Journal of Resources and Ecology-Forthcoming Articles

Analysis of Soil Erosion Changes in Liangshan Prefecture Based on Geographic Detectors

BAI Lin, YAO Kun, YANG Weishi, DU Chenling — 2025-08-29 00:00:00.0

Few studies have categorically analyzed the factors governing soil erosion spatial layout formation and changes within it from a static or dynamic perspective. In this study, we explored the factors influencing soil erosion changes in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model was used to cal-culate and grade the soil erosion modulus in the study area from 1990 to 2023 and analyze its spatiotemporal variations. Geographical detectors were introduced to determine the factors influencing erosion layout, inception, and development. From 1990 to 2023, soil erosion in Liangshan Prefecture was moderately low. Areas with high soil erosion grades were mainly distributed in the Niri, Meigu, and Zhaojue river basins, characterized by low vegetation coverage and high topographic fluctuation, and along the Jinsha River, which is greatly affected by industrial development. Land use type was the most critical factor affecting the spatial layout of the soil erosion intensity. Precipitation (55.28%) was the dominant factor governing the change in soil erosion intensity distribu-tion. This study revealed the dynamic changes and driving factors of soil erosion in the past 30 years in Liang-shan and suggests erosion prevention measures that can be used for regional soil erosion control.

Potential Challenges and Food Security Responses to Climate Change in China and Mongolia in the Post-COP28 Era

After the COP28 Conference, many countries are increasingly concerned about their future practices regarding food security. In North Asia, the Northeast China is the major food production base for the country. Across the border, the economy of Mongolia is heavily reliant on agricultural production and animal husbandry. In recent years, climatic extremes such as droughts and floods, combined with human-induced overgrazing, have posed alarming threats to food security. This review illustrates the challenges and constraints these two countries are facing due to climate changes and summarizes the existing measures and established programs in both countries. Furthermore, we develop the “Climate Resilient Agriculture” (CRA) framework for improving agricultural resilience. This framework emphasizes the importance of international institutions, such as the World Bank, and developed countries to provide more financial and technological support to bolster climate resilience in Northern Asia. Finally, we conclude by encouraging cross-border co-production and collaborations among governments to implement the CRA framework to tackle future climatic challenges.

How Do Situational Factors Impact Tourists’ Pro-environmental Behaviors in Homestay? From the Perspective of Host-guest #br# Interaction

WANG Jia, LI Chenyao, YU Mengting, WANG Wenhui

Within the domain of homestays, it is imperative to prioritize the augmentation of hosts' pivotal role and the facilitation of pro-environmental behavior among tourists as essential strategies for promoting the sustainability of homestay accommodations. This research utilizes homestays in Pingtan Island as a specific example and employs a survey methodology to collect data. Additionally, a structural equation model is utilized to analyze the causal relationship between situational factors within homestays and the pro-environmental behavior of tourists, specifically within the context of host-guest interaction. The results of the study indicate that there is a favorable correlation between environmental quality and the interaction between hosts and guests, and visitors' pro-environmental behaviors. Furthermore, it is worth noting that situational circumstances play a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of host-guest interaction. This, in turn, serves as a mediator for the influence of situational factors on tourists' pro-environmental behavior. Based on the aforementioned findings, the present study proceeds to examine the pragmatic ramifications of the research and provides recommendations for prospective areas of investigation.

Integrating Accessibility and Green View Index for Human-scale Street Greening Initiatives: A Case Study of Chengdu’s Third Ring Road

HUANG Zhongshan, LUO Shixian, CAI Yiqing, LU Zhengyan

Street greening is a popular topic in urban design research. Traditionally, assessments for urban greening levels using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from satellite remote sensing images, often overlooking street greening from a human-scale perspective. This study combined spatial syntax, machine learning tech-niques, streetscape images, and remote sensing data to comprehensively assess thoroughly analyse street greening levels in Chengdu’s Third Ring Road. Additionally, by integrating accessibility analysis with GVI, this study identified areas that should be prioritised for street greening interventions. The results indicate that: (i) Streets in the western and southern regions of Chengdu City’s Third Ring Road possessed higher GVI. (ii) There is a significant difference in the overall distributions of GVI and NDVI, particularly in the central and eastern re-gions. (iii) Streets with “high commuting and walking accessibility (low GVI) overlapped in the area east of Shuncheng Avenue. The methodology presented in this study can serve as a reference for human-scale street greening in Chengdu and other cities.

