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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]

Land use change stands as the primary factor influencing habitat quality (HQ). Clarifying the spatiotemporal change and the obstacle factors of the coupling relationship between HQ and urbanization level (UL) can provide imperative references for achieving sustainability in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). This study is based on the InVEST model, spatial autocorrelation, and obstacle factor analysis to measure the spatiotemporal dynamics and impediments of the coupling relationship between HQ and UL from 2000 to 2020 in the YRB. The findings were as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the HQ showed a tendency of rise first and then fall, with the pattern of "High in the middle and west, low in the east"; (2) from 2000 to 2020, the UL had an upward trend, with the pattern of "Low in the west, high in the middle and east"; (3) the coupling and coordination level of HQ and UL in the YRB changed from extreme incoordination to verge of coordination, and it had a distribution pattern of "High in the east, low in the west", with the high-value area expanding to the east and the low-value area shrinking to the west. (4) Location condition, climate, proportion of construction land, vegetation index, and proportion of non-agricultural employment are the main obstacle factors that determined the coupling and coordination of the HQ and UL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the coordination of agricultural water resources (W), cultivated land (L), and the ecoenvironment (E) system is crucial for sustainable agriculture in the North China Plain (NCP). However, the synergistic effects of this composite system remain unclear. Coupling coordination degrees (CCDs) of 53 cities in the NCP for the years 2011, 2015, and 2020 were evaluated using the TOPSIS model, and the coupling coordination model, combined with the analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method. The evaluation results were further analyzed to identify obstacle factors. The findings reveal the following: (1) The comprehensive development level showed a fluctuating upward trend, with closeness values ranging from 0.418 to 0.574 in 2020, indicating an improvement of 14.6–52.3% compared to 2011. The coefficient of variation (CV) for each province rose from 12.65% in 2011 to 13.64% and subsequently declined to 9.12% by 2020. (2) Between 2011 and 2020, CCDs of the W–L–E composite system exhibited a consistent upward trend. In 2020, regions with intermediate or better coordination accounted for 34.0%, and were primarily located in Jiangsu Province, the southern part of Anhui Province, the northwestern part of Shandong Province, and the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin. (3) In 2011 and 2015, significant obstacle factors included the water quality compliance rate and the per capita disposable income of rural residents, although these were not primary obstacles in 2020. The water supply modulus and multiple cropping index were major obstacle factors in 2011, 2015, and 2020. Developing water-appropriate cropping patterns based on regional water resource endowment is the essential path for the sustainable and coordinated development of water, land, and ecology in the NCP. [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.

Abstract Mountainous ethnic tourism lands are important social-ecological system types. With tourism as the main disturbance factor, the theory of social-ecological system resilience provides a new way to realize the sustainable development of ethno-tourism in mountainous areas. This study divides the social-ecological system into social, economic, and ecological subsystems. It constructs an evaluation index system to assess the resilience of ethnic tourism destinations in mountainous areas, considering vulnerability and adaptability. We investigate 64 counties in the Wuling Mountain area and use set-pair analysis to assess the resilience index of the social-ecological system from 2000 to 2020 and reveal the temporal and spatial characteristics. Obstacle degree models and a genetic algorithm-back propagation neural network are utilized to determine the influencing factors and predict future development trends. The following results were obtained: (1) Temporally, the resilience index shows a steady upward trend, reaching a moderate level. The resilience of the social subsystem fluctuates and rises; the economic subsystem exhibits slow, fast, and slow growth rates with occasional abrupt changes; and the ecological subsystem demonstrates a stable, slightly increasing trend. (2) Spatially, the resilience index is high at the edges and low in the central area, exhibiting a concave distribution. Most counties have moderate or higher resilience. The social and ecological subsystems have low resilience in the south and high resilience in the north. The resilience of the economic subsystem is high at the edges and low in the central area. (3) On the distribution of major obstacle factors, the first two are similar at the county level, and the last three are significantly different. The similarity of the barrier factors is related to the degree of regional proximity of the county, and overall, the similarity is decreasing from north to south and from west to east in the distribution pattern within the area. and to a certain extent, it is affected by terrain and geomorphology. (4) The spatial distribution of the resilience index is similar in 2025 and 2030. The index decreases slightly and then increases annually, with a lower growth rate in the south than in the north. Lower values occur in the northern and southwestern parts, whereas higher values are observed around high-value areas. The region as a whole will develop in a coordinated and integrated manner in the future.

