As an emerging integrated economic system, the ice and snow economy holds significant importance for promoting high-quality regional economic development. This study first employs data visualization techniques to illustrate the current status of China's ice and snow economy. On this basis, it uses the LSTM neural network model to conduct a predictive analysis of its future development trends. Furthermore, by analyzing the industrial convergence mechanism and operational mechanisms of the ice and snow industry, the study explores the underlying logic driving the development of China's ice and snow economy. Finally, it identifies the challenges in its development and proposes relevant policy recommendations to promote the high-quality development of the ice and snow economy in the Chinese context. The findings show that since China was awarded the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, its ice and snow economy has entered a period of rapid growth. The total market scale expanded from 270 billion yuan in 2015 to 980 billion yuan in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 15.4%. However, the ice and snow economy still faces challenges such as homogeneous consumption structures, incomplete industrial chains, unbalanced regional development, and constraints on sustainable development. It is therefore urgent to formulate targeted solutions based on China's actual conditions, gradually establishing a well-structured ice and snow industry system characterized by clear government-market collaboration, supply-demand alignment, dynamic cost-benefit equilibrium and balanced development and protection-ultimately propelling the high-quality development of China's ice and snow economy.

Poplar has gained popularity among farmers of Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, and the foothills of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh due to their fast growth rate and suitability for industrial uses such as pulp and timber production. Integrating poplar trees into agroforestry systems optimizes land resources and economic gains, as successful techniques have been developed to coordinate crop timing and arrangements effectively. Integrating poplar trees with agricultural crops provides additional income streams for farmers and contributes to soil conservation, biodiversity enhancement, and other environmental benefits. Farmers in these regions typically employ effective spacing of 5 m×4 m for block plantation and 1 m×3 m for row plantation. In the present study, a systematic literature review encompassing 137 English-language journal articles was conducted to assess the economic benefits of Poplar using discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis, considering short-rotation poplar (SRC) and very short-rotation poplar (vSRC) plantations alongside annual crops. The findings revealed that increasing canopy density led to a decline in crop yields by 37%, 70%, and 99% at canopy densities of 30%, 60%, and 90%, respectively, from early spring to harvest. Cost-benefit analysis in Saharanpur district, India, indicated average annual net returns of USD 346.36 for Poplar-based agrisilviculture, while monoculture yielded USD 140.73 per annum. Furthermore, economic analysis in Yamunanagar and Haridwar districts showed benefit-cost ratios ranging from 2.35 to 3.7. Additionally, Poplar block and boundary plantations were found to sequester significantly more carbon in long-lived biomass, serving as substitutes for fossil fuels (5.45 and 1.84 t ha^-1 yr^-1) in poplar-based systems with block and boundary plantations. The study suggested expanding spacing between tree rows may mitigate resource competition between plantations and crops. The study inferred that Poplar-based agroforestry may play a crucial role in climate mitigation programs by effectively sequestering atmospheric carbon and offering fuel, fodder, timber, and wood products, thereby alleviating pressure on existing natural forests.

In 2022, Chinese policymakers emphasized the importance of leveraging the country’s domestic energy resource endowments and implementing a phased and well-planned carbon peaking strategy by following the principle of “establishing the new before phasing out the old”. To explore the carbon reduction potential and path optimization in resource-based regions undergoing energy structure adjustments, this study employed the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) to simulate and analyze both a baseline scenario and a comprehensive policy intervention scenario from 2021 to 2050. This study focused on the typical resource-based region of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and developed a customized “LEAP-Inner Mongolia” model. The findings reveal that: (1) Under the comprehensive scenario, energy demand is notably reduced by 2050, with total carbon emissions cut by 70.96% compared to the baseline scenario; (2) The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) analysis suggests a persistent rise in emissions under the baseline scenario, while a carbon peak is achieved as early as 2029 under the integrated scenario; and (3) There are limitations of isolated policy instruments so a synergistic approach that integrates power generation structure optimization with improvements in energy efficiency is necessary. Accordingly, we propose a multi-pronged policy portfolio that includes the synchronized development of clean energy and efficient end-use systems, industrial low-carbon transformation, accelerated adoption of new energy vehicles, and improved inter-regional coordination. These recommendations can offer systemic insights for guiding low-carbon transitions in resource-based areas.

