In the mass tourism era, the rising demand for personalized and high-quality experiences necessitates a distinct urban tourism image. This study examined tourists’ perceptions of Harbin during non-ice and snow seasons using network text analysis within the “cognitive-emotional-overall” framework and a ROST content mining tool. Our analysis of travelogues revealed that Harbin is seen as an exotic, culturally rich destination, yet tourists have limited awareness of its natural resources. While overall emotional responses from tourists were positive, facilities and services received some criticism. The views of tourists were primarily focused on popular urban sites, highlighting the need for diversification. This study contributes to the theoretical discussion on the formation of the city’s tourism image and suggests strategies that will allow Harbin to transition from a season-specific tourism model to a year-round tourism model, thereby enhancing its four-season destination brand in terms of infrastructure, industry innovation and market management.

Bracket fungi (Polypores) are a morphologically distinct category of Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota) that are important agents for decomposition and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. The species composition and ecology of these fungi in particular forest ecosystems are overlooked in Nepal. Thus, the current study is aimed at assessing the diversity and distribution of bracket fungi in oak-dominated forests in the middle mountains of central Nepal. Regular field visits over a six-year period (2017-2022) were done at nine study sites of oak-dominated forests in Karnabhumi Community Forest (KCF) and Gumalchoki Community Forest (GCF) from Makawanpur and Kathmandu districts respectively. A total of 26 species of bracket fungi belonging to 17 genera and 8 families were reported. The majority of the bracket fungi are known to be saprobic, while Coltricia cinnamomea is the only mushroom found to be mycorrhizal based on its ecology. Most of the bracket fungi were found to be inedible, while Ganoderma lucidum, Laetiporus sulphureus, and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus were found to be medicinal. The diversity indices, such as the Shannon Weiner index and the Simpson diversity index, were found to be 0.26 and 0.53 in GCF, respectively, and 0.17 and 0.35 in GCF. This suggest that Oak dominated forests harbor considerable diversity of bracket fungi such that conservation of these forests is necessary.

Land use structure is an important factor affecting carbon emissions. Taking the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (MRYRUA) as an example, this study uses transfer matrix, the carbon emission coefficient method, spatial analyses and geo-detectors to analyze the carbon emission effects of land use changes, as well as their spatial evolutionary characteristics and driving factors, based on the data of 31 cities during 2010-2020. This analysis led to three outcomes. (1) The carbon sinks are insufficient to counterbalance the carbon sources, and net carbon emissions continued to grow from 144.88 million t in 2010 to 160.37 million t in 2020 due to the expansion of construction land. (2) The high-value areas of net carbon emissions shifted from dispersed to concentrated, while low-value areas shifted from concentrated to dispersed and decreased in number. The spatial agglomeration pattern is dominated by High-High agglomeration (H-H) and Low-Low agglomeration (L-L) areas. (3) The spatial differentiation of carbon emissions from land use (LUCEs) is primarily influenced by population density, carbon emission intensity, and technological innovation. Moreover, the interactive effects of land use, energy-efficient technologies, population status, industrial structure, and economic development significantly amplify their individual impacts.

Dietary modification has been suggested as a viable path to mitigate climate change. This study explored the evolution of dietary structures in China’s megacities and quantified food-related carbon emissions using the carbon footprint method. Then, we developed a multi-objective optimization model to identify low-carbon dietary options that align with cultural preferences, economic feasibility, and nutritional requirements. We found that from 1992 to 2021, the total food consumption of residents in Beijing and Shanghai experienced a period of fluctuating decline and slow rise, respectively, with their dietary structures both shifting toward animal-based diets. Additionally, the significant increase in meat consumption led to increasing food carbon emissions in Beijing and Shanghai, with per capita emissions rising by 37.2% and 25.2%, respectively. According to the multi-objective optimization model, shifting towards reduced consumption of animal products, particularly meat, would align with culturally acceptable, economically feasible, and low carbon emission goals in Beijing and Shanghai, potentially leading to reductions of 92.14 t and 212.65 t in total food carbon emissions compared with the actual in 2021, respectively. This study enhances understanding of the changing dietary patterns in urban areas and their associated carbon emissions, and emphasizes the significance of optimizing diets as a key priority for advancing global sustainable development.

