-environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water Ecological Civilization Construction (WECC) is critical for promoting long-term resource, economic, and social development. The Min River is the longest in Fujian Province, China, and is known as the "golden canal" for shipping. In this study, data from cities around the Min River were used to build an evaluation index system for WECC in the Min River, incorporating the Pressure–State–Response model, and the matter element extension model was used to examine the WECC level in the Min River Basin. The results indicate that notable progress has been made for WECC in the Min River Basin, despite evident regional variation. The upper parts of the Min River have seen the most development; however, the downstream regions have been mainly stable and retained a high WECC level. Changes in industrial structure and government actions substantially affect the degree of WECC. This study can act as a reference for river basin WECC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complex relationship exists between natural environmental and urban systems. This study focuses on the province of Qinghai, which is a major part of the Tibetan Plateau. For the period 1995–2020, we explore the relationships between ecosystem health and urbanization. We established an indicator system for ecosystem health and urbanization and quantitatively analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern of coupling coordination between the two. It shows that between 1995 and 2020, the urbanization level in Qinghai showed a continuous upward trend, with the urbanization index in 2020 increasing by 147.20% compared to 1995. The level of ecosystem health also showed an upward trend, with the ecosystem health index (EHI) value in 2020 increasing by 3.31% compared to 1995. The coupling coordination degree between ecosystem health and urbanization in Qinghai increased year-on-year. Areas with high coupling coordination between ecosystem health and urbanization basically overlapped with areas with high urbanization, and the area gradually increased during the study period. Locations with slightly unbalanced development were located on the periphery of high coupling-coordination areas, and that area expanded in the years covered in this study. The low coupling-coordination areas were located in the northwest and southwest of Qinghai, bounded by the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. These results can support the evaluation of ecosystem health and urbanization on the Tibetan Plateau and high-altitude river source areas similar to Qinghai in China and elsewhere, contributing to sustainable land use policy.

Ecosystem health plays a vital role in the development of regional ecological environment. Gannan Plateau, an important water conservation area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, is located at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Due to the importance of the region, understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of the ecosystem health within this region is particularly critical. Previous studies on regional ecosystem health assessment mainly focused on single ecosystem type such as wetland, forest, and grassland, while there are relatively few studies that comprehensively assessed ecosystem health at high-spatial resolution in Gannan alpine areas. In this study, 11 counties and cities in Gannan Tibetan and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of the Gansu Province, China were used as the study area. We evaluated the ecosystem health of 154 township units from 2000 to 2020 with methods of Pressure-State-Response model (PSR) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), using a combination of satellite remote sensing data, social statistics data, meteorological data, and other geospatial data sources. The results showed that overall ecosystems in the southwestern part of the study area exhibited healthier condition than those located in the northeastern part, which is mainly due to the combination of the natural environment and the intensity of human activities in different regions. Over the past 20 years, due to the active implementation of relevant ecological protection and restoration policies by various regional governments and the improvement of the natural environment, the average ecosystem health status of Gannan Plateau has increased by 15.04 %, showing an improving trend in varying degrees or being stable, no declining trend was observed except for a small town. Our results implied that management should take different measures according to the differences of regional ecosystem health level, also pay more attention to areas where the ecosystem health status has not improved.

With global climate change and rapid urbanization, it is critical to assess urban flood resilience (UFR) within the social-economic-natural complex ecosystem in dealing with urban flood disasters. This research proposes a conceptual framework based on the PSR-SENCE model for evaluating and exploring trends in urban flood resilience over time, using 27 cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of China as case studies. For the overall evaluation, a hybrid weighting method, VIKOR, and sensitivity analysis were used. During that time, UFR in the YRD region averaged a moderate level with an upward trend. This distinguishes between the resilience levels and fluctuation trends of provinces and cities. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces all displayed a trend of progressive development; however, Shanghai displayed a completely opposite pattern, mainly because of resilience in the state dimension. During that time, 81.41% of cities exhibited varying, upward trends in urban flood resistance, with few demonstrating inverse changes. Regional, provincial, and city-level implications are proposed for future UFR enhancement. The research contributes to a better understanding of the urban complex ecosystem under flood conditions and provides significant insights for policymakers, urban planners, and practitioners in the YRD region and other similar flood-prone urban areas.