Rural homestays are a vital component of rural tourism development. With the deep implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, rural homestays have increasingly become a focal point for young urban tourists. Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, this study systematically explores the impacts of the brand experience, information quality, and tourism atmosphere of rural homestays on the emotions and satisfaction of young urban tourists through an empirical analysis. The data for the study came from a questionnaire survey of various rural lodgings in the city of Beijing, resulting in 428 valid samples. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), this study revealed that brand experience, information quality, and tourism atmosphere are external stimuli that significantly influence tourist emotions. Specifically, these three factors both enhance positive emotions and reduce or alleviate negative emotions. Furthermore, the positive emotions have a significant positive effect on tourist satisfaction, while negative emotions have a significant negative impact. Specific recommendations for rural homestay operations based on these findings are given. These recommendations will not only help to improve the market competitiveness of rural homestays but also provide valuable theoretical and practical insights for the sustainable development of rural tourism.

The high-quality development of culture and tourism is an important path for promoting the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, urban-rural integration and development, and realizing common prosperity. This special issue focuses on the major issue of “rural revitalization and high-quality development of culture and tourism”, and contains 22 academic papers with in-depth discussions on five themes: “Rural revitalization and rural tourism high-quality development”, “rural tourism destination and homestay development”, “tourism environmental behavior and farmers’ participation in tourism”, “tourism resilience and tourism risk”, “cultural tourism and tourism high-quality development”. This collection of articles has three characteristics: Rich research areas and diverse research objects; diverse research methods that are inventive, logical, and scientific; and diverse theoretical viewpoints that span several disciplines. Considering the shortcomings of the current research, it puts forward future research directions such as strengthening localized theoretical research, expanding research areas and perspectives, and further deepening and enriching the research contents. In addition to supporting China’s efforts to promote high-quality culture and tourism, as well as comprehensive rural revitalization, this special issue can offer theoretical directions and actual experience in these areas.

Rural tourism plays a crucial role in driving the sustainable development of rural economies. With the rise of the digital economy, user-generated content (UGC) videos on platforms such as TikTok have become a significant factor influencing consumer decision-making, creating new opportunities for the growth of rural tourism. Using the TikTok app as the research platform, this study examines the relationship between UGC short videos, tourists’ intentions to engage in rural tourism, and their perception of destination image. Specifically, it explores the impact of UGC short videos on tourists’ willingness to participate in rural tourism and the mediating role of destination image perception. The findings indicate that UGC short videos positively influence tourists’ willingness to engage in rural tourism. Destination image perception mediates this relationship, shaping tourists’ decisions through cognitive and emotional image perceptions. Based on these findings, this paper recommends rural tourism destination managers enhance promotional strategies and improve destination image perception through UGC short video content.

To deeply reach target markets and attract more tourists, a variety of media have been leveraged by tourism destination marketing organizations, particularly video games become a brand-new approach for destination marketing. With Assassin’s Creed: Unity as the research object, based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model, this article analyses and presents the influences of tourism destination factors in video games on the players’ perception of tourism destination image and their intention to visit. In this case, a conceptual model has been built with game factors as the independent variable, tourism destination image as the mediating variable and the players’ intention to visit as the dependent variable. Moreover, Multiple Regression is used in the analysis, proving significantly positive effects of game experience, character attachment, and tourism destination image on players' intention to visit. Consequently this study provides research support for the combination of tourism destination marketing and video games.

With the increasing proportion of open-pit coal mining in the coal mining industry in China, a series of potential safety hazards, environmental pollution, ecological damage and other problems caused by open-pit coal mining have attracted a great deal of attention. Scientifically determining the appropriate mining right scope of an open-pit coal mine can prevent various problems caused by coal mining from the source. In this study, according to the characteristics of open-pit coal mining and the environmental characteristics in arid areas, 15 indicators were selected and their weights were determined from the three perspectives of geological environment, social environment and ecological environment by using the AHP. Based on the spatial analysis function of ArcGIS, a digital evaluation model was established for the corresponding influencing factors, and a comprehensive evaluation model for setting the mining right range was constructed by superimposing the weights. Finally, four mining areas were identified within the study area in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia, and their ecological values were calculated to determine the mining area with the lowest ecological impact.

Against the background of rapid climate warming, frequent and severe flooding disasters significantly impact socio-economic development and human life. In 2023, due to the northward movement of Typhoon Doksuri, extreme precipitation occurred in northern China, which resulted in a massive flood event in the Haihe River basin. Seven flood detention basins (FDBs) in North China were successfully implemented to effectively alleviate the downstream flood pressure. Leveraging all available Chinese satellite data, we monitored the flooding process daily, focusing on reviewing the flooding in the Dongdian FDB. The results indicate that since the activation of Dongdian FDB on August 1, the flood reached the urban area of Tianjin in just nine days and inundated the entire detention basin. Flooding persisted in the detention basin for about a week before gradually receding. The total maximum inundated area in the whole region was 307.5 km², including 240.5 km² of arable land, 7.0 km² of greenhouse land, and 9.7 km² of built-up land, with an average inundation duration of 19 days. The total cumulative inundated arable land area was 240.5 km², with an average inundation time of 21 days. This study shows that multi-source Chinese satellite data can provide comprehensive information and adequate references for post-disaster assessments.