Rural social-ecological systems have been significantly impacted by the development of rural tourism, creating substantial challenges for the synergistic development of rural ecological restoration and agricultural workers' household livelihoods. In alignment with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration action plan, it is crucial to understand the ecological resilience of tourism villages from the perspective of farmers to achieve sustainable development. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted in this study to gather livelihood data from farmers in tourism villages in Xiangxi, China, a region primarily inhabited by ethnic minorities. A measurement index system for the ecological resilience of rural tourism was constructed based on the three dimensions: pressure, state, and response. A comprehensive index method was employed for quantitative evaluation, and influencing factors were analyzed using an obstacle model. The results show that farmers' livelihoods can be divided into four types: tourism-led, labor-led, agriculture-led, and part-time tourism-based. Their ecological resilience indices are 0.4516, 0.4177, 0.4001, and 0.4590, respectively, representing an overall intermediate level. There are differences in various indices for different livelihood types, with the highest stress index observed in labor-led farmers (0.1655), the highest state index in agriculture-led farming households (0.1585), and the highest response index in tourism-led farming households (0.1766). Common obstacles to the ecological resilience of farmers and their villages include the number of family members engaged in tourism work, the area of forest land, and the farmers' understanding of ecological policies affecting them. Additionally, core family members' education levels and the area of homesteads emerged as important obstacle factors. Based on these research findings, recommendations are proposed to enhance the ecological resilience of rural farmer households in the tourism villages of ethnic minority areas. The aim is to provide valuable case studies for promoting the sustainable development of rural tourism in underdeveloped regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the mounting global challenges associated with climate change and resource depletion, achieving sustainable development is paramount. Focusing on cities as vital scenarios for pursuing sustainability, this research measured urban sustainability and identified its obstacles. Employing the DPSIR (Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response) framework, we establish a metric system with 25 indicators to assess the urban sustainability of six innovation zones in China and identify their developmental impediments to sustainability with an obstacle model. The core findings of the study are as follows: First, over the five-year period, all six cities demonstrated a consistent increase in their urban sustainability levels except for Shenzhen, which experienced a decline from its top position among these cities due to a decrease in its score from 0.44296 to 0.36942 in 2017. Second, there was consistent urban sustainability progress in five cities, with the exception of Shenzhen, from 2016 to 2020. Third, inadequate government response emerges as a primary obstacle across all six cities, marked by shortcomings in public expenditure, R&D investment, and healthcare. Every year, all six cities experienced more than 60% obstacle degrees in terms of response, with the exception of Shenzhen in 2016. The urban sustainability pursuit model we developed bridges urban sustainability theory with practical interventions, promoting adaptive governance. In addition, this study provides scholars and policymakers with a comprehensive approach to gauging urban sustainability, recognizing obstacles, and designing strategies for a sustainable urban future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-depth discussion and analysis of the synergistic effect of new-type urbanization, greening and digitalization (NUGD) is important for the achievement of sustainable social, ecological and economic development. Therefore, in this study, an evaluation index system composed of these three subsystems was constructed for Chinese cities from 2011 to 2021. The comprehensive and collaborative development levels of each subsystem were measured by means including the entropy weight method and the coupling coordination model, respectively. Then, methods such as ESDA and the Dagum Gini coefficient were applied to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution and spatial differences in the triple synergy effect of the NUGD system in Chinese cities. Finally, the constraining factors of the triple synergy effect were revealed using the obstacle degree model. The findings demonstrated the following: (1) Overall, the NUGD subsystems and their comprehensive levels were increasing, with moderate overall development levels. (2) The synergistic development of the NUGD system exhibited an upward trend. Spatially, the synergistic development level showed distinct differentiation, being higher in the east and lower in the west. The multidimensional dynamic variation characteristics obtained through kernel density estimation revealed that the triple synergy level exhibits high stability. (3) The differences within the east and between the eastern and western areas were the largest, with the intensity of transvariation as the main source. (4) The five criterion layers, including social and spatial urbanization variables, were the key constraints that affected the triple synergy of the NUGD in Chinese cities, and the restrictive role of factors such as the proportion of urban construction land and the per capita postal business volume should not be ignored. This study provides a valuable reference and decision-making guidance to promote China's acceleration toward a new urbanization path supported by both digitalization and green transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordinated development of water and soil resource matching and grain production is essential to enhance integrated grain production capacity and promote sustainable development in agriculture. Based on the perspective of a water footprint, this article empirically evaluates the coupling coordination relationship between water and soil resource matching and grain production in typical black soil areas in Northeast China using the coupled coordination degree and the obstacle model and further analyzes the obstacle factors that affect the coordination between the two systems. The results indicate that the blue water footprint, green water footprint, and total water footprint of five grain crops are increasing year by year. Soybean has the largest water footprint per unit mass, tubers have the smallest, and rice has the largest water footprint among cereals. The overall matching degree of water and soil resources in the study area is steadily increasing. However, there are significant differences in the water and soil resource matching coefficients between regions, with the highest being observed in Hegang City and the lowest being observed in Jiamusi City. Coupling remains at a high level and coupling coordination shifts from a low–middle–high to a middle–high stage. The correlation between soil and water resource matching and grain production systems is of significant importance. The degree of matching between water and soil resources serves as the primary obstacle affecting the coupling and coordinated development of integrated systems, which fundamentally restricts the sustainable development of regional agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The sustainable development of China's food system is an essential requirement for realizing the digital transformation of agriculture and rural areas and the main target for the big release of agricultural and rural digitalization dividends and the scale of feedback. What are the current trends of change in China's agricultural and rural digitization and sustainable development of the food system? Have they achieved a high level of coordinated development? What are the factors constraining their coordinated development? Methods: This work is based on 30 Chinese provincial administrative areas from 2011 to 2020. We adopt the entropy weight method to calculate the comprehensive development index of the agricultural and rural digitization and food system sustainability, respectively. The coupling degree and coupling coordination degree of the two systems are calculated by applying the coupling coordination degree model. The obstacle degree model was used to diagnose the obstacles constraining the coupling and coordinated development of the coupled systems. Results: This study found that the development index of China's provincial agricultural and rural digitization and food system sustainability increased gradually from 2011 to 2020. The coupling of the two systems is mainly in the high-level coupling stage, but the coupling coordination degree is primarily in the low and medium coupling coordination intervals. These results are heterogeneous across China's four geographic regions: east, center, west, and northeast. The level of rural digital platform construction and rural digital industrialization is the most essential indicator-level and element-level barriers to agricultural and rural digitalization, respectively. Per capita food possession and food stability are, respectively, the most critical indicator-level and elementlevel barriers to the food system sustainability. Discussion: The research in this work contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary trends in agriculture and rural digitalization and the food system sustainability in the country as a whole and within the country. Although the two systems have not achieved a high level of coordinated development, the coupling degree and coupled coordination degree show a positive feedback relationship. The analysis of the obstacle factors helps to recognize the main bottlenecks constraining the coupled and coordinated development of the systems at a more specific level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To comprehensively evaluate the vulnerability level of elderly farmers and herdsmens family old 一 age pension and analyze the obstacle factors. Methods Based on the vulnerability framework, we constructed a family old 一 age pension vulnerability assessment index system, and selected 2 594 research subjects for questionnaire survey by multi 一 stage random cluster sampling. We applied entropy 一 weight 一 TOPSIS method to comprehensively evaluate the level of elderly farmers and herdsmenJ s family old 一 age pension vulnerability, and explored the obstacle factors. Results 60. 14% of the elderly farmers and herders in the southern mountainous pastoral areas of Xinjiang had medium or high levels of vulnerability to old age; the three dimensions of vulnerability to old age and their degree of obstacles were sensitivity (47. 59%), adaptive capacity (27. 73%), and exposure (25. 58%); the top five obstacles and their degree of obstacles were hospitalization due to illness (11. 86%), physical fitness index (10. 86%), and physical health index (11. 86%); and the top five obstacles and their degree of obstacles were hospitalization due to illness (11. 86%). The top five barriers and their degree of obstacles were hospitalization due to illness (11. 86%), body mass index (10. 17%), debt (10. 06%), caring for grandchildren (9. 16%), and self - care ability (5. 70%); and the degree of obstacles to care for the elderly was the fourth highest among elderly farmers (8. 62%) and the fourteenth highest among elderly pastoralists (2. 69%). Condusion There are differences in vulnerability levels and obstacles between elderly farmers and herders. It is recommended to pay attention to the differences in the characteristics of elderly farmers and herders themselves and their pension resources, so as to formulate more accurate pension strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the coordination of agricultural water resources (W), cultivated land (L), and the ecoenvironment (E) system is crucial for sustainable agriculture in the North China Plain (NCP). However, the synergistic effects of this composite system remain unclear. Coupling coordination degrees (CCDs) of 53 cities in the NCP for the years 2011, 2015, and 2020 were evaluated using the TOPSIS model, and the coupling coordination model, combined with the analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method. The evaluation results were further analyzed to identify obstacle factors. The findings reveal the following: (1) The comprehensive development level showed a fluctuating upward trend, with closeness values ranging from 0.418 to 0.574 in 2020, indicating an improvement of 14.6–52.3% compared to 2011. The coefficient of variation (CV) for each province rose from 12.65% in 2011 to 13.64% and subsequently declined to 9.12% by 2020. (2) Between 2011 and 2020, CCDs of the W–L–E composite system exhibited a consistent upward trend. In 2020, regions with intermediate or better coordination accounted for 34.0%, and were primarily located in Jiangsu Province, the southern part of Anhui Province, the northwestern part of Shandong Province, and the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin. (3) In 2011 and 2015, significant obstacle factors included the water quality compliance rate and the per capita disposable income of rural residents, although these were not primary obstacles in 2020. The water supply modulus and multiple cropping index were major obstacle factors in 2011, 2015, and 2020. Developing water-appropriate cropping patterns based on regional water resource endowment is the essential path for the sustainable and coordinated development of water, land, and ecology in the NCP.