Copyright of Journal of Xinyang Normal University Natural Science Edition is the property of Journal of Xinyang Normal University 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.)

China is the largest energy consumer and CO2 emitter in the world. Industrial ecologicalization (IE) as an effective way to reduce carbon emission and achieve green growth is vital for China to strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Thus, it is necessary and urgent to evaluate the industrial ecologicalization level (IEL) in China. Based on the connotation and characteristics of IE and PSR model, this paper first establishes a comprehensive evaluation index system of the IEL and then uses the global entropy method (OEM) and spatial data analysis (ESDA) to analyze the dynamic evaluation, regional disparity, and spatial correlation of IEL in China. The results show that: (1) The innovation support and the structure optimization are the main stimulus in improving the IEL in China, whose weights of indexes have reached 0.263 and 0.268. (2) The overall IEL has improved steadily in China but differs significantly among provinces during the research period. (3) The regional disparity of IEL presents the Eastern region is leading, whereas the Middle and Western regions are lagging from a geographical perspective; the Northern Coast and Eastern Coast have ranked the top two compared with other six economic regions. (4) The five provinces, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, constitute the main agglomeration areas of IEL in China based on the spatial correlation features. The findings of this paper cannot only provide a theoretical basis and practice reference for IEL evaluation but also benefit more focused policy-making of the sustainable development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the development of energy and mineral resources strongly supports China's rapid industrialization and urbanization, it has led to a series of ecological and environmental problems. Strengthening the spatial regulation considering the ecological and environmental protection on energy and mineral resource development areas is an important aspect of realizing China's sustainable development. In this study, we mapped, categorized, and analyzed the ecological cumulative effects of the Chinese 134 prefectural mining units based on the pressure-state-response model, which is demonstrated as impact of mining activities on ecological environment, ecological environmental fragility, and ecological function. This investigation developed a stress zoning typology of the mining units based on scores of three dimensions of the ecological cumulative effects and classified 134 prefectural mining units into eight types of stress zones. A series of regulation and policy suggestions have been proposed to different types of zones from three aspects: space control, intensity control, and development mode control. The application of this evaluation and spatial zoning system will contribute to the refined spatial management of China's mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency evaluation of industrial park customers is carried out to help customers develop optimization strategies and improve the energy efficiency level. The evaluation indexes are proposed based on pressure-state-response (PSR) model and the redundant indexes are selected by combining principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis. Thus the dynamic energy efficiency index system is constructed. The weight of indexes is calculated by the entropy weight method (EWM). An energy efficiency evaluation model based on improved Grey-technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) is proposed, which replaces the Euclidean distance by weighted grey correlation degree and can accurately evaluate customers’ energy efficiency level. An energy efficiency optimization model is proposed, which can maximize optimization benefits while improving energy efficiency. The validity of the evaluation and optimization models is verified by the case study of an industrial park.