Natural grasslands are increasingly subjected to the dual stresses of grazing pressures and climate change. However, the contribution of human activities, especially grassland ecology conservation projects, to grassland improvement remains ambiguous. Utilizing MODIS satellite data in conjunction with the VPM model, the gross primary productivity (GPP) changes in the Xilingol grassland from 2000 to 2020 were assessed. Based on GPP data derived from remote sensing, this study quantitatively assessed the spatiotemporal dynamics of the impacts of climate change and human activities on the productivity of grassland in the Xilingol League. From 2000 to 2020, the grasslands exhibited a greening trend characterized by a significant annual GPP increment of 2.66 gC m^-2 yr^-1 (P<0.05). Climate change and human activities jointly contributed to this greening trend, with relative contribution rates of 55% and 45%, respectively. However, the relative contributions of climate change and human activities to the trend of GPP varied greatly in different regions. Climate change emerged as the principal driver in the central and eastern regions of Xilingol League with robust grass growth, accounting for more than 65% of the GPP enhancement. Conversely, human activities were the dominant factors in less verdant western regions and the agro-pastoral ecotone, representing more than 60% of the GPP change. Grassland productivity was sensitive to grassland ecological restoration measures, with significant changes in the trends of grassland productivity attributed to human activities in pivotal policy implementation years such as 2005 and 2011. Specifically, measures such as the control of wind/sand sources and returning grazing land to grassland from 2000 to 2005 gradually alleviated the pressure of human activities on grassland productivity, as they significantly improved vegetation growth in high-quality grasslands. Under the forage-livestock balance policy from 2005 to 2011, inadequate compensation for grassland ecological protection led to a significant reduction in GPP, as some herders increased their livestock holdings despite grazing restrictions, and this particularly affected the high-quality grasslands. The implementation of the Grassland Ecological Protection Subsidy and Reward Program from 2011 to 2020 generally promoted the recovery of productivity in eastern and western Xilingol League grasslands, but significant ecological pressure persisted. This study provides theoretical support for optimizing grassland ecosystem management and forming a virtuous cycle of grassland conservation in pastoral areas.

Digital cultural tourism is an important part of the digital economy and digital China. The development of rural digital cultural tourism is an important engine for implementing the strategy of rural revitalization and leading the high-quality development of China’s rural tourism in the new era, which helps to promote the coupling and coordinated development of the high-quality development of rural tourism and common prosperity. This study examines the opportunities and challenges in using digital cultural tourism to promote rural revitalization, discusses the mechanism and model for enabling the common prosperity of the rural digital cultural tourism industry to achieve digital cultural tourism in the promotion of rural revitalization, and finally proposes a development path. The findings indicate that: (1) Digital cultural tourism has emerged as a significant force behind the growth of the rural tourism sector, and is a key route for achieving the objective of rural revitalization. (2) Digital cultural tourism and rural revitalization have mutually beneficial relationships; digital cultural tourism enables rural revitalization, and rural revitalization unlocks digital cultural tourism’s development potential, resulting in a positive interaction mechanism. (3) Four models of digital cultural tourism promoting rural revitalization are proposed, considering the rural classification scheme and related research. They are the digital cultural tourism for urban-rural integration and revitalization model, the digital cultural tourism for characteristic village revitalization model, the digital cultural tourism for agriculture, culture and tourism integration and revitalization model, and the digital cultural tourism for arts revitalization model. (4) To thoroughly promote the development of the rural digital cultural tourist sector, it should adhere to the product as the core, digital technology as the foundation, talent revitalization as the leader, and policy as the guarantee. The findings of this study enrich the research findings in digital cultural tourism and rural revitalization, which can serve as theoretical references and a practical foundation for the development of digital cultural tourism to empower rural revitalization.