The new energy industry serves as a key driver for green growth, and unlocking its core competitiveness is essential for achieving sustainable development. This study focuses on the new energy industry in Shandong province from 2010 to 2021, constructing an evaluation system for core competitiveness across three dimensions: industrial competitive environment, industrial competitive strength, and industrial competitive potential. Utilizing the entropy weight TOPSIS method and the obstacle degree model, this paper delves into the evolving characteristics and hindering factors affecting the core competitiveness of the new energy industry in Shandong province. The findings reveal the following: (1) over the study period, the core competitiveness of the new energy industry in Shandong province underwent stages of small fluctuations, slow growth, and rapid expansion, indicating an overall upward trajectory. (2) The primary obstacle to improving core competitiveness lies in the industrial competitive environment, particularly highlighted by factors such as the number of industrial service departments, existing policies, the growth rate of investment in the new energy industry, and the number of research and development personnel in large-scale new energy enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The land resources in the main grain-producing areas (MGPAs) provide a solid foundation for grain production, and promotion of the sustainable utilization of land resources in these areas is crucial for ensuring national food security. To comprehensively assess the land resource carrying capacity (LRCC) in China's MGPAs, we utilized the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework and applied the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight (EW) method to analyze the spatial–temporal evolution of LRCC in China's MGPAs from 2000 to 2020. By establishing a coupling coordination model, we explored the coupling coordination relationships among LRCC subsystems and identified key factors hindering the balanced development of LRCC using an obstacle degree model. The research results indicate that the LRCC in China's MGPAs generally shows an increasing trend with a continuously growing rate, with the LRCC in the southern regions surpassing that in the northern regions. The overall coupling coordination of LRCC demonstrates an increasing trend, although the growth rate is decreasing. The coupling coordination level of LRCC in the southern regions is generally higher than that in the northern regions, and the gap in coordination levels between various regions is narrowing. The state and pressure subsystems significantly influence the balanced development of LRCC. Indicators such as arable land area per capita, grain production yield per unit area of arable land, grain production yield per capita, forest land area per capita, and grassland area per capita play vital roles in the development of LRCC. Based on these findings, we have put forward targeted recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relationship between city size and resilience is crucial for informed decisions on preparedness and interventions in building resilient cities. This study addresses this issue by dividing urban resilience into four components: stability, redundancy, resourcefulness, and connectivity. Using the above evaluation framework, we assessed the spatial–temporal variations in the relationship between city size and resilience in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2005 to 2020. The findings shows that, overall, resilience increased in the cities, with larger populations and spatial scales showing greater resilience, but both megacities and small cities experienced a decline in resilience. In terms of the four components of resilience, most of the region's cities have roughly equal connectivity and stability, but redundancy and resourcefulness vary by city size and location. Specifically, downstream and larger cities demonstrated better crisis resolution and innovation. The dominant coupling coordination states showed antagonism between population and resilience. Upstream areas experienced a mismatch between "low resilience" and "large population", while a moderate coordination existed between spatial scale and resilience. Further, it was found that factors hindering urban resilience varied according to city size. Cities with a population of <3 million faced low connectivity and limited transformation capacity. Those with a population of 3–5 million had moderate connectivity limitations, while cities with a population >5 million faced energy and aging population challenges. This study contributes to urban resilience discourse by providing a conceptual understanding and empirical analysis of the impact of city size on resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Amidst the mounting global challenges associated with climate change and resource depletion, achieving sustainable development is paramount. Focusing on cities as vital scenarios for pursuing sustainability, this research measured urban sustainability and identified its obstacles. Employing the DPSIR (Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response) framework, we establish a metric system with 25 indicators to assess the urban sustainability of six innovation zones in China and identify their developmental impediments to sustainability with an obstacle model. The core findings of the study are as follows: First, over the five-year period, all six cities demonstrated a consistent increase in their urban sustainability levels except for Shenzhen, which experienced a decline from its top position among these cities due to a decrease in its score from 0.44296 to 0.36942 in 2017. Second, there was consistent urban sustainability progress in five cities, with the exception of Shenzhen, from 2016 to 2020. Third, inadequate government response emerges as a primary obstacle across all six cities, marked by shortcomings in public expenditure, R&D investment, and healthcare. Every year, all six cities experienced more than 60% obstacle degrees in terms of response, with the exception of Shenzhen in 2016. The urban sustainability pursuit model we developed bridges urban sustainability theory with practical interventions, promoting adaptive governance. In addition, this study provides scholars and policymakers with a comprehensive approach to gauging urban sustainability, recognizing obstacles, and designing strategies for a sustainable urban future.

The in-depth discussion and analysis of the synergistic effect of new-type urbanization, greening and digitalization (NUGD) is important for the achievement of sustainable social, ecological and economic development. Therefore, in this study, an evaluation index system composed of these three subsystems was constructed for Chinese cities from 2011 to 2021. The comprehensive and collaborative development levels of each subsystem were measured by means including the entropy weight method and the coupling coordination model, respectively. Then, methods such as ESDA and the Dagum Gini coefficient were applied to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution and spatial differences in the triple synergy effect of the NUGD system in Chinese cities. Finally, the constraining factors of the triple synergy effect were revealed using the obstacle degree model. The findings demonstrated the following: (1) Overall, the NUGD subsystems and their comprehensive levels were increasing, with moderate overall development levels. (2) The synergistic development of the NUGD system exhibited an upward trend. Spatially, the synergistic development level showed distinct differentiation, being higher in the east and lower in the west. The multidimensional dynamic variation characteristics obtained through kernel density estimation revealed that the triple synergy level exhibits high stability. (3) The differences within the east and between the eastern and western areas were the largest, with the intensity of transvariation as the main source. (4) The five criterion layers, including social and spatial urbanization variables, were the key constraints that affected the triple synergy of the NUGD in Chinese cities, and the restrictive role of factors such as the proportion of urban construction land and the per capita postal business volume should not be ignored. This study provides a valuable reference and decision-making guidance to promote China’s acceleration toward a new urbanization path supported by both digitalization and green transformation.