The integration of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and tourism is a vital component of the holistic development of culture and tourism. This study examines the spatial distribution characteristics and tourism integration development models of Hulunbuir City through a spatial geography lens, employing nearest neighbor index and kernel density analysis. The results indicate the following: (1) Arts and crafts, as well as performing arts ICH resources, play a dominant role and are of a higher level, exhibiting a distinct agglomeration pattern centered around the main core area, sub-core area, and marginal area, which reflect the current distribution status. (2) Based on these findings, a spatial integration and optimization model is proposed, initially centered on the core area of ICH resources. Subsequently, a characteristic resource culture and tourism integration model is developed from three perspectives: resource-driven penetrative integration, product-driven restructured integration, and market-driven extension integration. (3) This study argues that the dynamic system driving the integrated development of ICH and tourism consists of three key subsystems: thrust, tension, and support. Their interactions constitute the dynamic mechanism underlying integrated development. Ultimately, this study provides a rational framework for the preservation and utilization of cultural heritage, thereby broadening the scope of cultural heritage studies.

Tourism-related plastic waste poses a significant threat to ecosystems worldwide, underscoring the need for effective tools for measuring its generation and informing decision-making and management. This paper introduces the concept of the tourist plastic footprint through a conceptual framework analysis and proposes a measurement methodology that uses a time-geography approach. Empirical data were collected from Fragrant Hills Park in Beijing and analyzed using statistical methods. The findings reveal that the plastic footprint of tourists at Fragrant Hills Park averages 10.04±0.32 items per capita per day. The waste consists of 27 distinct components, with the key contributors including plastic garbage bags (17.12%), plastic food packaging (12.48%), and tableware packaging (9.96%). Plastic garbage bags are predominantly discarded in hotel settings, while tableware packaging is primarily disposed of in restaurants outside the scenic area. Plastic food packaging is discarded in various locations, including the scenic area, transportation hubs, and hotels. This study enhances the tourism ecological footprint literature by providing deeper insights into the plastic consumption of tourists and offering a structured framework for quantifying plastic waste. For practical application, it offers valuable guidance for decision-makers in tourist destinations who aim to improve their plastic pollution control measures.

Empowering the value realization of ecological products with a digital economy is an important path for achieving the transformation of “two mountains” and the construction of ecological civilization. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2022, a fixed-effects model was used to empirically test the impact, heterogeneity and mechanism of the effects of the digital economy on the value realization of ecological products. This analysis revealed three key findings. (1) The digital economy has a significant driving effect on improving the ability to realize the value of ecological products, and this effect is still applicable in a variety of robustness tests such as shrinking the years, replacing explanatory variables, and endogeneity tests. (2) The rise of the digital economy affects the value realization of ecological products to different degrees in different regions, especially in the eastern region, while the effect in the central region is not obvious. (3) The analysis of mechanistic variables indicated that the digital economy has an impact on the value realization of ecological products through the development of green finance and government revenue. Therefore, the government should design differentiated and multi-level support policies for the realization of ecological product value according to the heterogeneity of natural resources, ecological potential and the levels of digital economy development in different regions, and it should strengthen the control of non-environmental protection behaviors of the enterprises. Enterprises should accelerate the digital transformation of the entire production, distribution, circulation and consumption chain of ecological products, and actively develop financial products and services that meet the characteristics and needs of ecological products.

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.

The construction of an agricultural powerhouse in China is confronted with the practical dilemma of relying mainly on small-scale farming and weak agricultural competitiveness, so an exploration of feasible paths for building an agricultural powerhouse is urgently needed. This study constructed indicator systems that reflect the level of agricultural development from three dimensions: resource endowment, output status, and urban-rural relations. On this basis, the gap between China and the world’s representative agricultural powers was analyzed, and the evolutionary characteristics of agricultural policies in the European Union, Japan, and the United States were explored, leading to relevant policy implications. This analysis found that the superficial problems of China's agricultural development lie in the relative scarcity of good resource conditions and insufficient modernization, while the underlying crux lies in the lack of obvious industrial competitive advantages, which is especially reflected in the lack of coordinated development between industry, agriculture, and urban-rural areas. The European Union, Japan, and the United States all focus on improving the international competitiveness of agriculture based on their comparative advantages, attach importance to the comprehensive development of rural areas, and have effectively constructed coordinated industry-agriculture and urban-rural relations, all of which have promoted the comprehensive development of agriculture. China’s construction of an agricultural powerhouse should be based on its national conditions and the general laws governing the building a world-class agricultural powerhouse. The strategy should include focusing on building a diversified food supply system to ensure food security; focusing on the modernization of agricultural science and technology, which will promote the process of agricultural modernization; promoting the development of the entire agricultural industry chain, which will enhance the competitiveness and risk resistance of the agricultural industry; accelerating public policy reform and continuing to promote urban-rural integration.