This paper explores the pathway toward harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature through the lens of ecotourism, delving into its impact on tourists’ cognition of the natural environment, cultivation of emotional connections, and its pivotal role in shaping environmentally responsible behavior. At the Luya Mountain Scenic Area, a case study was conducted in July 2021, collecting 632 valid tourist questionnaires to investigate the nexus among “ecotourism experience”, “emotional experience”, and “environmental responsibility behavior” using structural equation modeling. Moreover, the relationship between tourism and daily environmental behavior was scrutinized with canonical correlation analysis. The findings unveil several substantial revelations: (1) Engagement experience significantly and positively influences tourists’ inclination toward responsible behavior. (2) Emotional experience mediates the relationship between educational, engagement, and escapism experiences and the inclination to act responsibly. (3) The utilization of digital information technologies positively moderates the conversion of emotional experience into a willingness to behave responsibly. (4) Ecotourism responsibility is linked to daily behavior, and cognitive and emotional experiences foster long-term environmental protection. This study provides a pioneering approach to enhancing tourism offerings within the scenic area and nurturing a sustainable human-environment relationship.

This study examines the coupling and coordinated development of the competitiveness system of the convention and exhibition industry in China’s prefecture-level cities. Using an index system, the entropy weight method, and the coupling coordination degree model this study quantitatively measures and investigates the characteristics and influencing mechanisms of change in the convention and exhibition industry. The analysis shows that between 2013 and 2019, in China’s urban convention and exhibition industry, the competitiveness subsystem and its comprehensive development level have improved significantly. Additionally, among the factors influencing the convention and exhibition industry in China, the economic strength of cities exerts the greatest impact, followed by the capacity of the post and telecommunications sectors, while vitality has the least impact. The level of informatization plays a crucial role in the coupling, coordinated development, and change of the competitiveness system of an urban exhibition industry. Improvement in the competitiveness of the urban exhibition industry is closely related to a variety of resource elements. Each city should highlight its own endowment advantages and status, clarify its scale and positioning, and form a regional development pattern of differentiated development and dislocation competition with surrounding cities through the development strategy of consolidating advantages and addressing shortcomings.

The present world pattern has undergone major changes, the trend of world multi-polarization is constantly emerging, and peace and development remain the main themes of today’s society. The formal signing and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is important for meeting the needs of peace and development of many countries and regions. China is in a new era of reform and opening-up, and the RCEP content is in line with China’s concept of pursuing a path of rejuvenation. Based on the locations of important borders, Yunnan Province has become one of the key places for China’s opening-up and development regarding Southeast Asia and South Asia, and the high-quality development of its tourism service trade is of great significance. This study first used the grounded theory analysis method to organize, analyze and process the records of international conferences and government press conferences held in Yunnan Province, as well as important related issues since the signing of RCEP. Then, the social network analysis method was used to analyze the social recognition degree of RCEP in promoting the high-quality development of the tourism service trade in Yunnan Province from the perspectives of different levels and group consensus. The results show that cooperation is the key macro driving force for RCEP in promoting the high-quality development of the tourism service trade in Yunnan Province. Regarding the opportunities and environment of the transportation dividend, policy dividend and investment dividend, port construction, border township construction and exhibition-related construction are important cooperation contents, so they are conducive to the recovery of the tourism industry in a broader development space. Competition can improve the driving force of RCEP in promoting the high-quality development of the tourism service trade in Yunnan Province at the micro level, and has more practical significance. For example, RCEP can better rely on its own geographical advantages and international market competitiveness, optimize the use of resources inside and outside ports, and use high-tech products to form a more green, ecological, organic and sustainable development. In different levels of social identity, RCEP’s power of cooperation is more strongly recognized, while the power of competition is less recognized. However, from the perspective of grouping the various groups, RCEP’s powers of cooperation and competition are jointly recognized by the other groups, indicating that cooperation and competition are necessary for the realization of RCEP’s power. The results of this study provide a certain reference for understanding the dynamics of RCEP in more detail from more angles and for the local implementation of RCEP rules and measures.

This study introduces a novel framework to dissect and understand tourists' cultural perceptions within river basins. The framework consists of two complementary parts: first, it develops a multi-dimensional system to identify cultural perceptions through textual analysis; second, it uses advanced methods like deep learning and spatial clustering to analyze and compare these perceptions across different cities and regions. The findings from the Yellow River Basin reveal six key dimensions of cultural perception: historical, architectural, folklore, food, religious, and leisure. The basin exhibits three distinct cultural patterns: an upstream polycentric network, a central ‘cultural circle’ around Xi’an, and a city-to-city pattern downstream. Furthermore, the basin is categorized into ten unique cultural perception regions, each highlighting diverse tourist perceptions. This framework not only offers a methodological beacon for future regional tourism studies but also equips managers with strategic insights to enhance the quality and cooperation in river basin tourism development.