Currently, in-depth analyses concerning the dynamic simulation of urban resilience and forecasting future development trends are lacking. To address urban vulnerability and promote regional balance and sustainable development, this study assessed the urban ecological resilience of Guangdong Province from 2000 to 2020 using the entropy weight TOPSIS method. Furthermore, we examined the spatial and temporal variations and evolution of urban ecological resilience through measures such as kernel density estimation, Theil index, and the center of gravity standard deviation ellipse. We employ obstacle degree and back-propagation (BP) neural network models to identify the primary barriers and conduct dynamic simulations. Our findings revealed that, from an evolutionary resilience perspective, urban ecological resilience is an inherent characteristic of urban ecosystems. It consistently possesses the dynamic ability to defend against disturbances, respond promptly when interference occurs, and continually learn and innovate, regardless of the urban ecology's state of disturbance. Urban ecological resilience in Guangdong Province has steadily improved with minimal fluctuations, establishing a trend characterized by low concentration and high convergence. Regarding barrier factors, the disposal rate of domestic waste, number of college students per 10,000 people, number of R&D personnel per 10,000 labor force, and per capita park green space area are the primary constraints on urban ecological resilience in Guangdong Province. Dynamic simulations from 2022 to 2030 suggest that urban resilience will experience gradual development with a decreasing overall resilience level. Areas with lower and median resilience values will predominate, while the number of cities with higher resilience levels will see a reduction. Future development trends indicate notable temporal and spatial variations. In the east and west directions, the urban resilience level forms a “U” shape, while in the north and south directions, it is higher in the south and lower in the north.

The rapid development of tourism has caused a series of impacts on the ecosystem. Although studies on the relationship between tourism development (TD) and the ecological environment are rich, few scholars have focused on the coupling coordination between them from the perspective of ecosystem services value (ESV). Given this research gap, we evaluated the levels of TD and ESV in 78 cities of the Yellow River Basin (YRB), China based on statistical and land-use data. Then, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), the spatial variogram model, and the obstacle degree model were used to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of coupling coordination between TD and ESV and its obstacle factors. The results show the following: (1) The comprehensive TD level shows an upward trend and presents significant spatial differentiation characteristics. The total ESV of the YRB shows a fluctuating upward trend, and the average ESV presents the spatial pattern of uplift in the middle reaches. (2) The comprehensive CCD of the YRB has gradually improved, but the gap between cities has widened. The global spatial autocorrelation of CCD is significantly positive, and the spatial variability has gradually increased. An “uplift area” in southern Shaanxi always exists and has gradually expanded to Shanxi and western Henan, while eastern Henan and western Shandong become a “subsidence area”. The coupling coordination level has changed from uncoordinated to coordinated in most counties, but the problem of TD and ESV imbalance generally exists. (3) For the whole basin, TD is always the main obstacle factor at the system layer, and tourism scale and tourism economic benefit are the most significant obstacles at the category layer. At the city level, the proportion of cities where TD is the main obstacle factor exceeds 80% by 2019. Specifically, insufficient tourism scale and low tourism economic efficiency restrict the improvement of CCD in most cities. This research provides valuable references for studying the coupling coordination relationship between TU and ESV in big river basins worldwide.

Based on the provincial statistical data of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region this paper uses the health distance model and obstacle degree model to explore the spatiotemporal mismatch of the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional innovation chain and analyzes the obstacle factor affecting the healthy development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei innovation chain. The results show that: (1) In terms of timing characteristics, the overall mismatch of the innovation chain in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region shows a downward trend, and the absolute and relative difference of regional mismatch both show a "V" shaped development trend, which first decreases and then increases. (2) In terms of spatial characteristics, the mismatch of the innovation chain in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region develops from unbalanced to balanced and then unbalanced, and the spatial pattern evolves from low in the middle and high around to high in the southeast and low around. (3) In terms of the obstacle factors, scientific research and development institutions, the number of college students, and the number of innovation platforms at or above the provincial and ministerial level are the obstacle factors to the more frequent occurrence. Plain Language Summary: preface This study aims to examine the spatio-temporal differentiation of the regional innovation chain in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China. It investigates the mismatch between different components of the innovation chain and analyzes the factors that hinder its healthy development. The research utilizes the entropy method, health distance model, and obstacle degree model to calculate and analyze the innovation chain mismatch. Arc GIS geometric method is employed to divide the mismatch into different levels. Data from 2015 to 2019 is used to assess the evolution of the innovation chain mismatch over time and across different regions. The study reveals that the innovation chain mismatch in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has shown a declining trend during the study period. The overall mismatch has weakened, indicating significant progress in the coordinated development of the region. Beijing has played a leading role, while Tianjin and Hebei Province have also witnessed improvements, although to a lesser extent. The development difference among the three regions has been reduced, but significant disparities still exist. The findings highlight the importance of regional collaboration in promoting innovation chain development. The study provides insights for policymakers and stakeholders to enhance the coordination and integration of innovation activities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. It emphasizes the need for further efforts to reduce development disparities and enhance the efficiency of innovation development. It is important to note that this study focuses specifically on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the findings may not be directly applicable to other regions or countries. The analysis is based on available data and selected models, which may have certain limitations and assumptions. Further research is needed to explore additional factors and dynamics influencing the innovation chain in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital economy uses its own digital information advantages to reduce the intensity of energy consumption brought by economic growth. Intelligent manufacturing achieves cost reduction and efficiency through the integration of manufacturing and intelligence as well as digitalization and information technology. The two have become a new engine for sustainable economic development at present, and they can promote and influence each other. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between them. In this regard, this study aims to build a coupling coordination model of digital economy and intelligent manufacturing and to make an empirical analysis using the data of Chinese provincial administrative regions in order to provide a theoretical reference for promoting sustainable economic development. The research finds that (1) the digital economy and intelligent manufacturing are mainly cross-coupled from four aspects: infrastructure, technological innovation, product optimization and organizational change. The development level and speed of the former are significantly higher than those of the latter, and the gap does not decrease with time. The two have a strong correlation, but there is no high-quality coupling coordination. (2) The main obstacle factors to the digital economy lie in the imperfect supporting facilities, the short board of technological innovation and the lack of technological application capacity. Intelligent manufacturing lacks intelligent application and technological innovation. (3) Influencing factors such as opening to the outside world, economic development, high-level talent input, industrial structure and innovation emphasis have different effects on their coupling and coordinated development in different regions. (4) The spatial correlation test shows that the coupling coordination degree of each region is spatially positively correlated. This research helps to promote the coupling and coordinated development of the digital economy and intelligent manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the context of sustainable development, urban–rural integration is not solely focused on high economic growth but has been expanded to a wider range of social and ecological fields. Objectives: To analyze the spatial and temporal evolution of the coupling coordination level of urban–rural economic, social and ecological integration subsystems in the Yangtze River Delta and to explore its main obstacles, in order to provide countermeasures to promote the sustainable development of urban and rural areas. Methods: Panel data of 16 cities in the core area of the Yangtze River Delta from 2005 to 2020 were selected, and the entropy method was used to calculate the comprehensive development level of each subsystem, based on which the coupling coordination degree was measured by the coupling coordination model, and the obstacle degree of each indicator was obtained by the obstacle degree model. Outcomes: The urban–rural integration level kept a steady rise, and the "economy–society–ecology" coordination level transformed from borderline imbalances to moderate coordination. The high-value areas presented an initial "Π" shape distribution that later turned into a ">" shape, while the backward areas were primarily located at both ends of the north and south. The key obstacle factors included per capita GDP, population urbanization rate, urban and rural basic pension insurance coverage, faculty–student ratio in urban and rural primary and middle schools, per capita park green land, road network density and fertilizer application per unit area of sown. Recommendations: The systematic coordination of urban–rural integration should be promoted according to local conditions, with emphasis on broadening urban–rural communication channels, promoting the equalization of urban–rural public services and establishing the urban–rural collaborative mechanism for environmental maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Judging the coordinated development trend of China's marine economy-society-ecology system has important strategic decision-making reference value for promoting the high-quality development of China's marine economy. The coupling coordination degree model was employed to measure the coupling coordination degree of China's marine economy-society-ecology system from 2006 to 2019, and the obstacle degree model was used to analyze its main obstacle factors. The results showed that: The comprehensive development indexes of China's marine economic subsystem and social subsystem both showed a significant upward trend, and the comprehensive development index of ecological subsystem was the highest but did not show an indigenous growth trend. From 2006 to 2019, the overall coupling coordination level of coastal areas in China showed an upward trend, and the coupling coordination level increased from bare coordination to moderate coordination; the coupling coordination degrees of the three marine economic circles from high to low were the eastern region, the northern region and the southern region. Marine labor productivity, per capita consumption expenditure, the number of college students majoring in marine and the investment in wastewater treatment projects were the main obstacles to the coordinated development of China's marine economy-society-ecology system.