Soil salinization is a type of soil degradation phenomenon caused by the gradual accumulation of salt in soil due to natural processes or improper irrigation practices. Understanding the spatial variations of salinization is the basis for salinized land management and resource utilization. Taking Yinbei Plain irrigation area of Ningxia as the research area, 154 sampling points were set up and soil samples were collected at depths from 0-100 cm in six layers to determine the pH value and total salt content of the soil. Then geostatistics and GIS were used to study the spatial variations of soil pH and total salt content in the irrigation area. The results show three important aspects of this system. (1) The soil in the study area is alkaline soil with pH values ranging from 8.18 to 10.22, and the pH increases with increasing soil depth. The pH values of soil at 0-10 cm are significantly higher than at depths of 10-20 cm and 20-80 cm (P<0.05). The variation coefficients of the soil pH value in each layer are less than 10%, which is characterized as weak variability. The total salt content of soil decreases with increasing soil depth, ranging from 0.24 to 14.95 g kg^-1. The total salt content of soil in the surface layer at 0-10 cm was significantly higher than in the lower soil layers (P<0.05). The coefficient of variation of total salt content showed moderate variability except at depths of 10-20 cm and 80-100 cm. Other layers have variabilities of more than 100%, indicating strong variability. (2) The semi-variance function fitting of pH and total salt showed that the soil pH value in each soil layer depth block base ratio ranged from 28.1% to 61.2%, which indicates a medium spatial correlation, and the spatial variability was mainly influenced by the joint action of human activities and natural factors. The total salt block base ratio of each soil layer ranged from 5.5% to 13.3%, which indicates strong spatial autocorrelation. The variation among soil samples is mainly caused by natural structural factors such as parent material, topography, soil and groundwater level. (3) Kriging interpolation was used to obtain the spatial distribution of soil pH values and total salt contents in the study area, and the results showed that the overall pH distribution was high on the eastern and western sides and low in the middle. The total salt distribution was patchy and uneven, and the saline soil was mainly distributed in the surface layer. As the depth increased, the total salt content declined, and the proportions of saline soil and severely salinized soil decreased. In the whole study area, mild salinized soil was the main category, the total salt content increased from south to north, and the profile characteristics of total salt content were mainly surface clustering. This study investigated the distribution and spatial heterogeneity of soil salinization in the Yinbei Irrigation Area, and provides theoretical guidance for the formulation of soil salinization control measures in this area.

Awe, as a positive emotional experience, is recognized for its role in facilitating tourists’ pro-environmental behavior (TPEB). However, despite its significance, awe has received minimal attention in tourism-related research. This research introduces an expanded model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) that integrates awe into the rational-oriented TPB framework to examine its impact on TPEB. We collected data at the Mount Huangshan scenic spot in China and employed structural equation modeling for data analysis. Findings suggest that the extended TPB model, which incorporates the emotion of awe, outperforms the original TPB model in predicting TPEB. Awe experienced in nature-based destinations is mainly influenced by the perception of the natural environment (PNE) and significantly predicts TPEB. Study findings offer an integrated framework combining emotional and rational perspectives to understand the factors driving TPEB in nature-based tourism. Furthermore, the study aims to establish connections between the psychological experience of awe and the philosophical perspective of the sublime. Importantly, our findings provide compelling evidence supporting the role of nature-based tourism as an effective model to facilitate tourists’ environmental attitudes, emotions, and behaviors. Finally, the implications for practice are discussed.

