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China's rural regions grapple with considerable challenges concerning infrastructure and disaster prevention capabilities. Addressing these will be pivotal in the nation's future endeavors toward disaster mitigation and development. This research categorizes China's comprehensive rural disaster reduction policies (RCDRPs) spanning from 1949 to 2021 into distinct evolutionary phases, using quantitative characteristics. Utilizing sociotechnical configuration analysis, we visually chart the progression of policy focal points and draw preliminary lessons from them. Key insights include: (1) the RCDRPs from 1949 to 2021 can be segregated into three distinct phases; (2) there's been a noticeable rise in the RCDRPs jointly promulgated by multiple governmental departments, and the interconnectedness with policymaker networks has thickened, indicating increased synergy amongst governmental bodies; and (3) the primary thrust of RCDRPs has transitioned from postdisaster recuperation to predisaster safeguarding and from a primary emphasis on disaster management to a broader approach to holistic disaster reduction. Drawing upon these insights, this study employs the crisis management framework—encompassing prevention, preparation, response, and recovery—to shed light on potential directions of future disaster prevention and mitigation policies in China. The aim is to align these with the overarching vision of urban–rural integrated development, thereby advancing emergency governance modernization in China's countryside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scientific and comprehensive effectiveness evaluation is a prerequisite for clarifying the guiding direction of rural socio-economic development and environmental protection. By using the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method and weight combination based on game theory, this paper systematically assessed the integrated effectiveness of rural socio-economic development and environmental protection (IERSE) of Wenchuan County in 2018 from the administrative village scale perspective. Results showed that: (1) VIKOR with combined weight and Jenks Natural Breaks Classification is both comprehensive and feasible for large-sample-size evaluation, such as IERSE assessment. (2) The general IERSE of Wenchuan demonstrated considerable positive outcomes. The villages with favorable scores were located along the northwest-central-southeast, whereas unfavorable ones were principally distributed in the northeast and south-central regions. Local spatial agglomeration of favorable IERSE was found in Miansi, Wolong, and Sanjiang Town, whereas the agglomeration of unfavorable IERSE was seen in Yingxiu and Xuankou Town. (3) The IERSE of Wenchuan is mainly constrained by ecological conservation and villagers' autonomy from the village-scale perspective. Villages with favorable IERSE are chiefly constrained by the education level of the village heads or Party secretaries, while villages with unfavorable IERSE are restricted by ecological conservation. To improve the IERSE in rural Wenchuan, thoroughly taking into account the restrictive factors of local IERSE is an essential step for putting forward differentiated and targeted recommendations connected with ecological environment management, as well as social development initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development of mountain areas and resource cities has been a significant issue worldwide. Transformation of mountain resource cities is facing tremendous difficulties. In the context of National Major Function-oriented Zone Planning raised to a national strategic level in China, it is important to effectively implement the planning by studying geographical space development zone classification of prefecture- and county-level cities based on their major function orientation. This research is even more critical for the transformation of mountain resource cities. In this study, we evaluated geographical space development suitability, and classified geographical space development zones for Dongchuan Distric in Kunming City of Yunan Province, China, a typical mountain resource city. A quantitative grid-based evaluation was conducted using key-factor identification and restrictive-supportive comprehensive index determinati based on a geographic information system framework with different source data. The results included a classification of geographical space of Dongchuan into five types: the prohibited development zone, the inappropriate development zone, the controlled development zone, the moderate development zone and the preferential development zone. The distribution characteristics of geographical space development zones showed that the proportion of the prohibited development zone is the highest, while that of the other four development zones is comparatively lower and significantly fragmented. The geographical space development suitability is greatly controlled by the geomorphic pattern. Although Dongchuan is extremely restrained in terms of suitable geographical space for industrialization and urbanization, it still has the certain preferential and moderate development zones with an area of 207.81 km with large parts being concentrated and contiguous, which makes these areas the most favorable for development. Only by adapting to this reality and implementing centralized development strategy in the regions with higher suitability may Dongchuan achieve smooth transformation from expansion mode to compact mode and its sustainable development capacity may be improved. Suggestions with an angle of industrial and spatial development pattern were put forward for the transformation of the city in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvement of soil nutrients is crucial for the long-term development and stability of restored ecosystems in mine areas. However, knowledge about the variation in soil nutrients and their influencing factors during the reclamation of sub-alpine metal mine soil is still scarce. We assess the status of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), N fractions, total phosphorus (TP), and available P in reclaimed soil at a copper mine site (2702 m above sea level) in the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, southwest China. The mine area had been reclaimed by distributing stockpiled topsoil (~15 cm) in 2008, sowing seeds of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in 2009, and planting seedlings of A. ferdinandi-coburgii and Rosa omeiensis f. pteracantha in 2010. We found that, eight years after the reclamation, although the concentrations of SOC (24.3 g kg−1) and TN (2.21 g kg−1) in the reclaimed soil increased by 25% and 29% compared with the stockpiled topsoil, respectively, they only accounted for about half of the levels in the undisturbed topsoil. In contrast, the concentration of TP (498–570 mg kg−1) did not significantly change between the reclaimed and stockpiled topsoil. The concentrations of NH4-N (30.1 g kg−1), NO3-N (17.2 g kg−1), and available P (11.1 mg kg−1) in the reclaimed soil were 2.2, 1.3, and 1.6 times the levels in stockpiled topsoil, respectively, but still lower than those in undisturbed soil. The concentrations of microbial C, N, and P in the reclaimed soil had a similar variation pattern to the available nutrients. The soil C:P and N:P ratios and microbial biomass C:P and N:P ratios in the reclaimed soil were significantly lower than the levels in the undisturbed forest soil. The average accumulation rates of SOC and TN in the reclaimed soil were 85.3 and 11.4 g m−2 year−1, respectively. The rates are much lower than those of reclaimed mine soils with similar reclaim duration but better climate conditions. Relatively slow development of vegetation and soil microorganisms and leaching due to a freeze–thaw cycle controlled by the sub-alpine climate are likely responsible for the slow recovery of soil SOC and TN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]