Research on the spatio-temporal characteristics of Shanghai Tourist Flow Network based on Change Point Detection

XIA Shuang, ZHANG Yao, FANG Tianhong — 2024-10-21 00:00:00.0

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 evolu-tion. (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 at-tention to cultural nodes was also increasing with the emergence of new nodes; (4) In terms of spatial connec-tion, new popular nodes emerged and the relationship between them and the surrounding nodes was strength-ened; (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.

Influence of Cooperatives’ Socialized Services on Agricultural Households’ Chemical Fertilizer and Pesticide Use Intensity ——Based on the Evidence from Two Counties, Hubei, China

DUAN Yuefang, CHEN Shaopeng, Brooke WILMSEN

Abuse of chemical fertilizer and pesticide will not only impair the quality of agricultural products, but also damage the agricultural ecological environment. From the perspective of cooperatives’ socialized services, this paper studies agricultural households’ chemical fertilizer and pesticide use behavior, attempting to provide ref-erences for the government’s formulation of relevant policies and cooperatives’ adjustment of their operation strategies. The survey data of 518 agricultural households in Zigui County and Badong County, Hubei Province, China are used to examine the influence of cooperatives and their socialized services on agricultural house-holds’ chemical fertilizer and pesticide use intensity via propensity score matching. Research reveals that: (1) Joining cooperatives has a significantly negative influence on agricultural households’ chemical fertilizer and pesticide use intensity, and the average treatment effect is –341.505 yuan mu–1. (2) Agricultural materials supply services and technical support services can significantly bring down agricultural households’ chemical fertilizer and pesticide use intensity, and the average treatment effect is –225.966 yuan mu–1 and –163.580 yuan mu–1, respectively. While the influence of agricultural products sale services on chemical fertilizer and pesticide use intensity is not significant. (3) Grouped investigation is carried out by age, education years and planting scale, and the influence of socialized services on agricultural householders’ chemical fertilizer and pesticide use in-tensity is obviously varied among different groups. The influence of agricultural materials supply services on agricultural households who are elder, with smaller education years and small planting scale is significant; the influence of technical support services on agricultural households who are younger, with higher education years and small planting scale is significant; the influence of agricultural products sale services on agricultural households who are elder is significant. It is necessary to improve the percentage of agricultural households joining cooperatives, increase the supply level of cooperatives’ socialized services, and make socialized ser-vices of cooperatives more targeted. All this can contribute to further reduction of agricultural households’ chemical fertilizer and pesticide use intensity.

Quantifying the Contribution of Ecological Land Restoration to Landscape Ecological Risk in the Urban Agglomeration: A Human-Earth Areal System Perspective

LIU Yuzhi, CAO Wenping, WANG Fuyuan, YU Ling

In order to improve the LER index assessment, this study takes the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration (PRDUA) as the research object, introduces the vulnerability assessment method for human-earth areal system, and analyzes the vulnerability, landscape disturbance, and improved LER of the PRDUA in 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022. The contribution of ecological land restoration to the evolution of LER is measured using the factor detector and interaction detector results of the Geodetector. Four restoration indicators are selected: ecological land area, proportion, cohesion, and AI (Aggregation Index). The results show that: (1) Between 2002 and 2022, the vulnerability in PRDUA exhibited a decreasing trend, albeit with notable spatial disparities. Areas of low vulnerability predominantly lie on the periphery of PRDUA, whereas high vulnerability zones are concentrated within its core. (2) The change in LER and vulnerability is highly consistent. Between 2002 and 2022, the high-risk areas show a shrinking trend and are mainly located in Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, and Shenzhen. Low-risk areas are mainly located at the edge of the PRDUA. (3) Based on the Geodetector, the contribution of single factor of ecological land restoration to LER change is low, and the contribution of two factor interaction is significantly enhanced, especially the cohesion and AI interactions contributed the most. In the period 2012-2022, the q-value of the explanatory power of the interaction between cohesion change and AI change reached 62.213%, which was the strongest explanation for changes in LER. These findings provide an innovative approach to understanding and mitigating LER in highly urbanized areas, and are also important for building ecological security patterns and promoting sustainable development.