Agricultural eco-efficiency is a vital indicator for assessing the sustainability of agriculture. Conducting evaluations of agricultural eco-efficiency can provide critical information for policymaking, resource allocation, and the advancement of agricultural sustainable development. While there exists a substantial body of research on the evaluation of agricultural eco-efficiency, its influencing factors, and improvement paths, there remains a paucity of systematic reviews, evaluations, and prospective analyses in this area. This study employed the literature search method to analyze relevant scholarly articles. Chinese literature was sourced from the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) database, while international literature was obtained from the Web of Science database. The literature search was conducted from 1998 to 2023. The study reviewed the progress of research on agricultural eco-efficiency and outlined the challenges and prospects that lie ahead. The findings of this study indicate that the primary challenges in the field of agricultural eco-efficiency research include refining the evaluation system, integrating macro and micro influencing factors, and ensuring the suitability of models employed. In the future, the research could expand in areas such as deepening the application of artificial intelligence technology in evaluation methods, clarifying the driving factors of agricultural eco-efficiency, and promoting the green transformation of agriculture. This study provides a comprehensive systematic review and could provide critical information for related research expansion.

Phoenix species, recognized for their profound ecological, economic, and cultural significance, have garnered substantial attention in research across Asia. However, limited studies exist on research trends, status, distribution, ethnobotany, and pharmacological activities of Phoenix species in the region. The objective of this study is to compile pertinent information on these aspects for Phoenix species in Asia. We employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach to systematically examine the literature pertaining to Phoenix species in the Asian region. This comprehensive review analyzes research trends on Phoenix species in Asia from year 2000 to 2023. A total of 42 studies were identified, showcasing a growing interest, with a notable peak in publications in 2019. The temporal distribution suggests fluctuating attention over the years. Geographically, the concentration of studies is limited to 12 out of 48 Asian countries, emphasizing the need for more extensive exploration given the widespread availability of Phoenix species. The research primarily focuses on pharmacology, followed by ethnobotany, morphology, taxonomy, material science, environmental engineering, and ecology. Notably, studies disproportionately concentrate on Phoenix dactylifera, leaving other species underexplored. The analysis of research focus, species distribution, and geographical representation underscores the importance of diversifying research themes and exploring the ecological, economic, and cultural significance of lesser-studied Phoenix species across Asia. The findings highlight both the growing interest and existing gaps in our knowledge, urging for a more comprehensive exploration of the entire genus to unravel its full potential and significance across Asian landscapes.

With the promotion of the rural revitalization strategy, cultural and creative industries of tourism have gradually become an important driving force for rural revitalization. Since the economic level of minority areas is low and the concept of industrial development lags behind, developing the cultural and creative industries of tourism has a positive role in cultural revitalization and economic structure transformation. In recent years, Ebian Yi Autonomous County (Ebian County) has relied on rich intangible cultural heritage resources and achieved fruitful results in the development of cultural and creative products of rural tourism, adding vitality to its rural tourism and rural revitalization. Starting from the economy and the development of cultural and creative industries empowered by intangible cultural heritage (ICH), this study analyzed the impact of related cultural and creative products of Ebian County on its economic development in the five-year period from 2018 to 2022 by means of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Three main conclusions could be drawn. (1) The impact of intangible cultural heritage cultural and creative industries of Ebian County on the economy has been positive and expanding gradually with time. (2) The number of inheritors and workshops, and the business income of workshops are the three major factors affecting the development of cultural and creative industries. (3) Ebian already has a good foundation of cultural and creative industries of intangible cultural heritage, so the investment of funds and training of talents have played a major role in promoting the development of cultural and creative industries of intangible cultural heritage.

Coal burning is the prevailing way of heating in winter in rural areas of northern China, especially in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and their surrounding areas. Regrettably, the direct burning of large amounts of bulk coal is a major contributor to the serious air pollution and frequent heavy pollution days in winter in northern China. It is urgent to find ways for promoting the smooth implementation and sustainable development of clean heating in rural areas, while ensuring affordable heating solutions for rural residents. Conducting research on the WTP of rural residents for clean heating and its influencing factors can provide greater technical support for better promoting clean heating in rural areas. Through field visits and questionnaire surveys in rural areas of Shandong, Hebei, Henan and Shaanxi provinces, data on the willingness of rural residents to pay for clean heating was obtained. A multivariate regression model was then constructed based on the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to measure and analyze the willingness of residents to pay for clean heating and its influencing factors. Findings reveal that the highest willingness to pay (WTP) was in Hebei at 2388 yuan and its lowest was observed in Shandong at 1595 yuan, with Henan and Shaanxi registering 1608 yuan and 1929 yuan, respectively. WTP is significantly negatively correlated with age and financial burden of clean heating costs after retrofit. WTP is significantly positively correlated with total household heating hours per year, total household heating area, total household income in 2023, affordable price increase, satisfaction with the overall clean heating project, satisfaction with gas (electricity) prices, satisfaction with heating equipment, and satisfaction with indoor temperature.