Anhui Province is located in the superposition area of the "Strategy of the Rise of Central China" and the "Strategy of Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta". Analyzing the high-quality development of Anhui Province is crucial for regional development. This paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation system based on the "New development philosophy". Then, the information entropy method is applied to measure the high-quality development index (HQDI). The Markov transition probability matrix is used to explore the evolutionary trend of the HQDI. This paper also analyzes the coupling coordination relationships between high-quality development subsystems. Finally, the obstacle factor diagnostic model is adopted to find the factors that impede high-quality development. The result shows that: (1) There exists a significant spatial gradient difference in Anhui Province. The overall spatial distribution of the HQDI shows a pattern of "high in the central and east, low in the north and south". (2) The "club convergence effect" and the "Matthew effect" of urban high-quality development are observed. (3) Subsystem analysis verified the existence of regional differences. Hefei has the leading position in all development subsystems. (4) The coupling coordination degree of subsystems is relatively low, and the problem of disorder development within Anhui Province is significant. (5) The fixed assets' investment, the total amount of imports and exports, the GDP, the total urban wastewater treatment and the urban road passenger volume are the main obstacle factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship and obstacles between sustainable development (SD) and ecosystem services (ESs) are crucial factors for SD decision-making and ecological conservation strategies. The production-living-ecological (PLE) functional perspective provides a new research entry point to analyze the interrelationship between the SD of human society and ESs. In view of this, based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this study established an SD localization evaluation framework from the perspective of the PLE functions and subsequently evaluated the SD levels of 16 cities in Yunnan Province from 2005 to 2020. Furthermore, changes in the ecosystem service value (ESV) were explored by combining the PLE land classification and dynamic equivalence methods. The relationship between SD and ESV was then analyzed using the modified coupling coordination degree (CCD) model. Finally, the obstacle degree model was introduced to identify the main factors affecting the CCD level of the two systems. The results revealed the SD level in Yunnan Province to be high in the central region and low in other areas. From 2005 to 2020, the province's SD level increased from 0.146 to 0.341. Furthermore, the main contribution of ESV originated from ecological land (over 90%). The ESV was higher in the southwest of Yunnan Province compared to that in the northeast. From 2005 to 2020, the ESV decreased by 2.231 billion CNY and was dominated by the regulation services. The CCD level increased significantly from 2005 to 2020. The CCD subcategory changed from SD lag to ESV lag and ESV-SD balanced type. Moreover, the dominant obstacle factors did not change significantly during the study period. The ESV and SD systems were dominated by regulation services and sustainable production subsystems, respectively. The research results have important guiding significance for further optimization of regional development strategies and ecological protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources play a pivotal role in sustaining and shaping urban development. To assess the suitability of a site for urban construction, a water-resource–carrying capacity (WRCC) assessment is typically conducted. Here, we expand on the concept of the WRCC and construct an evaluation system based on the water quantity, quality, watershed and flow (WQQSF). Using this WQQSF evaluation system, we investigated the suitability of water resources for the development of the Xiong’an New Area (XNA) in China. Specifically, we evaluated the WRCC of XNA from 2010 to 2020 and identified the main obstacle factors. By building a system dynamics (SD) model, we analyzed projected changes in the carrying capacity of XNA from 2021 to 2035. The main findings were as follows:(1) the average WQQSF-index was 0.32 from 2010 to 2017, which corresponds to the overload condition, and rises to 0.41 from 2018 to 2020, which corresponds to the critical overload condition. (2) From the perspective of obstacle factors, the water quantity factor has a large influence on the water resources bearing condition of XNA accounting for about 40 %. (3) Considering that XNA is a water-scarce area, we should first ensure the balance between the supply and demand of water resources, and secondly, choose the optimal scenario for the carrying capacity. Among the five scenarios based on uncertainty, the S3 scenario not only meets the balance of water resources supply and demand but also has the best-carrying index, which is 0.7, showing a weak carrying condition. To ensure the sustainable development of WRCC in XNA, water conservation and strict control of population size should be adhered to in the future while increasing water recharge through multiple channels. This study provides a decision basis for the management, rational development, and allocation of WRCC in XNA.

Understanding the relationship between city size and resilience is crucial for informed decisions on preparedness and interventions in building resilient cities. This study addresses this issue by dividing urban resilience into four components: stability, redundancy, resourcefulness, and connectivity. Using the above evaluation framework, we assessed the spatial–temporal variations in the relationship between city size and resilience in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2005 to 2020. The findings shows that, overall, resilience increased in the cities, with larger populations and spatial scales showing greater resilience, but both megacities and small cities experienced a decline in resilience. In terms of the four components of resilience, most of the region’s cities have roughly equal connectivity and stability, but redundancy and resourcefulness vary by city size and location. Specifically, downstream and larger cities demonstrated better crisis resolution and innovation. The dominant coupling coordination states showed antagonism between population and resilience. Upstream areas experienced a mismatch between “low resilience” and “large population”, while a moderate coordination existed between spatial scale and resilience. Further, it was found that factors hindering urban resilience varied according to city size. Cities with a population of 5 million faced energy and aging population challenges. This study contributes to urban resilience discourse by providing a conceptual understanding and empirical analysis of the impact of city size on resilience.