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 techniques, streetscape images, and remote sensing data to comprehensively assess thoroughly analyse street greening levels in Chengdu’s Fourth Ring Road. Additionally, by integrating accessibility analysis with Green View Index (GVI), this study identified areas that should be prioritised for street greening interventions. The results indicate that: (1) Streets in the western and southern regions of Chengdu City’s Fourth Ring Road possessed higher GVI. (2) There is a significant difference in the overall distributions of GVI and NDVI, particularly in the central and eastern regions. (3) 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.

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.

Urbanization has resulted in growing ecological pressures on cities, necessitating assessments of urban ecological quality. Long-term characterization of regional dynamics and drivers is critical for environmental management. This study proposes an enhanced ecological quality model (MRSEI) incorporating vegetation cover and EVI rather than just NDVI. The MRSEI model was applied to analyse ecological quality in Yulin City during 2000-2018 using Landsat TM/OLI data on Google Earth Engine. Geographic detectors also quantified anthropogenic and environmental influences on the study area. The results are summarized as follows: (1) MRSEI showed an average correlation coefficient of 0.840 with other indices, demonstrating higher representativeness than individual components. The principal component analysis indicated a 12.88% increase in explained variance. MRSEI also exhibited significantly improved identification of roads, villages, and unused lands over RSEI, better matching ground conditions, and suitability for regional ecological assessment. (2) During 2000-2020, the average MRSEI in Yulin City was 0.481, peaking at 0.518 in 2018, indicating general ecological improvement over time. Spatially, conditions were better in the southeast than northwest. While 38.81% of the area showed significant improvement, 10.15% exhibited significant deterioration, concentrated in western Dingbian and Jingbian counties, highlighting areas requiring enhanced protection. (3) Ecological conditions in Yulin City remained stable over time. High-high clusters were concentrated in eastern counties (Qingjian, Wubao, Jia, Fugu) and central lower-altitude areas near Yokoyama and Zizhou. Low-low clusters predominated in the northern Yuyang desert and high-altitude western Dingbian regions. (4) Enhanced vegetation cover had the greatest influence in improving Yulin’s ecological quality. Rainfall was the most impactful environmental driver, while precipitation and land use change interactions showed the strongest combined effects. In contrast, air quality had minimal explanatory power in Yulin City. (5) The MRSEI model significantly impacts the ecological assessment of urban areas, thereby enhancing urban ecological monitoring accuracy. Moreover, our analysis demonstrates applicability to watershed regions, facilitating comprehensive regional ecological assessment and monitoring.

High-quality development is essential for China’s modernization. The in-depth implementation of the new development philosophy has become crucial for promoting China’s development in the context of “domestic and international” double-cycle development. This study constructs an evaluation index based on the new development philosophy, measures the level of China’s high-quality development majorly from 2005 to 2020, dynamically examines the spatial and temporal pattern of China’s high-quality development on a multi-level spatial scale, and explores its influence mechanism with the help of the obstacle degree model. The results show that: (1) China’s high-quality development level has increased as a whole, with the high-quality development index rising from 0.056 in 2005 to 0.092 in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 3.36% and an overall development pattern of “high level in the east and fast growth rate in the west”. (2) Spatial correlation, China’s high-quality development shows a significant positive correlation, with cities with higher levels of high-quality development concentrated in the eastern coastal region, the Pearl River Delta region, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and those with lower levels of high-quality development clustered in the western region. (3) In terms of dynamic evolution, China’s high-quality development level shows a small rightward shift, the polarization of high-quality development level is weakening, and the rightward trailing situation has been alleviated. (4) Obstacles to identifying the factors affecting China’s high-quality development include the amount of imports, exports, and the number of foreign direct investment contract projects. From the criterion level, openness and innovation are the biggest obstacles to high-quality development, and the obstacle degree of each criterion level shows significant spatial differentiation characteristics in the research period. The results can provide a scientific basis for China’s path to upgrading and building a modern socialist country.