The Turpan region serves as a vital transportation hub along the Silk Road, facilitating economic and cultural exchanges between the East and West. Its distinct natural environment, rich historical culture, diverse customs, and delectable fruits have contributed to the development of abundant tourism resources. Statistics show that Turpan boasts 272 tourism resource units and 36 A-level scenic spots, offering significant potential and opportunities for the growth of its tourism industry. This study conducts a SWOT analysis of regional tourism in Turpan and provides an objective evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses. The appeal of visiting Turpan lies in its rich historical and cultural heritage, as well as its location in the Huozhou Turpan, known for the country’s highest temperatures and lowest altitude. Additionally, the myths and legends of Journey to the West add to its allure. The region is renowned for its diverse grape varieties and is referred to as the “vineyard of the world,” offering a distinctive tourism experience. However, there are also evident drawbacks to tourism in Turpan. The peak tourist season is limited to July-October, which restricts the development of year-round tourism. Additionally, the distance between scenic attractions is relatively long, and the supporting tourism infrastructure is limited, failing to meet the varied needs of tourists. Additionally, the competitiveness of the tourism industry has not been effectively enhanced by the low brand awareness and loyalty among consumers. In order to ensure sustainable tourism development in the Turpan area, various strategies and approaches must be employed to ensure the unique and diverse growth of regional tourism. This includes creating suitable marketing plans, building a fully functional three-dimensional service management scheme, and enhancing policy support and financial investments. The tourism industry in Turpan is poised to benefit from new opportunities, leading to sustained development and enhancement of its economic, cultural, and social values.

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been grown and used extensively for health care and healing practices since time immemorial in Nepal. They possess cultural, religious and economic values in Nepalese communities. In recent years, the MAPs sector is a growing commercial sector in Nepal that provides livelihood opportunities for low income generating people especially in the Himalayas. In this regard, this study assesses the contribution of MAPs to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Karnali Province of Nepal. A total of 58 species of MAPs were identified in Karnali Province. It was found that various parts of these annuals, biennials and perennial plants have been used as medicines, perfumes and food. MAPs in Karnali Province generated economic output equivalent to NPR 160738 million (USD 1.39 billion) or 1.03% of GDP of Karnali Province and 0.02% of the National GDP in the fiscal year 2019/2020. However, the findings revealed that the current GDP estimate undervalues the contribution of the MAPs sector to the national GDP due to the non-inclusion of ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants. Moreover, if all cash and environmental benefits people derive from this sector could be valued and recorded in the System of National Accounts, the GDP from MAPs would be much higher than the amount estimated in this study. We conclude that MAPs have a reasonable contribution to the GDP of Karnali Province and Nepal.

Integrating the landscape pattern holistically and identifying priority areas for ecological restoration scientifically are the key challenges of national land space planning and ecological protection. Taking Xiushui County, a fragile ecological region in the south, as an example, this study established an evaluation index system based on the pattern-process principle, including the importance of ecosystem services and ecosystem sensitivity, and explored regional priority areas for ecological restoration through GIS spatial analysis technology. The results show that the ecological restoration priority area in the case study area is 2880.64 km² in total, covering 63.93% of the overall area. Of that amount, 367.55 km² is the bottom-line priority areas for ecological restoration, accounting for 8.16%. Regarding land use types within the major ecological restoration priority area, the arable land and construction land areas are 210.83 km² and 122.52 km², covering 55.35% and 51.43% of the overall area, respectively. Determining the priority areas at different levels can help decision-makers to prioritize the restoration needs of degraded areas and provide a basis for adopting targeted ecological restoration measures for areas with different degrees of degradation. Identifying priority areas also provides basic information for the protection and construction of the eco-security pattern of the territorial space, which is vital for improving the regional ecological environmental safety and building a harmonious community between humans and nature.