Farmer households in tourist villages have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recovery of livelihood is proving difficult. In order to improve farmer households' ability to cope with external shocks, we have applied the theoretical framework of resilience to study farmer households' livelihood in ethnic tourism villages. Based on the survey data of 480 farmer households from 10 ethnic tourism villages in the Wuling Mountain area, this study constructs a livelihood resilience evaluation index system from three of the following dimensions: buffer capacity, adaptive capacity, and transformation capacity. These households are classified into three types: government-led, company-led, and community-led. In addition, the livelihood resilience and its influencing factors of each type is quantitatively assessed. The results show that the livelihood resilience of farmer households administered by the government, companies, and communities is 0.2984, 0.3250, and 0.2442, respectively. Government-led farmer households have the greatest transformation capacity, company-led farmer households have the largest buffer capacity and adaptive capacity, and community-led farmer households have the least capacity across the board. The results indicated that the company-led management of tourism development is currently the most appropriate mode of management for the local area. Four factors, namely, the number of family members engaged in tourism, the training opportunities for the development of professional skills, the education level of core family members, and the type of assistance subsidy available to a family, are the dominant obstacle factors with respect to the livelihood resilience of different types of farmer households. Finally, some recommendations are made to improve the farmer households' livelihood resilience in ethnic tourism villages based on two aspects of organization management and farmer households' behavior. The findings of this study can be used as a theoretical foundation for future research on farmer households' resilience to poverty in underdeveloped ethnic tourism villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban–rural integration is an inevitable course for the transformation and development of resource-exhausted cities, and it is also an internal requirement to achieve sustainable development goals. Taking Zaozhuang city as a case study, this paper constructed an "Economic–Spatial–Social" (ESS) evaluation index system of urban–rural integration according to the connotations. We used the TOPSIS and obstacle degree (OD) models to measure the urban–rural integration level, from 2009 to 2019, and diagnosed the obstacles. The results show that: (1) The overall level of urban–rural integration in Zaozhuang improves year by year and presents two stages: in the initial stage of integration from 2009 to 2012, the total integration degree slowly increases, but the internal indicators fluctuated. The period ranging from the years 2012 to 2019 was stable for integrated development, with the overall urban–rural integration level significantly increasing and the internal indicators steadily improving year by year. (2) The urban–rural economic integration degree of Zaozhuang has a good foundation, and the degree of economic integration presents the characteristics of decreasing at first and then increasing, attaining the lowest value in 2012 and then slowly increasing; the foundation of urban–rural social integration is weak, but the social integration degree growth rate is the highest. The degree of urban–rural spatial integration has rapidly increased year by year, and urban and rural area exchanges and interactions have been strengthened. (3) According to the diagnosis results of the obstacle degrees, the main obstacles that affect urban–rural integration in Zaozhuang are concentrated at the economic level. Finally, the suggestions are put forward to coordinate urban–rural integration and sustainable development for resource-exhausted cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, resilience theory is applied to construct an evaluation index system of tourism public services. The entropy weight method, Kernel density and Moran index were used to measure China's tourism public services development level from 2010 to 2020 and to analyze its spatial–temporal evolution. The results showed that the overall development level of China's tourism public services had a gentle upward trend; however, the development trend of each subsystem was not completely consistent with the overall development. From the spatial grade distribution, the characteristics of China's tourism public services presented a clearly higher intensity in the middle region while the values for the two-sided ones were much lower. From the spatial pattern, the weakening trend appeared from the southeast to northwest. The high level and the above trend of concentrated contiguous distribution regions were formed in the eastern region in China, and the distribution regions were transformed into an optimized one in the southwest region in China. From the spatial agglomeration, the characteristics showed that the distribution in the east region was superior to that in the west region, and that in north region was superior to that in the south region. The overall tourism public services development level of each subsystem was improved while there were obstacles in its balanced development. The tourism entertainment services, tourism human resources and tourism safety services were the obstacle factors to the tourism public services development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Rural Water & Hydropower is the property of China Rural Water & Hydropower 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 digital economy uses its own digital information advantages to reduce the intensity of energy consumption brought by economic growth. Intelligent manufacturing achieves cost reduction and efficiency through the integration of manufacturing and intelligence as well as digitalization and information technology. The two have become a new engine for sustainable economic development at present, and they can promote and influence each other. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between them. In this regard, this study aims to build a coupling coordination model of digital economy and intelligent manufacturing and to make an empirical analysis using the data of Chinese provincial administrative regions in order to provide a theoretical reference for promoting sustainable economic development. The research finds that (1) the digital economy and intelligent manufacturing are mainly cross-coupled from four aspects: infrastructure, technological innovation, product optimization and organizational change. The development level and speed of the former are significantly higher than those of the latter, and the gap does not decrease with time. The two have a strong correlation, but there is no high-quality coupling coordination. (2) The main obstacle factors to the digital economy lie in the imperfect supporting facilities, the short board of technological innovation and the lack of technological application capacity. Intelligent manufacturing lacks intelligent application and technological innovation. (3) Influencing factors such as opening to the outside world, economic development, high-level talent input, industrial structure and innovation emphasis have different effects on their coupling and coordinated development in different regions. (4) The spatial correlation test shows that the coupling coordination degree of each region is spatially positively correlated. This research helps to promote the coupling and coordinated development of the digital economy and intelligent manufacturing.

Resilient city is an ideal goal and model of urban development proposed in response to today’s complex and dynamic environmental changes. In this study, a resilient city evaluation framework of “social resilience-economic resilience-urban infrastructure and service-urban governance” was built upon the multi-dimensionality of the urban system; the entropy weight method was used to measure the level of urban resilience in Hunan Province while an obstacle degree model was used to identify any obstacle factor restricting to the development of resilience. The results show that the level of urban resilience in Hunan Province has grown slowly over the past 10 years, and there is an obvious regional difference in it. There are more and more highly resilient cities, but medium/low-resilience cities still dominate the province, forming a spatial process of evolution from “medium/high-level dispersion” to “medium/high-level aggregation” in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration. The level of urban resilience is predominantly hindered by the social and economic systems; at the index layer, most obstacle factors are moving from the economic system to the social-economic-urban infrastructure and service system.

