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With marine pollution issues becoming serious and widespread, a series of coastal environmental managemental policies are being carried out worldwide, the effectiveness of which requires comprehensive evaluation. Taking the Bohai Sea (BS) of China as an example, which has been plagued by serious ecological and environmental issues for decades due to terrestrial pollution discharge, this study explored and quantified, for the first time to our best knowledge, the variability of water quality after initiating a dedicated 3-year pollution control action (Uphill Battle for Integrated Bohai Sea Management, UBIBM, 2018–2020) implemented by China's central government, with two water quality indexes of water color (Forel-Ule index, FUI) and transparency (Secchi disk depth, Z SD , m) from satellite observations. During the UBIBM, a significant improvement in water quality was detected, characterized by a clearer and bluer BS, with Z SD and FUI improved by 14.1% and 3.2%, respectively, compared with the baseline period (2011–2017). In addition, an abrupt drop in the long-term record (2011–2022) of the coverage area of highly turbid waters (Z SD ≤2 m or FUI ≥8) was found in 2018, which coincided with the start of the UBIBM, indicating that the water quality improvement may be attributed to the pollution alleviation of the UBIBM. Independent data of land-based pollution statistics also supported this deduction. (3) Compared with the previous two pollution control actions in the first decade of 21st century, UBIBM was proved to be the most successful one in terms of the achieved highest transparency and lowest FUI during the past two decades. Reasons for the achievement and implications to future pollution control are discussed for a more sustainable and balanced improvement in the coastal environment. This research provides a valuable example that satellite remote sensing can play a vital role in the management of coastal ecosystems by providing effective evaluation of pollution control actions. [Display omitted] • Nation-led coastal pollution control was evaluated by satellite remote sensing. • The BS turned clearer and bluer during the pollution control period (2018–2020). • The FUI and Z SD of the BS have improved to the status of the early 2000s. • The UBIBM is the most successful pollution control action over the past 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the downscaling and integration of zonal management and control of various environmental pollution sources is an effective way to systematically deal with the current high-intensity and complex environmental problems. Through single-factor and comprehensive pollutant emission intensity evaluation and cluster analysis, we built a full-coverage and cross-scale environmental spatial management and control system for pollution sources, then proposed environmental zoning patterns and pollution control strategies at three scales in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China. At the grid scale, the reclassified 7 types of pollution source spaces can be divided into 5 levels based on pollution emission intensity, and the most urgent environmental control subjects can be determined accordingly. Up to the county scale, combined with emission intensity and regional functions, 305 counties can be divided into 5 control intensity zones, which directly correspond to different environmental control intensity, requirements and policies. Finally, at the city scale, 41 cities can be clustered into 7 pollution control zones, which are classified and named as the three-level form of geographic location, development orientation and pollution source characteristics. Fully using the zoning units at different scales of cities, counties and grids can break the limitation of inherent administrative boundaries and allow environmental integration policies to be implemented across departments and regions, also let differentiated policies be more accurately implemented to different administrative levels and pollution source, and then truly improve the efficiency of environmental management. • Geographical spatial structure affects environmental function benefit. • Downscale control system improves environmental management efficiency. • Controlling pollution source spaces through multi-scale zoning. • Inter-city integration zoning breaks the limitation of administrative powers. • Differentiated zoning within county improves the matching of environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding institutional changes is crucial for environmental management. Here we investigated how institutional changes influenced the process and result of desertification control in northern China between 1949 and 2004. Our analysis was based on a case study of 21 field sites and a meta-analysis of additional 29 sites reported in the literature. Our results show that imposed knowledge-driven institutional change was often perceived as a more progressive, scientific, and rational type of institutional change by entrepreneurs, scholars, experts, and technicians, while voluntary, knowledge-driven institutional change based on indigenous knowledge and experiences of local populations was discouraged. Our findings also demonstrate that eight working rules of imposed knowledge-driven institutional change can be applied to control desertification effectively. These rules address the issues of perception of potential gains, entrepreneurs'' appeals and support, coordination of multiple goals, collaboration among multiple organizations, interest distribution and conflict resolution, incremental institutional change, external intervention, and coordination among the myriad institutions involved. Imposed knowledge-driven institutional change tended to be more successful when these rules were thoroughly implemented. These findings provide an outline for implementing future institutional changes and policy making to combat desertification and other types of ecological and environmental management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Different regions in China face greatly dissimilar ecological and environmental problems due to large variations in natural conditions and socioeconomic development levels. Such spatial variability calls for regionalized environmental management and protection policies. Environmental function zoning is an effective tool for the design and implementation of differentiated environmental policies. To contain the ecological degradation in different regions of China, we first created a comprehensive environmental function evaluation index system that included 25 socioeconomic and environmental indicators for the three key elements of natural ecological security protection, healthy human living environment maintenance, and regional environment carrying capacity. To clarify the division of Chinese environmental function zoning in the new period, we use GIS and remote sensing technology. We generated 1-km resolution grid data for the 25 indicators and implemented this index system to evaluate the environmental function of the 2414 counties in China. Differentiated environmental management objectives and strategies were designed and implemented for different zones to avoid the phenomenon of one size fits all. This work lays a scientific foundation and provides a quantitative tool for the design and implementation of differentiated management. By considering not only the natural system but also the social and economic systems and their interactions, this evaluation of environmental function provides a more comprehensive view and thus offers new insights on balancing environmental protection and socioeconomic development. • An index system for environmental function assessment with GIS platform was developed. • The evaluation with 1-km resolution grid data for the 25 indicators was conducted. • Environmental function zoning for the 2414 counties in mainland China was formulated. • This work provides a quantitative tool for differentiated environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]