【Objective】To identify the influencing factors and obstacle elements to land ecological security in the Heilongjiang reclamation region,in order to provide guidance on how to preserve land ecological security and food security in the area.【Methods】Social,economic,demographic,and other statistical data were collected from 9 sub bureaus in the Heilongjiang reclamation area in 2003,2008,2013,and 2018. 15 indicators were selected using the PSR model to build the land ecological security evaluation system,and evaluate the land ecological security of the Heilongjiang reclamation area on a time and space scale with grey correlation degree,multiplication model,and factor obstacle degree model.【Results】From 2003 to 2018,the land ecological security level in the Heilongjiang reclamation area generally increased. Among the 9 bureaus in the reclamation area,the land ecological security level of Jiansanjiang Bureau continued to rise,the Nine-three Bureau continued to decline,and the other 7 bureaus showed an alternating increase and decrease wave pattern. Grey correlation analysis revealed that the per capita disposable income of farm workers,the level of agricultural mechanization,per capita GDP,population density,and the effective irrigation area of cultivated land were the primary influencing variables of land ecological security in the reclamation area from 2003 to 2018. Factors obstacle degree model analysis demonstrated that the application amount of chemical fertilizer and pesticide,per capita GDP,population density,and per capita disposable income of farm workers were the primary obstacle elements to land ecological security in the reclamation area from 2003 to 2018.【Conclusion】The general land ecological security condition in the Heilongjiang reclamation area has improved,however the land strain has not been lifted completely. To ensure land ecological security,measures such as minimizing pesticide and chemical fertilizer use and managing population density should be taken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lakes have faced the challenge of alleviating water deterioration due to rapid socioeconomic development. This fact highlights the urgency to understand the impact of socioeconomic development on water quality. Although existing studies have devoted efforts on the research of the relationship between socioeconomic development and water quality, the theoretical basis and process of factors selection (socioeconomic factors and water quality factors) have often been ignored. A conceptual model was employed in this work to select the candidate indicators. Meanwhile, a new developed method that introduces a monthly correction coefficient was proposed to evaluate socioeconomic indicators and seasonal-trend decomposition (STL) using the locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) method. At the same time, the steady-state transformation index (RSI) were adopted to further select water quality indicators. Base on that, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and the measured and ideal values of water quality indicators were used to quantitatively study the degree of influence of socioeconomic systems and their key factors on water quality. The proposed methodology were applied to the Dongting Lake basin and its four sub-watersheds, the Xiang, Zi, Yuan and Li River watersheds, as these water bodies have been seriously affected by human activities in recent years. The results showed that there was a high correlation between the socioeconomic system and water quality, with significant temporal and spatial characteristics. The average annual impact degree of the socioeconomic system on water quality was at a moderate level for Dongting Lake basin and its four sub-watersheds, while the impact degree for Xiang River watershed was higher than that of the other watersheds. The influence degree decreased in the Dongting Lake basin, Xiang River and Li River watersheds, whereas the trend was the opposite in the Yuan River and Zi River watersheds from 2004 to 2017. Water consumption (WC), percentage of cultivated land area (CA), total nitrogen (TN) input from agricultural non-point sources (A_TN), and human response factors, such as industrial wastewater compliance discharge rate (WR) and sewage treatment (ST), were the main socioeconomic factors affecting the water quality of Dongting Lake. Implementation of an efficient water use plan, controlling the agricultural non-point source pollution and improving the sewage treatment capacity should be given priority in order to effectively improve the water quality of Dongting Lake. The present study showed the relationship between socioeconomic drivers and water quality, and provided a reliable tool for decision makers in watershed management.