Purpose – Many experts suggest that the human being explore marine resources and marine new energy sources to alleviate the shortage of land resources and the ecological degradation. However, island coastal zones are considered to be fragile ecosystems; their geographical location and natural characteristics, their biodiversity and associated ecosystems, and their exposure to diverse land and sea conditions all make them highly vulnerable to environmental changes and human activities. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve the goals of environmental protection and sustainable development on the basis of a comprehensive evaluation and understanding of islands. Design/methodology/approach – Due to the importance of island groups, this paper conducts evaluation studies on them. Using the Delphi, AHP and TOPSIS methods, this study evaluated quantitatively the comprehensive development level and comprehensive development potential of island groups in terms of resources, natural environment, economy and society. Innovatively using them as two subsystems, the present study combined the coupling coordination model and the obstacle factor calculation method. Findings – The prospective index of comprehensive development was applied to the Changdao Island Group in Yantai, Shandong Province as an example, and the final evaluation revealed that the comprehensive development prospect of this island group had an upward trend from 2010 to 2017. Future efforts should be made to improve its economic and social conditions and economic development status, apart from promoting its comprehensive development by improving human resources management, increasing the GDP growth rate, and improving fresh water and electricity supply. Originality/value – This study takes the integrated development level of the island and the integrated development potential of the island as two subsystems, and the innovative application of the coupling coordination degree model is used to calculate the integrated development index of the island to understand the development status of the island area. On the basis of this model, the obstacle factor identification method is designed to identify the main obstacle factors, and on the basis of evaluation and identification, specific measures to ensure the sustainable development of the island area are effectively proposed.

Based on a new development philosophy, this paper constructs an index system for measuring and evaluating high-quality developments in the Yellow River Basin using the entropy weight TOPSIS model and the obstacle degree analysis model to carry out a diagnostic analysis of the spatio-temporal differences in the level of high-quality development and obstacle factors in nine Yellow River Basin provinces from 2010 to 2020. The results show that: (1) During the period 2010–2020, the Yellow River Basin's high-quality development index showed a rising trend and the subindexes showed a trend of "coordinated development > shared development > green development > open development > innovative development". However, the overall level of high-quality development in the basin is not high, and there is still much room for improvement. (2) The global Moran's I of the high-quality development indexes in 2010, 2015 and 2020 are −0.216, −0.204 and −0.103, respectively, indicating that the level of high-quality development in each province and region within the Yellow River Basin is discrete and develops in a spatially unbalanced direction. (3) The obstacle degree analysis shows that green development, innovation development and open development are the main bottlenecks affecting the high-quality development of the basin. The restrictive role of green development is increasingly prominent, and the low level of scientific and technological innovation and achievement transformation, serious resource consumption and low resource utilization rate of industrial development, in addition to the low level of openness to the outside world are becoming key factors hindering the high-quality development of the provinces in the Yellow River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major grain-producing areas in Northeast China serve as a significant national commodity in their role as grain bases. In order to achieve sustainable land use in such areas and ensure national food security, it is critical to understand the spatial–temporal evolution features of the land comprehensive carrying capacity of such areas, ascertain major obstacle factors and propose regulatory policies for effectively improving the land comprehensive carrying capacity. In this paper, a TOPSIS model based on grey relational entropy weight is developed to analyze the spatial–temporal evolution features of the land comprehensive carrying capacity of major grain-producing areas in Northeast China from 2000 to 2020, and an obstacle degree model is employed to determine the main obstacles to improving the land comprehensive carrying capacity of major grain-producing areas in Northeast China. The study results show the following: (1) The land comprehensive carrying capacity of major grain-producing areas in Northeast China is at a low level, showing an N-shaped trendline, and its spatial–temporal evolution features are subject to changes in land food carrying capacity, land economic carrying capacity and land ecological carrying capacity.(2) The main obstacle factors for improving the land comprehensive carrying capacity of major grain-producing areas in Northeast China are urbanization rate, gross industrial output per hectare and industrial solid waste emission per hectare. Cultivated land area per capita, grain output per hectare and industrial wastewater discharge per hectare have recently become obstacle factors for the land comprehensive carrying capacity of the study areas. Based on these results, the paper proposes regulatory strategies for stabilizing agricultural population transfer to avoid its reversal, exploring the optimization and upgrading of secondary sector structures to promote a low-carbon transition to green industries, and implementing cultivated land protection policies to steadily boost cultivated land grain productivity, with a view to increasing the land comprehensive carrying capacity of major grain-producing areas in Northeast China. The findings of this study act as a scientific reference for enhancing the land comprehensive carrying capacity of major grain-producing areas in Northeast China, which is crucial for ensuring national food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Soil & Water Conservation is the property of Bulletin of Soil & Water Conservation 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.)

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

This paper takes the level of high-quality agricultural development and ecological construction in 31 provinces of China from 2011 to 2021 as the research object. The coupling coordination degree model and Moran index are used to explore the coupling coordination stage, types and spatiotemporal evolution trend of agricultural high-quality development and ecological construction in China. The obstacle model is used to determine the key obstacle factors influencing the coupling development of high-quality agricultural and ecological construction in China. The results are as follows: from 2011 to 2021, high-quality agricultural development and ecological construction in 31 provinces maintained a relatively stable growth trend. However, the coupling coordination level between the two is low, and thus such level belongs to the high-quality development lag type of primary coordination agriculture. The agricultural externality index, land yield rate and per capita rural power generation are the biggest obstacles to the coordinated development of high-quality agricultural development and ecological construction in China.

The Beijing(Jing)-Tianjin(Jin)-Hebei(Ji) (JJJ) urban agglomeration is one of the three major urban agglomeration in China, which plays an important strategic role in China’s regional development pattern. Based on the concern of inter-relationship within urban agglomeration, this paper creatively proposed a comprehensive gravity-Gram Schmidt Orthogonalization coupling model (CG-GSO) to quantitatively measure the urbanization development level at different regional scales. Compared with the information entropy method, the CG-GSO model was more reliable and fairer in evaluating the urbanization development of an urban agglomeration in the inter-annual dimension. We used the obstacle factor model to find out important ways to realize sustainable development at different regional scales. According to the trends from 2003 to 2017, the urbanization development levels were predicted by using the gray forecast model at different regional scales during 2018–2030. There was an upward trend in urbanization development at different regional scales. Compared with the internal single regions, a high starting and slow developing trend was in the urban agglomeration. In Beijing, the obstacle factors in urbanization development were in the demographic, social and eco-environmental subsystems. However, the obstacle factors were in the economic, eco-environmental and social subsystems in Tianjin, Hebei and JJJ urban agglomeration. The forecast results showed that urbanization development was going strong in internal regions from 2018 to 2030, while the overall urbanization development was slow in urban agglomeration. Urbanization development should focus on labor redistribution, weakening the boundary on social welfare, improving the efficiency of economic development and paying attention to protecting eco-environment for taking the sustainable development road in the JJJ urban agglomeration.