Stray dog invasion caused by human activities poses a significant challenge to wildlife communities worldwide. Conservation biology efforts must prioritize controlling stray dog populations to maintain equilibrium within local wildlife communities. In the Helan Mountains, ungulate population recovery and the absence of top predators present critical issues. The presence of a stray dog as a predator may complicate ecological restoration efforts in the region. Through molecular and camera trapping data analyses, we investigated the overlap of ecological niches between stray dogs and local carnivores across nutritional and spatiotemporal dimensions. The results revealed a high overlap between stray dogs and local carnivores across various niches, likely linked to food abundance, suggesting the possibility of increased future competition between them. Stray dogs cannot be ignored when conservation of wild carnivores involved.

Climate change has become a significant global issue, impacting various sectors, including ski tourism. In recent years, the intersection between climate change and ski tourism has gained considerable attention. To explore this topic, we reviewed recent research papers published in recent years on ski tourism, snow, and ice sports, and climate change and selected the three dimensions of ski resorts, ski tourists, and governments and communities where ski resorts are located to summarize and analyze the literature from the perspective of stakeholders. The results revealed the following perspectives. First, climate change has led to reduced natural snowfall at ski resorts, resulting in shorter ski seasons. This has caused operational challenges, particularly for smaller, lower-altitude resorts, and decreased tourist satisfaction and loyalty, leading to fewer ski trips, shorter stays, and a shift toward alternative destinations. Additionally, ski tourism's decline negatively affects the economies and environments of the regions dependent on this industry. Second, strategies to mitigate climate change's impact on ski tourism are essential. Ski resorts can utilize artificial snowmaking equipment and the extension of effective skiing time. Ski tourists, following the leisure substitution theory, may shift their destinations or adjust their skiing schedules. Governments can counter the effects of climate change by developing infrastructure, integrating regional resources, and enhancing overall competitiveness.

As a large province with forest resources, assessing the value of forest ecosystem services in Yunnan is of great significance to maintain the sustainable development of Yunnan’s economy. Based on the latest survey data of Yunnan Province, i.e., the forest resources type II survey data, and in accordance with the Specification for Forest Ecosystem Service Function Assessment (GB/T 38582-2020), the value of forest ecosystem service function of 16 cities (prefectures) in Yunnan was assessed, and the ridge regression method was used to study the main factors affecting the value differences among cities (prefectures). The results show that: (1) The value of forest ecosystem services in Yunnan is 982.926×10⁹ yuan yr^-1, of which the value of carbon fixation and oxygen release is the largest. (2) The top four cities (prefectures) in terms of value of services are Pu’er City > Chuxiong Prefecture > Diqing Prefecture > Dali Prefecture; the bottom four cities (prefectures) are Kunming City > Yuxi City > Dehong Prefecture > Zhaotong City; (3) The main factors affecting the value of the service function of each city (prefecture) are forested land area, forest cover, GDP and population density. The findings of this study provided a reference for the sustainable development of the ecological environment in the prefectures and cities of Yunnan Province.

Canopy openings have a vital role in forest structure, regeneration, and plant composition. In this study, we investigated and compared the species composition and densities of seedlings and saplings between canopy gaps (openings) and forest understories (in dense canopies) in a sub-tropical forest of Bangladesh. We objectively identified 42 canopy openings between transect lines and 42 main plots in dense canopies, sampled for regeneration and young tree patterns. For the regeneration study, we placed 2 m×2 m four subplots in each canopy opening and the main plot of dense canopy, thus making a total of 336 subplots. The species diversity of seedlings, saplings, and trees were significantly (P≤0.05) higher in the dense canopy than in the canopy opening. Although, most dominant and frequent regenerating species such as Diospyros pilosula, Garcinia cowa, Brownlowia elata, and Lithocarpus polystachya were common in both dense canopy and openings, the canopy openings had the highest Importance Value Index, suggesting the significance of gap dynamics in the dominance of native floral species. The dense canopy played an important role in forest compositions because 12 regenerating species, including Stereospermum suaveolens and Diospyros montana, were not found in the canopy openings, implying that rain forests must maintain a high canopy cover for regeneration.