Urban flooding has emerged as a significant urban issue in cities worldwide, with China being particularly affected. To effectively manage and mitigate urban floods, a holistic examination of the interaction between urban subsystems is required to improve urban flood resilience. However, the interactions and mechanisms between urban subsystems under flood disaster haven't been addressed adequately in previous studies. Therefore, this paper established a conceptual framework for illustrating the interactions between urban natural-ecological and social-economic subsystem considering urban pressure, state, and response within flood cycle. The objective is to investigate the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between these subsystems and identify the driving factors with a geographical detector model, and the cities in Yangtze River Delta are selected as an empirical example. The findings reveal an overall upward trend towards coordination for the whole area with notable variability among the cities. The resilience of the state dimension emerges as a crucial aspect in determining the CCD of the urban flood resilience of the area. Key driving factors for the coordinated development of urban flood resilience are identified as air pollution, global warming, technological innovation, governance power, financial strength, and urbanization. Based on the findings and the interactions among the driving factors, this paper presents potential implications that can serve as effective guidance and offer insights for policymakers, planners, and researchers in their efforts to enhance urban flood resilience for sustainable development in the future. • A holistic examination of the interaction between urban subsystems is required to improve flood resilience. • A SES-PSR conceptual framework is established for illustrating the social-ecological interactions. • The cities in YRD area showed an overall upward trend towards coordination for urban flood resilience. • Driving factors and their geographical interactions are explored for potential implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows how an integrated approach to the conservation of cultural landscapes can significantly contribute to sustainable tourism. First, the authors illustrate how the Shaxi Rehabilitation Project in Yunnan, China – an international initiative for the conservation of tangible built and natural heritage – has exceeded its original aim and provided a framework for the long-term governance of the entire Shaxi valley system. Second, the authors employ a transdisciplinary analytical tool to evaluate the impact of tourism on the valley's environmental and cultural heritage and to evaluate the effectiveness of the project. The results highlight increasing tourism pressures, especially during peak tourism season, that will be amplified by upcoming developments to transport infrastructure. By adding new variables and examining the availability of established indicators, the study also contributes to the methodological advancement in the field of heritage preservation through its testing and discussion of the advantages and limitations of the application of the pressure-state-response model to a remote valley system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recreational sailing sector has an impact on water quality in marinas. This study proposes a standard procedure to assess the environmental risk of marinas on water quality. Risk is assessed through integrating environmental pressures, environmental conditions and societal responses (i.e. the Pressure-State-Response model). Pressures are estimated considering the main driving forces: navigation, port, dredging and external activities. State is estimated through combining the susceptibility, the ecological value and naturalness. Response is estimated through environmental management instruments and adopted measures. Managers and authorities can hierarchically classify marinas from a multi-scale spatial framework. This tool is particularly powerful for generating local, regional or national atlases to prioritize environmental planning actions. The method is applied to 320 marinas along the Spanish coast. This implementation confirms the usefulness, versatility and adaptability of this procedure as a tool for the environmental management of marinas. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A method is proposed to assess the environmental risk of marinas on water quality. • Parameters are selected based on the Pressure-State-Response model. • The procedure prioritizes and defines environmental planning actions. • The method is useful for managers and authorities at different scales. • The Atlas of the Spanish coast with 320 marinas is created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the relationship between the economic system and the water environmental system in Beijing, China, this article brought in the concept of "system coupling", and calculated their coupling degree using the co-coordination model. Specifically, the economic system consists of population and economic development subsystems; the water environmental system consists of water supply and water environmental carrying capacity subsystems. A total of twelve components were chosen, including population, water consumption per ten thousand Yuan GDP, etc. Besides, the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was innovatively used to analyze the micro-coupling paths among the subsystems. Finally, we drew conclusions from the coupling state perspective and coupling paths perspective, respectively. From the macroscopic point of view, there are complex interactions between the economic system and water environmental system in Beijing, and their coupling degree will increase with the optimization of economic structure and advancement in technologies. From the microscopic point of view, there are also complex interactions among the four subsystems in Beijing. Especially, the