Background: This study adopts a descriptive phenomenological approach to investigate the facilitators and barriers of community nurses' abilities in managing critical and emergency conditions. With the transition of healthcare systems to the community, the evolution of nursing practices, and the attention from policies and practices, community nurses play a crucial role in the management of critical and emergency conditions. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the factors that promote or hinder their capabilities in this area., Aim: To understand the facilitators and barriers of community nurses in managing critical and emergency conditions, exploring the fundamental reasons and driving forces influencing their treatment capabilities., Methods: This study utilized the destination sampling method between May 2023 and July 2023. It employed a descriptive phenomenological approach within qualitative research methodologies. Through objective sampling, 17 community nurses from 7 communities in Changning District, Shanghai, were selected as the study subjects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data, which were subsequently organized and analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method, leading to the extraction of final themes., Results: The barrier factors identified from the interviews encompassed three topics: resource allocation, professional factors, and personal literacy. The facilitators comprised three themes: professionalism, management attention, and training and continuing education. We identified that the root causes of the barriers included the lack of practical treatment experience among community nurses, insufficient awareness of self-directed learning, and limited knowledge and technical proficiency. The professional quality of community nurses and management attention serve as motivation for them to enhance their treatment abilities., Conclusion: To enhance the capability of community nurses in treating acute and critical patients, it is recommended to bolster training specifically tailored to acute and critical care, raise awareness of first aid practices, and elevate knowledge and skill levels., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rapid economic development and continuous population expansion have placed increasing pressure on the regional water environment. Maintaining a good water environment is the foundation for the sustainable development of human society. Therefore, an overall understanding of the regional water environment carrying capacity (WECC) is of great significance to promote regional sustainable development. In this study, a novel integrated model framework is proposed to comprehensively evaluate and predict the WECCs of 9 cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by coupling the entropy weight method, multi-objective linear weighting function, cloud model and Markov chain. Furthermore, an obstacle degree model is used to explore the major factors affecting the WECC in the study area. The results indicate that the WECCs of 9 cities from 2013 to 2018 show an overall improving trend, and the highest average WECC appears in Shenzhen (0.59) with a good state, while those of the other eight cities are in a medium state. From 2021 to 2030, it is predicted that the WECCs of the 9 cities will present gradual and specific changes, with the WECC of Shenzhen developing from a good to an excellent state, the WECCs of Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Huizhou, Dongguan and Jiangmen developing from medium to good, and the WECCs of Foshan, Zhongshan and Zhaoqing maintaining medium states for a long time. The main factors obstructing the WECC in the Greater Bay Area are water resources per capita, ecological water use rate, wastewater discharge per million yuan GDP and proportion of the tertiary industry, which should give priority in future development. This framework may contribute significantly to providing an effective scientific reference for regional water environmental planning and management.

[Display omitted] • The conceptual framework of the interaction between TD and ESV was constructed. • The coupling coordination degree between TD and ESV in the YRB was evaluated. • The spatiotemporal evolution of coupling coordination between TD and ESV was analyzed. • Obstacle factors of CCD between TD and ESV were identified at the basin and city level. The rapid development of tourism has caused a series of impacts on the ecosystem. Although studies on the relationship between tourism development (TD) and the ecological environment are rich, few scholars have focused on the coupling coordination between them from the perspective of ecosystem services value (ESV). Given this research gap, we evaluated the levels of TD and ESV in 78 cities of the Yellow River Basin (YRB), China based on statistical and land-use data. Then, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), the spatial variogram model, and the obstacle degree model were used to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of coupling coordination between TD and ESV and its obstacle factors. The results show the following: (1) The comprehensive TD level shows an upward trend and presents significant spatial differentiation characteristics. The total ESV of the YRB shows a fluctuating upward trend, and the average ESV presents the spatial pattern of uplift in the middle reaches. (2) The comprehensive CCD of the YRB has gradually improved, but the gap between cities has widened. The global spatial autocorrelation of CCD is significantly positive, and the spatial variability has gradually increased. An "uplift area" in southern Shaanxi always exists and has gradually expanded to Shanxi and western Henan, while eastern Henan and western Shandong become a "subsidence area". The coupling coordination level has changed from uncoordinated to coordinated in most counties, but the problem of TD and ESV imbalance generally exists. (3) For the whole basin, TD is always the main obstacle factor at the system layer, and tourism scale and tourism economic benefit are the most significant obstacles at the category layer. At the city level, the proportion of cities where TD is the main obstacle factor exceeds 80% by 2019. Specifically, insufficient tourism scale and low tourism economic efficiency restrict the improvement of CCD in most cities. This research provides valuable references for studying the coupling coordination relationship between TU and ESV in big river basins worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of China’s proposal to achieve “carbon neutralization and carbon peak”, it is an important task for each province to clarify their forest ecological security (FES) status. However, there is little understanding of the temporal and spatial evolution of forest ecological security and its influencing factors. Based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model, this paper constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system for forest ecological security and used the CRITIC method and panel data to estimate the dynamic changes in FES for 31 provinces in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) between 2009 and 2018. Furthermore, the obstacle degree model was used to determine the important obstacle factors affecting FES. The results showed that: (1) The comprehensive indices of FES of most provinces in mainland China were increasing, showing a good development trend during the study period; (2) subject to the limitations of resources and economic conditions, the FES at the provincial level showed significant spatial heterogeneity, which generally presents a distribution characteristic of “low in the western region and high in the central and eastern regions”; and (3) the primary obstacles restricting the improvement of FES level in most provinces of China were forest state indicators or input response indicators, followed by pressure indicators. Therefore, it is recommended to take targeted measures to reduce the intensity of forest cutting and the incidence of forest disasters, improve the utilization efficiency of forest resources, the productivity of forestland and the input-output level of forestry industry, and strengthen the training of professional talents and technical input according to the resource endowment condition of each province so as to improve the level of forest ecological security.

The evaluation and trend prediction of tourism economic vulnerability (TEV) in major tourist cities are necessary for formulating tourism economic strategies scientifically and promoting the sustainable development of regional tourism. In this study, 58 major tourist cities in China were taken as the research object, and an evaluation index system of TEV was constructed from two aspects of sensitivity and adaptive capacity. On the basis of the entropy weight method, TOPSIS model, obstacle diagnosis model, and BP neural network model, this study analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns, obstacle factors, and future trends of TEV in major tourist cities in China from 2004 to 2019. The results show three key findings: (1) In terms of spatiotemporal patterns, the TEV index of most of China’s tourist cities has been on the rise from 2004 to 2019. Cities throughout the coast of China’s Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration show high vulnerability, whereas low vulnerability has a scattered distribution in China’s northeast, central, and western regions. (2) The proportion of international tourists out of total tourists, tourism output density, urban industrial sulfur dioxide emissions per unit area, urban industrial smoke and dust emission per unit area, and discharge of urban industrial wastewater per unit area are the five major obstacles affecting the vulnerability degree of the tourism economy. (3) According to the prediction results of TEV from 2021 to 2030, although the TEV of many tourist cities in China is increasing year by year, cities with low TEV levels occupy the dominant position. Research results can provide reference for tourist cities to prevent tourism crises from occurring and to reasonably improve the resilience of the tourism economic system.