Special Issue "Regional Ecology and Sustainability"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hongbin Deng
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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Interests: regional sustainable development; resource management and sustainable development
Dr. Shuxin Mao
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Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 712000, China
Interests: regional sustainable development; sustainable livelihood

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Regional ecology, an important subject in ecology subject systems, originates from the regional comprehensive scientific survey and investigations of regional environmental pollution. The primary objectives of regional ecology are to study the background of regional environmental issues, their driving forces, and seek solutions to the existing environmental issues. Considering that different regions have their own unique characteristics and face different ecological problems and development paths, and although the application of some new theories and methods has greatly promoted the development of regional ecology, there still remains a number of important issues on regional sustainability, ecosystem services, and regional ecological security to be studied and resolved. Therefore, this Special Issue of Sustainability welcomes contributions from researchers on the general theme of regional ecology and sustainability, and in particular, suggested topics for this Special Issue include but are not limited to:

  • evaluation of regional sustainable development;
  • evaluation and regulation of regional ecological security;
  • ecosystem services and regional sustainability;
  • regional water, energy and food processes and their correlations;
  • relationships between regional environments and resource efficiency.

Prof. Dr. Hongbin Deng
Dr. Shuxin Mao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • regional ecology
  • sustainable development
  • ecosystem services
  • ecological security
  • food–energy–water nexus
  • resource efficiency
  • regional planning

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Decoupling Analysis between Economic Growth and Air Pollution in Key Regions of Air Pollution Control in China
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6600; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126600 - 09 Jun 2021
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Abstract
The Chinese government has implemented a number of environmental policies to promote the continuous improvement of air quality while considering economic development. Scientific assessment of the impact of environmental policies on the relationship between air pollution and economic growth can provide a scientific [...] Read more.
The Chinese government has implemented a number of environmental policies to promote the continuous improvement of air quality while considering economic development. Scientific assessment of the impact of environmental policies on the relationship between air pollution and economic growth can provide a scientific basis for promoting the coordinated development of these two factors. This paper uses the Tapio decoupling theory to analyze the relationship between regional economic growth and air pollution in key regions of air pollution control in China—namely, the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and surrounding areas (BTHS), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD)—based on data of GDP and the concentrations of SO2, PM10, and NO2 for 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019. The results show that the SO2, PM10, and NO2 pollution in the key regions show strong and weak decoupling. The findings additionally indicate that government policies have played a significant role in improving the decoupling between air pollution and economic development. The decoupling between economic growth and SO2 and PM10 pollution in the BTHS, YRD, and PRD is better than that in other regions, while the decoupling between economic growth and NO2 pollution has not improved significantly in these regions. To improve the relationship between economic growth and air pollution, we suggest that the governments of China and other developing countries should further optimize and adjust the structure of industry, energy, and transportation; apply more stringent targets and measures in areas of serious air pollution; and strengthen mobile vehicle pollution control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Ecology and Sustainability)
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Article
Spatial Distribution and Land Use of Traditional Villages in Southwest China
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6326; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116326 - 02 Jun 2021
Viewed by 707
Abstract
Traditional villages are the historical and cultural heritage of people around the world. With the increases in urbanization and industrialization, the continuation of traditional villages and the inheritance of historical and cultural heritage are facing risk. Therefore, to grasp the spatial characteristics of [...] Read more.
Traditional villages are the historical and cultural heritage of people around the world. With the increases in urbanization and industrialization, the continuation of traditional villages and the inheritance of historical and cultural heritage are facing risk. Therefore, to grasp the spatial characteristics of them and the human–nature interaction mechanism in Southwest China, we analyzed the distribution pattern of traditional villages using the ArcGIS software. Then, we further analyzed the spatial clustering characteristics, influencing factors and landscape pattern, and put forward relevant protection countermeasures and suggestions. The results revealed that traditional villages in Southwest China were clustered, being mainly distributed in areas with relatively low elevation, gentle slopes, low relative positions, nearby water sources, and convenient transportation. They can be divided into four categories due to obvious differences in influencing factors such as elevation, slope, relative position, distance to the nearest river, population density, etc. The landscape pattern of traditional villages differed among the different clusters, being mainly composed of forests, shrubs, and cultivated land. With the increase in the buffer radius, the landscape pattern of them changed significantly. The results of this study reflect that traditional villages and the natural environment are interdependent, so the protection of traditional villages should carry out measures according to local conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regional Ecology and Sustainability)
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