water supply subsystem has a certain degree of promotion effect on the other three subsystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly populated and developed urban agglomerations may induce serious ecological security problems, however, there are relatively few researches concerning on the ecological safety of small and medium-sized urban agglomerations such as the Min Delta urban agglomeration. Taken the urban agglomeration of Min Delta as an example, the methods of gray system theory, the entropy weighting, and the pressure-state-response (P-S-R) model were adopted in this article to analyze the dynamic change of ecological security in different periods in Min Delta urban agglomeration. The results showed that: (I) In this period, the ecological security situation in the urban agglomeration on Min Delta showed a tendency of transition from safer to less safe, and its internal difference was obvious. (2) The comprehensive ecological safety index (0.894 8 ~ 0.728 4) of Xiamen is higher than that of Quanzhou (0.446 7 ~ 0.444 2) and Zhangzhou (0.624 8 ~ 0.451 8), which was at a safe level, while ecological security levels in Quanzhou and Zhangzhou remain below the favorable level, suggesting the ecological security situation was grim. (3) Quanzhou ecological safety pressure index (0.574 1 ~ 0.604 6) and response index (0.545 6 ~ 0.594 8) showed a critical safety situation, while the ecological security condition has a better trend; the state index (0.494 5 ~ 0.473 4) was at less safety level at all periods, showing the transition from a relatively unsafe level to a critical safety level. (4) Zhangzhou ecological safety pressure index (0.754 9 ~ 0.519 8), state index (0.532 5 ~ 0.467 8), and response index (0.662 0 ~ 0.642 8), decrease from 2004 to 2015, and its ecological safety status were not optimistic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In accordance with the characteristics of water source, this study analysed its influencing factors. Pressure-state-response (PSR) model for drinking water source security was proposed. The security evaluation system with three levels was established based on the model; the indicator weights were determined by analytic hierarchy process. The five-grade assessment standard was adopted, and according to the choice principle of the indicator, 14 indicators were selected. Each grade range of every indicator was determined, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method applied to evaluate the security grade of criterion layer and the whole system. The evaluation results indicated that drinking water source security grade of Dahuofang reservoir was "high" level, but very close to the "medium" level. The corresponding protective measures for water source were put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Shenyang Agricultural University is the property of Journal of Shenyang Agricultural University Editorial Department 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 clarify regional ecological security status and formation mechanism of regional ecological security barriers in underdeveloped regions of China, we took Yunnan province as a case to evaluate its regional ecological security by using entropy matter-element model, comprehensive index and GIS spatial method, and we diagnosed its obstacle factors through obstacle degree model. We found a low overall level of regional ecological security in Yunnan. Only Kunming fell into the good level, 68% of the regions were below the critical safe level. For the vast majority of regions in Yunnan, their regional ecological security was unstable. The indexes related to per capita resources, geological and topography environment, economic, and technology were at the unsafe or dangerous level. The indexes related to urban expansion, level of income, cultivated land quality were at the level of critical safety. The indexes concerning urban management capacity, air quality and water environment were at the good or ideal level. Yunnan's regional ecological security was not good due to natural obstructive environment itself, simultaneously lower backward economic and social level restricted the ability of ecological security response to manage ragile ecological environment. The results of the composite index were roughly consistent with those of the entropy weight matter-element model. The mean values of the classification index, from high to low, were: the state index > the response index > the pressure index. The state index and the response index had a significant mutual promotion to each other. The regions with good composite index, state index and response index mainly distributed in the central regions of Yunnan Province. Spatial autocorrelation of regional ecological security level in Yunnan was not obvious. Water resources, economic and social development were main obstacle factors of the regional ecological security. When distinguishing with obstacle type, Kunming belonged to natural ecological environment barrier type, while other regions belonged to economic and social barrier type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O processo de urbanização está diretamente relacionado ao de degradação da qualidade das águas naturais. Este artigo discute o papel do diagnóstico de qualidade de água advindo do monitoramento limnológico para subsidiar o planejamento e a gestão urbano-ambientais. Um modelo Pressão-Condição-Resposta foi utilizado para descrever a importância do monitoramento limnológico para a conservação dos recursos hídricos.Urbanization is often related to the degradation of water quality. The global freshwater shortage must be a central concern in our society. This article discusses the role of water quality evaluation from limnological assessment to subsidize environmental-urban planning and management. A Pressure-State-Response model was used to describe the importance of limnological assessment to water resource conservation.