Advances and Future Prospects in Ecological Risks of Tourism Destinations

FU Wei1, ZHOU Bin2, YU Hu3

Scientifically mitigating the ecological risks in tourist destinations is an important foundation for the healthy and sustainable development of tourist destinations.In this study, we summarize the progress of ecological risk re-search in tourist destinations at home and abroad and the internal logic of ecological risk research in tourist des-tinations. Current research adhered to an internal framework encompassing the following stages: formation and analysis of ecological risks in tourism destinations, exposure characterization, effect exploration, risk assess-ment, and risk management. Specific research results were summarized in four aspects: the analysis of eco-logical risk sources,assessment of acceptors and endpoints, ecological risk assessment, perceptions of ecolog-ical risk, predictions and management of ecological risks within tourism destinations. Future research should prioritize fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and natural environment, which necessitates strengthening the foundation of a multidisciplinary theory. Future research should focus on the formation mechanisms of ecological risks in tourist destinations, the mechanisms of interaction among ecological risk sources, receptors, and endpoints, ecological risk assessments of tourist destinations based on multiple risk sources, ecological risk assessments of typical tourism destinations and their key exposures, enhancing the ecological risk assessment index system for tourist destinations by incorporating data from various sources, conducting simulation studies to develop ecological risk warning systems for tourist destinations, exploring the spatiotemporal scale coupling relationships of ecological risks in tourist destinations, examining the perceptions and attitudes of different stakeholders towards ecological risks in tourist destinations, evaluating the cost-benefit of ecological risk adaptation, and performing prevention measures in tourist destinations.

Research on a Cultural Ecosystem Service Evaluation System for National Parks: An Analysis based on Tourists' Perception of Aesthetic Value

WANG Peng, Li Nan , MA Ting, HE Youjun , Li Le, LIU Zhudi

Among cultural ecosystem services, aesthetic value is one of the most strongly related to humans. The scientific assessment of the aesthetic value of cultural ecosystem services plays a vital role in achieving the refined management of national park ecosystems. In the current study, Qianjiangyuan National Park in China was taken as an example, three typical types of aesthetic ecosystem services (AESs) were extracted, and an AES evaluation index system was constructed by combining the cultural attributes and landscape aesthetic value of national parks. Tourists’ value perception of AESs was analyzed based on 542 valid survey questionnaires, and the influences of various demographic characteristics were explored using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on this, the importance and overall level of various AESs in national parks were systematically evaluated using the entropy method and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. The results reveal the following. (1) Tourists believe that national parks have natural, cultural, and social aesthetic service value. The value perception of physical and mental health services is the highest (2.44), while that of spiritual worship services is the lowest (1.86). (2) Different demographic characteristics have significant impacts on the value perception of aesthetic services. The greater the number of visits to the national park, the higher the tourists’ value perception of primitive wilderness, spiritual wo rship, folk culture, and human settlement services. Moreover, tourists visiting the national park for research purposes have the highest value perception of natural ASEs. (3) There are cognitive differences in the importance of various AESs: cultural aesthetic services (0.8473) > natural aesthetic services (0.7032) > social aesthetic services (0.5780). Moreover, tourists consider spiritual worship services to be the most important (0.3695). (4) The value perception evaluation of the AESs of the national park is generally high, with a comprehensive evaluation score of 4.11, among which the value of physical and mental health services is the highest (4.44) and that of primitive wilderness services is the lowest (3.92). The results of this study are helpful for further improving the management level of national park ecosystems.

Realizing the Value of Ecological Products: A Case Study based Mechanism Analysis

ZHANG Enxiang, LEI Shuo, ZHENG Yuping, LIU Lixiang, HAN Yongwei

This article uses a multi-case analysis method to investigate the mechanisms of ecological product value realization, and influencing factors. Specifically, we use a case analysis framework based on the “economy-society-natural ecology” perspective to analyze and compare the three batches of “Typical Cases of Ecological Product Value Realization” released by the Ministry of Natural Resources. We find: First, different modes of ecological product value realization exist. Different resource endowments, and institutional and environmental factors affect the selection of the value realization modes. Second, certain obstacles also exist for realizing ecological product value, which are mainly reflected in the fact that the articulation of the individual, society, and government is not yet sufficiently close. Third, to promote the development of regional eco-products’ mode and value conversion, the implementing party needs to guide the synergy between individual concepts, social participation, and governmental top-level design; rationally arrange the allocation of resource elements; mitigate elemental constraints; and propose effective technical means and optimization strategies according to the actual situation.