Improving energy efficiency is crucial for achieving the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. The digital economy, which is characterized by big data, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and a new generation of mobile Internet, has quietly penetrated all aspects of the economy and society, profoundly changing the means of production and lives of human beings. Digital technologies have great potential to improve the global energy system’s security, productivity, efficiency, and sustainability. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in mainland China from 2006 to 2021, this study divided energy efficiency into total and single factor energy efficiency. The two-way fixed-effect model and the Driscol-Kraay method were used to adjust the standard error test in order to examine the impact of digital technology represented by industrial robots on energy efficiency and its path mechanism. Studies have shown that digital technology can significantly improve total factor energy efficiency and reduce energy intensity per unit of GDP. This conclusion was found to be still valid after the robustness test using feasible generalized least squares, time-varying difference in difference and fixed effect space Durbin model. The results of the mechanism test show that digital technology can improve energy efficiency by increasing the degree of industrial virtual agglomeration and the channels of foreign direct investment. This paper provides a valuable discussion on how information technology advances can improve energy efficiency in the era of the digital economy. The conclusions will help relevant market players to formulate policies and measures and corporate strategies to improve energy efficiency. At the same time, it also deepens the theoretical understanding and mechanism path of digital technology’s impact on energy consumption.

Taking Shanghai as an example, this study obtained the online travel notes data from Xiaohongshu and Qunar in the past 10 years to construct the Shanghai tourist flow network (STFN) and used the methods of change point detection (CPD) and complex network analysis (CNA) to reveal the spatial structure characteristics of Shanghai tourism flow and the dynamic evolution process of STFN. The results showed that: (1) In the past 10 years, Shanghai tourist market had experienced a process of evolution from stable and orderly to short-term fluctuation and then gradual recovery, and the year of 2019 was the turning point of tourist flow network evolution. (2) The small-world and approximate scale-free characteristics of STFN were verified, and the network changed from disassortative to temporary assortative, showing a development trend of external expansion and internal separation. (3) While the centrality indicators of tourist flow network remained stable as a whole, the attention to cultural nodes was also increasing with the emergence of new nodes; (4) In terms of spatial connection, new popular nodes emerged and the relationship between them and the surrounding nodes was strengthened; (5) The spatial pattern of tourist flow network presented an inverted “V” shape and gradually expanded to southwest and southeast, forming a network with core nodes as the center and radiating outward. At the same time, newly emerging nodes at the periphery had formed relatively independent clusters.

Local community participation in forest management is pivotal since they are familiar with the forest environment. In the successful management of community forestry (CF), both males and females along with the representation of poor and disadvantaged groups are of vital importance. This research compares the users’ perception in community forest management (CFM) activities, and socio-economic variables influencing participation in studied community forestry user groups (CFUGs). Primary data were collected through reconnaissance surveys, interviewing key informants, focus group discussions, and household surveys. Secondary data were collected from the division forest office, CFUGs’ operational plan (OP) and Constitution, internet, and authenticated websites. The chi-square (χ²) test was applied to test separately association variables like gender, caste, age class, education level, and wealth ranking with participation. Using ordered logit regression, the variables affecting participation in OP and constitution-making, Silvicultural activities, Forest products collection, and CF fund mobilization were quantified. Gender and Education were found to be the most promising factor influencing participation in Jagriti CFUG and Jhankrikhola CFUG respectively. In general, higher caste, older age, and rich people dominate the major decision-making activities. However, lower caste and poor people have been involved comparatively more in Forest product collection.

The spatial configuration of historical canal villages and towns is crucial to their overall structural framework. Moreover, it serves as a fundamental element in the manifestation of architectural style, the promotion of vitality, and the enhancement of environmental conditions. This study used Google Maps and field research to examine the spatial perception of Xiangxi Pushi Ancient Town by analyzing node space, street space components, and visual data. It investigates the spatial structure characteristics of ancient canal villages and towns at three levels: point-like space, line-like space, and point-line association. Furthermore, this study evaluates these characteristics based on three perspectives: macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic. The text subsequently elucidates its formation mechanism, along with the cultural aspects of watersheds following the construction of canals. The results showed that the point space of Pushi Ancient Town is relatively complete; however, the overall structure is loose, and the core is not strong. The linear space utilizes the main street as its framework, while certain internal and external streets and lanes have isolation and insufficient connectivity. Simultaneously, some important nodes are marginalized, and the connectivity and overall synergy between the point and line spaces require improvement. This study provides a theoretical foundation and practical reference for examining the sustainable development of villages and towns, as well as watershed culture in the post-canal era.

This study aims to survey the literature and factual evidence on the nexus between deforestation and agriculture through an assessment of the potential impacts of climate change in the context of the world, India, and the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats region was chosen for this study because of its deep ecological significance. A few underlying themes were created and findings were documented under each theme that ranged from the causes of deforestation, the transformation of forest land for agriculture, the nexus between agriculture, deforestation and climate change, climate-driven agricultural vulnerability and the reconciliation of forest protection with agriculture. These findings suggest that shifting agriculture has been a dominant source of deforestation. The primary climatic impacts on agriculture are seen through crop yield falls. India’s arid and semiarid tropical regions have witnessed high climate-driven agricultural sensitivity. This could be on account of the fact that India’s tropical forests have witnessed high deforestation. The presence of higher tree densities in areas under Joint Forest Planning and Management in the Western Ghats create the potential for sparing remaining land areas for non-forest uses such as agriculture.