To explore the universal influencing factors and promote the development of conservation tillage technology in China, this study conducted a meta-analysis of 40 relevant studies and 42 effect sizes with a total sample size of 27071 to investigate the factors influencing farmers’ conservation tillage technology adoption behavior, changes in the intensity of the influencing factors over time, the existence of heterogeneity in the influencing factors and the sources of that heterogeneity. This analysis yielded three main results. (1) The variables of gender, education, arable land area, cooperative membership, propaganda, training, economic benefit perception, eco-efficiency perception, and risk preference all have significantly positive effects on farmers’ conservation tillage technology adoption behavior. (2) Most of the influencing factors are heterogeneous, but the sources of heterogeneity of the variables are not reflected in the information given in the studies. (3) Over time, the influence of gender (male) on farmers’ technology adoption behavior has emerged as a negative influence, and the degrees of influence of economic benefit perception, eco-efficiency perception, and risk preference on farmers’ technology adoption behavior are weakening. In the future, more attention should be paid to the influence of women on the adoption of conservation tillage technologies, and other important factors should also be incorporated to promote the adoption of conservation tillage technologies by multi-stakeholder coalitions.

The coordinated development of ecological security (ES) and high-quality economic development (HQED) is of great significance to the integrated sustainable development of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomeration. In this study, the entropy weight-TOPSIS model and the improved coupling coordination degree (CCD) model were used to analyze the coupling coordination mechanism of ES and HQED. The results indicate that the level of ES in the YRD showed a fluctuating upward trend from 0.475 in 2000 to 0.481 in 2020, while HQED continued to rise from 0.097 in 2000 to 0.232 in 2020, and the coordinated development index of ES and HQED increased from 0.293 in 2000 to 0.795 in 2020, highlighting an obvious trend of balanced development. Notably, the eastern coastal cities exhibited superior HQED and ES levels, with a better CCD, compared to the inland cities. The multi-scale geographically weighted regression model (MGWR) analysis shows that industrial structure, production efficiency and urbanization rate were key factors in the imbalanced development of the YRD. Finally, policy suggestions are proposed from the aspects of strengthening technological and industrial innovation and comprehensively promoting new urbanization.

Promoting sustainable livelihoods for villagers is an essential strategy for rural revitalization in areas enriched with heritage sites. Northwest Yunnan, despite being one of China’s poorest regions, is globally renowned for the Three Parallel Rivers and its premier hiking destinations, so exploring sustainable income-increasing opportunities for its villagers is important for its rural revitalization. By using density analysis, logical matrix construction and cluster analysis with GPS data, this study explored the spatial distribution characteristics of hiking tourism in Northwest Yunnan and identified the hiking popular areas. A revenue generation framework, informed by Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) and customized to the unique hiking characteristics of such popular areas, was constructed to analyze income opportunities for villagers in these areas, so as to offer theoretical support for the hiking tourism development and rural revitalization in this region. The results showed that: (1) The distribution of hiking points of interest (POIs) in Northwest Yunnan was relatively centralized with three agglomeration areas from north to south, namely, the Deqin Agglomeration Area, the Lijiang-Shangri-La Agglomeration Area, and the Dali-Yangbi Agglomeration Area. (2) Northwest Yunnan mainly had three popular hiking areas and eight hiking sub-areas correspondingly. (3) The income-generating opportunities for villagers mainly included unique accommodation and food service, guide and gear transportation services, equipment supply, tourism product sales, and logistics support for hiking races. It indicated that due to the differing temporal-spatial characteristics, and themes of activities in each hiking sub-area, the approaches to revenue generation are uniquely distinctive for each sub-area. The diverse tourism-related livelihoods of villagers enrich tourists’ experiences while the nature of tourist activities guides the villagers’ livelihood choices. Hiking tourism serves as a vital avenue for economic growth in areas like Northwestern Yunnan, where villagers can significantly boost their income by offering a variety of tourism services.