Contribution of Urban Trees to Offset Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Transportation Sector in the Ring Road Area of Kathmandu Valley, Central Himalaya

JOSHI Nabin Raj, JOSHI Rajeev, MISHRA Jay Raj

Urban trees are valuable resources for urban areas as they have the capacity to reduce ambient temperatures, mitigate urban heat island effects and reduce runoff of rainwater playing an important role in mitigating the impacts of climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). It also helps to reduce aerial suspended particulate matter, add visual appeal to the urban landscape sequestrating a significant amount of carbon from ambient atmospheric CO2. Carbon storage by urban trees in the ring road area of the Kathmandu Valley was quantified to assess the magnitude and role of urban forests in relation to mitigate the impact of global climate change. A total of 40 sample plots were placed randomly for the detailed carbon assessment. Aboveground and belowground carbon pools were considered in the detailed assessment. Furthermore, quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) were maintained through regular monitoring and capacity building of the field crews while collecting the bio-physical data. The assessment recorded a total of 33 different species of plants in the avenue’s plantation sites in ring road. The mean seedling, sapling, and tree density was found to be 2149585 and 185 per hectare. The mean carbon stock per hectare in the avenue plantation of the ring road area was 24.03 tC ha1 and the existing total carbon stock was 7785.72 tC in 2021. Likewise, the total baseline carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in the avenue plantation was found to be 28573.60 tCO2e. The carbon dioxide emission from the transport sector in the ring road area in a full movement scenario was 312888.00 tCO2e per annum, while the net emissions was 42547 tCO2e. There was a deficit of carbon dioxide in terms of stock by avenue plantations of 14000.8 tCO2e.This study indicates that the existing urban forest plantation is unable to sequestrate or offset the carbon dioxide that is emitted through the transportation sector. Consequently, open spaces like riverbanks and any other public lands, in which urban forests could be developed has to be planned for the green infrastructure and plantation of the multipurpose trees. The distinct values of forests in and around urban areas have to be recognized in the specific policies and plans for the sustainable management of urban and peri-urban forests to meet the adverse impact of global climate change. In addition, this study provides insights for decision-makers to better understand the role of urban forests and make sustainable management plans for urban forests in the cities like in Kathmandu Valley.

Charcoal Wastes-to-Fuel Energy Conversion for Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability in the Global South: A Case of Wood Charcoal Industry in Tanzania

Norbert J. NGOWI — 2023-06-15 00:00:00.0

Low efficiency of earth kilns used in the carbonising process of wood to make charcoal has been reported as one of the sources of increasing charcoal wastes in the global south. However, the potential link and approaches of converting charcoal wastes-to-valuable energy and for the environmental health is not well known in Africa. Promoting local community capacity engagement in the production and reutilisation of recycled charcoal wastes at the households’ level is one of important measures to maintain environmental services for sustainability since households make decisions on the type of energy used. This paper, presents an approach of converting charcoal wastes to fuel energy for rural households and environmental health in Kilosa District, Tanzania. To achieve the objective of this research, the primary data were collected through interviews held with 298 randomly selected households, Focus Group Discussions and observations. IBM SPSS statistics version 20 Cross tab tools were used in the data analysis. Results revealed that the conversion of charcoal wastes-to-fuel energy approach used in this research demonstrates the ability of recyclable briquettes made from the locally available charcoal pollutants collected at different stages from earth kilns, to selling centers, improves tree harvest behaviour, adds another fuel energy source through reutilisation, and ultimate reduces pollution at the local level. Thus, the study provides a basis for policymakers to adopt charcoal wastes recycling strategies to address matters related to energy and ultimately enhances environmental health for sustainable development in Tanzania and beyond.

Characteristics and Carbon Storage of a Typical Mangrove Island Ecosystem in Beibu Gulf, South China Sea

WU Bin, ZHANG Wenzhu, TIAN Yichao, LIANG Mingzhong, XU Jun, GU Guanhai — 2022-02-28 00:00:00.0

Abstract: By studying the structural characteristics and carbon storage of the mangrove island ecosystem in the
Beibu Gulf, this study provides a scientific basis for mangrove ecological compensation in the coastal areas of
Guangxi, South China Sea. On the basis of the unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing images and a sample plot
survey, the object-oriented multi-scale segmentation algorithm is used to extract the mangrove community type information, and one-way analysis of variance is conducted to analyse the structural characteristics of the mangrove
community. The carbon storage and carbon density of different mangrove ecosystems were obtained based on the
allometric growth equation of mangrove plants. The analysis yielded four main results. (1) The island group covers
about 27.10 ha, 41.32% (11.20 ha) of which represents mangrove areas. The mangrove forest is widely distributed
in the tidal flats around the islands. (2) The main mangrove types were Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia obovata +
Aegiceras corniculatum, Avicennia marina + Aegiceras corniculatum and Avicennia marina communities. (3)
Amongst the mangrove plants, Avicennia marina had the highest biomass (18.52 kg plant–1), followed by Kandelia
obovata (7.84 kg plant–1) and Aegiceras corniculatum (3.85 kg plant–1). (4) The mangrove carbon density difference
was significant. Kandelia obovata had the highest carbon density (148.03 t ha–1), followed by Avicennia marina
(104.79 t ha–1) and Aegiceras corniculatum (99.24 t ha–1). The carbon storage of the mangrove island ecosystem
was 1194.70 t, which was higher than in other areas with the same latitude. The carbon sequestration capacity of
the mangrove was relatively strong.