Based on the attention restoration theory, this study focuses on rural tourists and utilizes questionnaire surveys to collect data. The research constructs a structural equation model to investigate the influence mechanisms among restorative environment perception, restorative experience, positive emotions, and experience quality. The study reveals that: (1) Restorative environment perception has a significant positive impact on the restorative experience and positive emotions of rural tourists. It serves as an important driving factor for improving the experience quality of rural tourists. (2) Restorative experience plays a significant mediating role between restorative environment perception and positive emotions. Restorative environment perception promotes the development of overall experience quality through the mediation of restorative experience and positive emotions. (3) Both the restorative experience and positive emotions independently mediate the relationship between restorative environment perception and experience quality, and they also play a chain-mediated role. Therefore, rural tourism destination managers should prioritize the restorative function of natural environments, improve the supply of high-quality products and services to enhance tourist restorative experience and positive emotions, and ultimately aim to continuously enhance the quality of tourist experience. This study has theoretical and practical implications for improving the tourism experience of rural tourists, optimizing the supply for rural tourism products, and promoting the high-quality development of rural tourism destinations.

Rough tourism growth does not promote dual-carbon goals nor the implementation of a comprehensive saving strategy. Accordingly, the booming development of the digital economy in recent years has provided new momentum for structural upgrades and green growth in the tourism industry. This study aims to test the impact and mechanism of developments in the digital economy on the green innovation efficiency (GIE) of the tourism industry. Using provincial panel data from 2011 to 2019, this study quantifies the GIE of the tourism industry using the Super-SBM model of unexpected output. In this study, the digital economy development index was measured using principal component analysis and empirically analyzed using a two-way fixed effects regression model. The results of the study revealed that the development of the digital economy has promoted in large part the improvement of Chinese tourism GIE; the enhancement effect of the digital economy development on the eastern region is more noticeable than that of central and western regions; the digital economy can promote the enhancement of Chinese tourism GIE by promoting innovation in green technology and upgrades to industrial structure. Moreover, a distinct threshold in the promotion of tourism GIE by the digital economy exists, corresponding to a nonlinear diminishing marginal product. This study provides a new perspective for assessing the impact of the digital economy on the development of tourism GIE. Moreover, it provides a policy reference for exploring the path of tourism GIE and realizing high-quality development.

This study mainly examines the factors influencing mountain outdoor tourism development in light of the regional economy, human environment, infrastructure, talent services, and other aspects. It analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of mountain outdoor tourism development in the process of regional development by combining qualitative research with quantitative research, and puts forward corresponding sustainable development measures in combination with an actual investigation. These measures can provide certain guidance and practical information for the ultimate realization of mountain outdoor tourism in harmony with the residents, which is a win-win situation. Taking Siguniang Mountain as the research area, we adopted the methods of literature review, questionnaire survey and field interview, and used SPSS26 and Smartpls to construct a structural variance model for the related dimensional impact analysis. The results show that the attractants of a mountain outdoor tourism destination and the humanistic environment of the destination have a highly significant relationship with tourist satisfaction. Mountain outdoor tourism destination services and facilities have a low degree of significant relationships with tourist satisfaction. Among them, the path coefficient of outdoor tourism destination consumption in mountainous areas is close to 0, and the significance level is greater than 0.05, so the relationship between destination consumption and tourist satisfaction has not been affected. The correlation analysis of Smartpls showed that the tourist satisfaction of mountain outdoor tourism destinations in Siguniang Mountain is mainly affected by the cultural environment, tourism attractions and tourism facilities of the mountain outdoor tourism destinations. The analysis of the final results of the structural equation model indicated that the cultural environment and tourist attractions of the tourist destination have high positive significant relationships with the satisfaction of tourists, while the significance of the relationship between the facilities of the tourist destination and the satisfaction of tourists is weak, and the positive relationship between the service factors of the tourist destination and the satisfaction of tourists is also weak. Therefore, the functional relationship is “two strong, one weak and one weak”. Finally, suggestions are put forward for optimizing and improving tourist satisfaction from the aspects of human environment, infrastructure, talent services, and the comprehensive development of tourist destinations, which have a certain reference value for improving tourist satisfaction and the sustainable development of tourist destinations.