The increase in population and economic development has made environmental issues more serious and threatens regional ecological security and sustainable development. Currently, most indicators in the related research field of ecological security tend to be socio-economic and neglect depicting the state of the ecosystems. This study, therefore, assessed the ecological security by constructing the evaluation index system embedded in the ecosystem service supply and demand based on the pressure-state-response model and identified the key obstacles to ecological security in the Pearl River Delta from 1990 to 2015. Our results showed that soil retention, carbon sequestration, and water yield increased with fluctuation except for grain production and habitat quality. The grain demand, carbon emission, and water demand increased sharply by 10.1%, 769.4%, and 17.5%, respectively. The ecosystem service supply areas were mainly located in the low hills, while the demand regions were mainly in the low plain areas. The ecological security index's decline in vitality was caused by the decrease in the pressure index, indicating that the ecological security showed an inevitable deterioration and increased pressure on the ecosystem. During the study period, the source of the five key obstacle factors changed from the state layer and response layer to the pressure layer. The accumulative degree of the five top obstacle factors was above 45%. Therefore, governments should grasp the key indicators to improve ecological security as this study provides the theoretical basis and scientific information for sustainable development.

Eutrophication is a global problem for coastal ecosystems, one that Bohai Bay, China, has been severely afflicted due to rapid economic and social development in the past decades. It was urgent to manage the total maximum allocated loads (TMALs) of the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) on land-based, which was closely related to coastal eutrophication. In this study, from the perspective of economy-resources-environment (ERE) system, we presented the fuzzy credibility constrained linear programming based on pressure-state-response (PSR-FCCLP) model, which calculated the TMALs of TN and TP at three credibility levels (λ = 0.55, 0.75, and 0.95) in Bohai Bay. The results showed that when the credibility level increased from 0.55 to 0.95, the TMALs of TN and TP would decrease from 13,573.38 t/a to 12,820.00 t/a and from 2665.58 t/a to 2514.90 t/a, respectively. This study will provide support for environmental management in coastal regions. • Proposing the pollutant interception coefficient (PIC) of coastal cities. • Establishing an optimization model based on economy-resources-environment system. • Considering three credibility levels in the calculation of the optimization model. • Managing the total maximum allocated loads of TN and TP in Bohai Bay, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA) 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 past decades, China has experienced rapid urbanization, which has brought about environmental changes. The assessment of regional environmental risk (RER) is a complex study for evaluating risk associated with risk sources, risk receptors, and risk retardation under uncertainty. This study aims to evaluate the RER through the holistic macro-assessment, and to ascertain management guide for rapid urbanization to diminish the RER. The results of our case study in the Su-Xi-Chang city cluster, which is a metropolitan area that largely contributed to the economic growth of Jiangsu Province, showed that the RER scores constantly increased from 0.506 to 0.817 during the period from 2001 to 2011. Coupled with the current tendency, in addition, scenario predictions revealed that rapid expansion of urban land would cause a multiple increase in RER. However, RER would begin to decline if the rate of urban population growth (UPG) stabilizes at 1.7%. Moreover, when the urban population ratio increases to 78% along the previous trend, a higher UPG corresponds to a lower declining rate of RER. Otherwise, a lower UPG corresponds to an earlier decline of RER. Finally, implementing city cluster plans was discussed to provide a scientific basis for guiding risk management and sustainable development of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the pressure-state-response model, using the variation coefficient method and effectiveness factor method, the ecological security situation for Yulin region from 2001 to 2005 is quantitatively assessed city according to statistics from both state and local level. The results indicate that the ecological security integrate index of Yulin city increased from 30 in 2001 to 78 in 2005, and the ecological environment undergoes unsafe, critical safe, and relative safe status. Among the three subsystems, system pressure is the most influenfial factor in the ecological security of Yulin, system state the less, system response the least. The sustainable development can be thus achieved through regulating the interaction among the three subsystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial and mining activities have been recognized as major sources of heavy metal contamination in soil. Here, we developed a comprehensive assessment method for the soil environment in industrial and mining gathering areas based on the pressure-state-response model. Using this method, we assessed the environmental quality of soil in a typical industrial and mining gathering area in Tianjin