The royal gardens in Beijing are numerous in quantity, diverse in type and remarkable in features, embodying profound cultural connotations and precious heritage values. This study was guided by Chinese leaders’ important speeches on the inheritance of excellent traditional Chinese cultural genes and the theory of Cultural Gene. It sorted out the presentation forms of cultural heritage resources of Beijing Royal Gardens (BRGs), and then identified and extracted the cultural genes of BRGs. In the extraction of cultural genes, resources are divided into two categories based on their perceptibility: material cultural genes and intangible cultural genes. The material cultural genes are mainly reflected in tangible elements such as architectural style, landscape layout, and plant configuration of gardens, which together constitute the unique style of the BRGs. The intangible cultural genes are more reflected in the historical stories, cultural connotations, aesthetic concepts, and other intangible elements carried by gardens, which endow gardens with deeper spiritual values. Furthermore, based on the importance and stability of genes, the extracted cultural genes are divided into four types: core genes, attachment genes, mixed genes, and mutant genes. Core genes are the essence of the BRGs, with high stability and inheritability; Attachment genes are related elements derived around the core genes, which are equally important although not core; Mixed genes are the result of the integration of multiple cultural elements, reflecting the diversity and inclusiveness of culture; Mutant genes are cultural innovations that have emerged during the historical development process, injecting new vitality into the BRGs. Finally, corresponding inheritance strategies were proposed for different types of cultural genes. Core genes: Adhere to essence and strengthen core values; Attachment genes: innovative inheritance, optimizing the supply of derivatives; Mixed genes: overall protection, achieving collective prosperity; Mutant genes: selected identification, optimal fusion and development.

Identifying ecologically vulnerable areas is critical for constructing ecological barriers and precisely controlling ecological risks. With the rapid development of big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, many intelligent methods have been developed to support the identification of vulnerable ecological areas. This paper reviews the methodological advancements in identifying ecologically vulnerable areas, including geographic zoning, expert integration, mathematical statistics, geographic information visualization, artificial neural networks, and unsupervised deep learning clustering methods. Additionally, we assessed several classic software tools used in ecology and natural resource management. Based on the review, several urgent research challenges for ecological function zoning research are proposed, such as the application of ecological vulnerability assessment intelligent algorithms, big data collaborative analysis, and the development of automated identification software. Considering the requirements in the Mongolian Plateau, this study proposes future development prospects of methods for identifying ecologically vulnerable area zoning, combined with the new AI research paradigm. They include enhancing the comprehensive analysis of multimodal data, increasing ecological barrier big data collaborative processing, advancing the interpretability of ecological function partitioning algorithms, developing automatic zoning software tools, and pushing the collaborative analysis of geographic big data and citizen science data.

This paper investigates ecological asset accounting methods tailored for agricultural cultural heritage sites, specifically through the ancient tea forest cultural landscape of Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er. These heritage sites globally act as reservoirs of extensive cultural history and ecological richness, yet they face increasing risks and challenges from urban expansion and modernization. (1) The research develops a comprehensive methodological framework that merges ecological, economic, and cultural valuation techniques. This framework identifies and evaluates crucial ecological assets such as land, water, vegetation, fauna, and microorganisms, categorizing their value into direct values (e.g., agriculture), indirect values (e.g., flood control), and non-use values (e.g., biodiversity and cultural heritage). (2) It emphasizes the necessity of integrating cultural heritage preservation with ecological stewardship. This dual approach supports the sustainability of both cultural and natural resources, underpinning broader conservation goals and necessitating innovative management strategies for heritage conservation. (3) The study advocates for sustainable management practices that maintain the ecological and cultural integrity of these vital sites. Through detailed ecosystem analysis, the paper proposes balanced policies that cater to both ecological preservation and the socio-economic needs of local communities, promoting a replicable model for similar heritage sites worldwide. Overall, this model exemplifies how to effectively utilize ecological and cultural assets for sustainable development, ensuring the coexistence of natural and cultural values in a harmonious environment.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is of great significance for the ecological environment and water resource utilization in arid and semi-arid regions. The Mongolian Plateau, owing to drought, low rainfall, and extremely uneven distribution of water resources, has a typical temperate continental climate. A refined understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of ET in this region will help in establishing regulatory strategies for climate change responses, regional livestock regulation, and grassland degradation suppression. In this study, meteorological station data, precipitation data, and the Penman-Monteith model were used to study the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of actual ET over the Mongolian Plateau from 2011 to 2022. Results found that: (1) The spatial distribution of ET in the Mongolian Plateau showed a high trend in the north and east and a low trend in the middle and south. There was a significant difference in the regional annual ET, with the highest ET reaching over 500 mm and the lowest being only approximately 70 mm. (2) The annual ET values in 2013, 2018, and 2019 were relatively large, varying between 80 and 500 mm, and the overall ET of the Mongolian Plateau first decreased, then increased, and then decreased. (3) The temporal distribution exhibits a unimodal trend of increasing and then decreasing, with July being the turning point. May-September was a period of high ET, with the highest ET exceeding 100 mm. When vegetation coverage was high, precipitation was abundant, and the vegetation ET effect was strong. Winter was a period of low ET, with a maximum ET of approximately 10 mm in January and December; the ET for the month with the lowest value was approximately zero. The quantitative inversion method proposed in this study can provide method and data support for north and central Asia, and other large arid and semi-arid areas.