Fundamental Strategic Shift Required by the Expensive Ecological Policy in Chinese Grasslands

ZHU Jiapei, XU Xingliang, LI Tong, LIU Yali, YANG Yaqian, CUI Xiaoyong,

Grasslands have critically important ecological and economic values while most of them have been suffering from various degrees of degradation in China due to overgrazing. The “Forage-Livestock Balance” (FLB) policy has been implemented for more than a decade, aims to balance the relationship between forage productivity and grazing consumption of grasslands by livestock. According to the review of statistical data and literatures on policy evaluation, FLB-dominated subsidies for grassland ecological conservation policies are ineffective on grassland restoration, livestock reduction in some overloaded areas and improvement on herdsmen livelihood. To deal with the dilemma, we suggest a fundamental shift of strategy from controlling livestock numbers to maintaining and improving grassland health (MIGH) based on ecological theories, and promote the sustainable development of grassland in China. The results show that, FLB policy failed to obtain expected benefits mainly because it interfered with the herders’ autonomous use of contracted grasslands along with the defects of its underlying theory and methodologies. Implementing reward and punishment based on ecosystem health will not only motivate herders to manage their grassland autonomously, but also be more scientific and feasible than FLB.

Delimiting Ecological Space and Simulating Spatial-temporal Changes in Its Ecosystem Service Functions based on a Dynamic Perspective: Case Study on Qionglai City of Sichuan Province, China

Delimiting ecological space scientifically and making reasonable predictions of the spatial-temporal trend of changes in the dominant ecosystem service functions (ESFs) are the basis of constructing an ecological protection pattern of territorial space, which has important theoretical significance and application value. At present, most research on the identification, functional partitioning and pattern reconstruction of ecological space refers to the current ESFs and their structural information, which ignores the spatial-temporal dynamic nature of the comprehensive and dominant ESFs, and does not seriously consider the change simulation in the dominant ESFs of the future ecological space. This affects the rationality of constructing an ecological space protection pattern to some extent. In this study, we propose an ecological space delimitation method based on the dynamic change characteristics of the ESFs, realize the identification of the ecological space range in Qionglai city and solve the problem of ignoring the spatial-temporal changes of ESFs in current research. On this basis, we also apply the Markov-CA model to integrate the spatial-temporal change characteristics of the dominant ESFs, successfully realize the simulation of the spatial-temporal changes in the dominant ESFs in Qionglai city’s ecological space in 2025, find a suitable method for simulating ecological spatial-temporal changes and also provide a basis for constructing a reasonable ecological space protection pattern. This study finds that the comprehensive quantity of ESF and its annual rate of change in Qionglai city show obvious dynamics, which confirms the necessity of considering the dynamic characteristics of ESFs when identifying ecological space. The areas of ecological space in Qionglai city represent 98307 ha by using the ecological space identification method proposed in this study, which is consistent with the ecological spatial distribution in the local ecological civilization construction plan. This confirms the reliability of the ecological space identification method based on the dynamic characteristics of the ESFs. The results also show that the dominant ESFs in Qionglai city represented strong non-stationary characteristics during 2003-2019, which showed that we should fully consider the influence of the dynamics in the dominant ESFs on the future ESF pattern during the process of constructing the ecological spatial protection pattern. The Markov-CA model realized the simulation of spatial-temporal changes in the dominant ESFs with a high precision Kappa coefficient of above 0.95, which illustrated the feasibility of using this model to simulate the future dominant ESF spatial pattern. The simulation results showed that the dominant ESFs in Qionglai will still undergo mutual conversions during 2019-2025 due to the effect of the their non-stationary nature. The ecological space will still maintain the three dominant ESFs of primary product production, climate regulation and hydrological regulation in 2025, but their areas will change to 32793 ha, 52490 ha and 13024 ha, respectively. This study can serve as a scientific reference for the delimitation of the ecological conservation redline, ecological function regionalization and the construction of an ecological spatial protection pattern.