City, China. The results are as follows: (1) The comprehensive environmental quality index of the soil in the study area was 0.532, which corresponds to an alert state and shows that the soil environment is generally poor. (2) The pressure, state, and response indexes were 0.609, 0.634, and 0.163, respectively, which suggests that the pressure in the soil environment of the study area is barely acceptable, and the state is merely passable. Furthermore, the response measures are not ideal. (3) The low response index scores indicate poor production processes, low pollutant treatment level, and unsatisfactory level of management by the enterprises in the study area. (4) The distribution of soil risks was found to be inseparably related to that of contamination sources and land use types. Furthermore, the distribution was uneven to a certain degree. Finally, we propose recommendations for the optimization, adjustment, and management of typical industrial and mining gathering areas with petrochemical, metallurgy, and other heavily polluting enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecosystem health dynamics was explicitly assessed in Gannan Plateau since 2000. • PSR and AHP methods were combined to explore the driving forces of ecosystem health. • Ecosystem health showed clearly differences under different influencing factors. • Ecological project showed a positive impact on ecological health in alpine area. • The ecosystem health status has been improved by 15.04% in Gannan plateau since 2000. Ecosystem health plays a vital role in the development of regional ecological environment. Gannan Plateau, an important water conservation area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, is located at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Due to the importance of the region, understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of the ecosystem health within this region is particularly critical. Previous studies on regional ecosystem health assessment mainly focused on single ecosystem type such as wetland, forest, and grassland, while there are relatively few studies that comprehensively assessed ecosystem health at high-spatial resolution in Gannan alpine areas. In this study, 11 counties and cities in Gannan Tibetan and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of the Gansu Province, China were used as the study area. We evaluated the ecosystem health of 154 township units from 2000 to 2020 with methods of Pressure-State-Response model (PSR) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), using a combination of satellite remote sensing data, social statistics data, meteorological data, and other geospatial data sources. The results showed that overall ecosystems in the southwestern part of the study area exhibited healthier condition than those located in the northeastern part, which is mainly due to the combination of the natural environment and the intensity of human activities in different regions. Over the past 20 years, due to the active implementation of relevant ecological protection and restoration policies by various regional governments and the improvement of the natural environment, the average ecosystem health status of Gannan Plateau has increased by 15.04 %, showing an improving trend in varying degrees or being stable, no declining trend was observed except for a small town. Our results implied that management should take different measures according to the differences of regional ecosystem health level, also pay more attention to areas where the ecosystem health status has not improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A primarily descriptive approach has been used to develop studies in Mexico that use indicators to incorporate information on the conservation state of ecosystems. Consequently, these studies are not well supported by ecological data, or they lack an analysis of socio-ecological integration, making it difficult to implement the strategies derived from these conservation plans. Structural equations models (SEM) help with the understanding of direct and indirect interactions between variables and, consequently, allow the detection of root causes of change. In this study, a method to integrate indicators in relation to a pressure-state-response model was developed and applied to a forest in Mexico City. We developed the model using 21 environmental units, 17 state indicators of biodiversity (evaluating three aspects of the ecosystem: structure, composition and function), 14 environmental indicators (abiotic variables) and 6 anthropogenic pressure indicators. Subsequently, based on multicollinearity tests, redundant indicators were eliminated. A canonical correspondence analysis was carried out to establish the relationship between different indicators and the possible ecological connections of the SEM. With the previous information, an a priori model of the influence of pressure and environmental indicators on the structure, composition and function of the ecosystem was developed. The SEM results enabled us to evaluate the direct and indirect causes of degradation. Some environmental factors, such as the global site factor, humidity, air temperature, organic matter in the soil, slope, and soil pH, had a greater effect on the structure, composition and function indicators registered in the environmental units of the basin than other factors. The pressure factors that most affected the three aspects of the ecosystem were visitors, rubbish, fire incidence, and human activities. Pressure