China’s Convert Cultivated Land into Forest and Grassland policy has been gradually emphasized and promoted in the context of advancing China’s Western Development Program. Therefore, based on the perspective of localized practice in China, this study bridges the semantic level of information from the perspective of qualitative analysis and quantitative coding through the qualitative analysis of policy content and text similarity metrics. The study systematically reveals the diffusion characteristics of China’s Convert Cultivated Land into Forest and Grassland policy with respect to spatiotemporal evolution, thematic focus, and the degree of central policy diffusion. The goals are to clarify the mechanisms of policy evolution in a long time span, to analyze the implementation effects of the policy in accordance with local conditions, and thereby to make strong contributions to policy making. The results show five important aspects of the policy diffusion. (1) The policy followed a tendency characterized by “slow-rapid-stable” stages, and its diffusion process can be summarized into four phases. (2) By integrating thematic diffusion characteristics and spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, this study reveals that the Grain for Green policy primarily exhibited a top-down “Hierarchical diffusion mode”. (3) By combining the national land cover change with the geographical distribution data of the Grain for Green policy, this study reveals that the policy has largely achieved its ecological goal of converting cultivated land. (4) Based on empirical research, this study illustrates the relationships between the number of policy issuances, the similarity between central and provincial policies, and the degree of policy diffusion, thereby enriching diffusion theory based on China's localized practical research. (5) This study suggests that national policies appear to reduce vertical pressure, thus inspiring the innovation of regional policy. Meanwhile, efforts should focus on developing distinctive industries to promote improvements in quality and efficiency.

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.

Developing the rural homestay industry is beneficial for poverty reduction in rural areas and its sustainable development is closely related to the continuous operation intention of rural homestay entrepreneurs. Based on a first-hand questionnaire survey data for 368 rural homestay entrepreneurs, methods such as factor analysis, multiple regression analysis and the mediation effect test were used to explore the impact of entrepreneurial motivation on the continuous operation intention of rural homestay entrepreneurs and its internal mechanism. The results indicate that entrepreneurial motivation has a significant positive impact on rural homestay entrepreneurs’ continuous operation intention. Community relations and entrepreneurial performance perception not only have simple mediating effects, but they also play a serial role in mediating the above relationship. This study provides a systematic theoretical framework for understanding and improving the continuous operation intention of rural homestay entrepreneurs, which can assist in ending the poverty dimension of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to some extent.

The integration and coordinated development of culture and tourism industry is essential for realizing high-quality development in China’s northeast border regions. To assess this integration and driving mechanism, an evaluation index system has been established to quantify the coupling and coordination degree of these sectors at the provincial level from 2013 to 2022. Meanwhile, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis can identify driving factors and its mechanism. The findings indicate that, despite fluctuation and uneven development, the integration of cultural and tourism industry has generally demonstrated a gradual upward trend, remaining predominantly in preliminary-stage development. The degree of coupling and coordination is influenced by four primary factors: economic development level, transportation infrastructure quality, industrial structure optimization and advancement in the digital economy. The outbreak of the global public health crisis has temporarily weakened the impacts of economic development, transportation infrastructure, and the digital economy on the integration process. However, as economic recovery continues to unfold, these factors have been anticipated to exert a sustained and significant influence on facilitating further integration and coordinated development within the cultural and tourism industry thereby accelerating high-quality development in the Northeast border regions. Based on these conclusions, this study proposes measures that focus on enhancing the integration and development of culture and tourism industry from three perspectives, namely integrated model innovation, transportation network enhancement, and industrial structure optimization.