factors affected composition and structure indicators, though the effect on the function indicators was weak. It is possible to conclude that although the ecosystem appears to be changed by some disturbance factors, these factors have not yet altered the functionality of the ecosystem. Finally, from the model, a set of proposals and strategies for management was developed. These strategies can be used to sustain the biodiversity of each environmental unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, energy and food security are the prerequisites for coping with intensified climate change, and also the guarantee for sustaining socio-economic development. This study aims to establish a "Pressure-State-Response" (PSR) model to evaluate the water-energy-food (WEF) system security and clarify the main factors affecting WEF development, system state and social response. In addition, the interval type-2 fuzzy sets and analytic hierarchy process are incorporated to address uncertainty in the importance weights of quantitative indicators. Scenario design, Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Combinative Distance-based Asssessment (CODAS) methods are also adopted to carry out quantitative calculation and explore the key constraints of WEF system security in the nine provinces of the Yellow River basin from 2006 to 2019. Results show that the WEF system security in each province has been improved in 2006–2019 under different scenarios. In detail, the pressure of WEF system is decreasing in Gansu, Ningxia, and Shanxi province, which is due to the decrease in waste water emissions per person and energy consumption per unit of GDP. The state of WEF system in various provinces has also been improved year by year. The response of WEF system is increasing in all provinces except Shanxi. There is obvious spatial-temporal heterogeneity in different provinces, but the regional gaps are narrowing. These findings cannot only reflect the multi-element relationship from both human activities and environmental changes, but also deal with uncertain in WEF assessment system. The obtained results can provide scientific basis for decision-makers to formulate relevant policies and measures. • Type-2 fuzzy sets and Pressure-State-Response model are adopted for WEF evaluation. • Main factors and uncertainties of multiple indicators are clarified. • It is applied to evaluate the WEF system of the Yellow River basin. • Scientific bases for promoting basin high-quality development are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, a series of ecological environmental problems have been brought about by high-intensity intervention of human beings, and ecological security is regarded as one of the most important national survival strategies. A methodology of urban eco-security evaluation has been introduced, including a conceptual framework of pressure-state-response (PSR) model, setting-up of the indicator system of urban eco-security evaluation (ISUESE) and empirical research. By virtue of the mean-deviation method, the weight coefficient of every indicator is confirmed. It has been found that the top three indicators are: per capita area of paved road, per capita area of cultivated land and green coverage rate of built-up area, which has a relatively prominent status in he urban ecological security. A calculation procedure of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) method is applied in empirical research. The Mianyang statistical data during the period of 2005-2012 shows that eco-security keeps a favorable trend, but criticality security and slight insecurity are dominant. It has also been found that insecurity membership degree (MD) of environment pressure accounts for a very large proportion of total pressure. Membership degrees of criticality security and security in environment state are increasing gradually, and as far as environment response is concerned, security is significantly increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Data resources and assessment frameworks are two keys to ecosystem health assessment (EHA). Application of the land use database together with the Pressure–State–Response (PSR) model in EHA provides better precision relative to traditional data resources and assessment frameworks for EHA at the county scale. The raw data are taken from The Anlu County Annals, The Soil Records of Anlu County, and The Statistical Yearbook of National Economy in Anlu County. The spatial and attribute data are partly extracted from the database of current land use in Anlu City using the MAPGIS platform. Based on the results from principal component analysis (PCA), a total of eleven indicators were selected to build an indicator system designed to assess the ecosystem health at the county scale. According to the PSR model, the scores from three indices (press index, state index, and response index) and a comprehensive assessment index (CAI) were calculated, and an assessment map was constructed. The results from the index scores and spatial analysis display a large range for the state of ecosystem health due to the evolution of natural ecosystems and human activities at the county scale. The precision of the current land use database (scale of 1:10,000) makes it a better candidate for evaluating ecosystem health than the traditional data resources. This study also demonstrates the numerous benefits of combining land use databases with GIS functions to assess ecosystem health at the county scale. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]