Search Results (69)

Under global climate change and urbanization, enhancing urban water resources resilience (WRR) is crucial. As a typical water-scarce city, Dalian in China faces significant challenges in water security. However, systematic assessments of WRR that integrate spatial and temporal dimensions remain limited. This study develops a novel evaluation framework integrating the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model with the resilience process encompassing the pre-disturbance, during-disturbance, and post-disturbance to quantify the spatiotemporal evolution of WRR in Dalian from 2010 to 2022. The comprehensive Water Resources Resilience Index (WRRI) was calculated using the entropy weight method. The Geodetector and an obstacle degree model were used to identify key driving factors and obstacles. Results indicate an average WRRI of 0.47 with significant fluctuations. Spatially, resilience displayed a “high in the south, low in the north” pattern, with most areas at low-to-moderately low levels. Socio-economic factors such as water resources development and utilization rate, water use per 10,000 yuan of GDP, and proportion of the tertiary industry in GDP, along with natural factors like per capita water resources, were identified as the primary drivers. Obstacle factors varied spatially, reflecting distinct water management challenges across different counties. This study highlights the importance of integrating the resilience process into WRR evaluation and provides a scientific basis for developing targeted strategies to enhance urban water security and sustainable resource management. Full article

Urban flooding is a major challenge to sustainable development in rapidly urbanizing cities. This study applies an integrated approach that combines Sentinel-1 SAR data, geomorphological analysis, and the DPSIR (Drivers–Pressures–State–Impacts–Responses) framework to assess the relationship between urbanization and flooding in Hanoi during the 2010–2024 period (with Sentinel-1 time-series data for 2015–2024). A time series of Sentinel-1 images (2015–2024) was processed on Google Earth Engine to detect inundation and construct a flood frequency map, which was validated against 148 field survey points (overall accuracy = 87%, Kappa = 0.79). The results show that approximately 80% of newly urbanized areas are situated on geomorphologically sensitive units, including inside- and outside-dike floodplains, fluvio-marine plains, paleochannels, and karst terrains, characterized by low elevation and high flood susceptibility. Meanwhile, about 73% of the total inundated area occurs within newly developed urban zones, primarily in western and southwestern Hanoi, where rapid expansion on flood-prone terrain has intensified hazards. The DPSIR analysis highlights rapid population growth, land use change, and inadequate drainage infrastructure as the main pressures driving both the frequency and extent of flooding. To our knowledge, this is the first study integrating geomorphology, Sentinel-1, and DPSIR for Hanoi, thereby providing robust evidence to support sustainable urban planning and climate-resilient development. Full article

This study investigated Cenchrus purpureus in the southern part of the Gaoligong Mountains and quantified its invasion risk using an integrated approach. We combined the Drivers–Pressures–State–Impacts–Responses (DPSIR) model, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). We adopted non-random sampling techniques to conduct a survey on the cognition, hazards, utilization and management of C. purpureus among 402 respondents from 25 villages. Our results classify C. purpureus as a medium-risk species (Level II). We identified a central socio-ecological dilemma: while 36.1% of communities use it for fodder, 54% report that it causes soil degradation, signaling potential long-term agricultural losses. SEM analysis confirmed that the willingness to manage the invasion is directly influenced by these usage patterns and risk perceptions. The traditional ecological knowledge of Cenchrus purpureus was highly consistent with scientific assessment, validating its use as an early warning indicator. Therefore, our study validates a multidisciplinary framework that integrates models (DPSIR, AHP, SEM) with traditional knowledge for a holistic assessment of C. purpureus invasion. This approach offers a replicable strategy for ecosystem management in global biodiversity hotspots in the mountainous regions. Full article

As urbanization accelerates and climate change intensifies, the ecological integrity of urban riparian forests faces growing threats, underscoring the need for a systematic framework to guide their sustainable management. To address this gap, we developed a causal framework by applying text mining and sentence classification to 1001 abstracts from previous studies, structured within the DPSIR (Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response) model. The analysis identified six dominant thematic clusters—water quality, ecosystem services, basin and land use management, climate-related stressors, anthropogenic impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions—which reflect the multifaceted concerns surrounding urban riparian forest research. These themes were synthesized into a structured causal model that illustrates how urbanization, land use, and pollution contribute to ecological degradation, while also suggesting potential restoration pathways. To validate its applicability, the framework was applied to four major urban streams in Seoul, where indicator-based analysis and correlation mapping revealed meaningful linkages among urban drivers, biodiversity, air quality, and civic engagement. Ultimately, by integrating large-scale text mining with causal inference modeling, this study offers a transferable approach to support adaptive planning and evidence-based decision-making under the uncertainties posed by climate change. Full article

In the face of increasingly complex urban challenges, a critical question arises: can urban ecosystems maintain resilience, vitality, and sustainability when confronted with external threats and pressures? Taking Kunming—a plateau-mountainous city in China—as a case study, this research constructs an urban ecosystem resilience (UER) assessment model based on the DPSIR (Driving forces, Pressures, States, Impacts, and Responses) framework. A total of 25 indicators were selected via questionnaire surveys, covering five dimensions: driving forces such as natural population growth, annual GDP growth, urbanization level, urban population density, and resident consumption price growth; pressures including per capita farmland, per capita urban construction land, land reclamation and cultivation rate, proportion of natural disaster-stricken areas, and unit GDP energy consumption; states measured by Evenness Index (EI), Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI), Aggregation Index (AI), Interspersion and Juxtaposition Index (IJI), Landscape Shape Index (LSI), and Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI); impacts involving per capita GDP, economic density, per capita disposable income growth, per capita green space area, and per capita water resources; and responses including proportion of natural reserve areas, proportion of environmental protection investment to GDP, overall utilization of industrial solid waste, and afforestation area. Based on remote sensing and other data, indicator values were calculated for 2006, 2011, and 2016. The entire-array polygon indicator method was used to visualize indicator interactions and derive composite resilience index values, all of which remained below 0.25—indicating a persistent low-resilience state, marked by sustained economic growth, frequent natural disasters, and declining ecological self-recovery capacity. Forecasting results suggest that, under current development trajectories, Kunming’s UER will remain low over the next decade. This study is the first to integrate the DPSIR framework, entire-array polygon indicator method, and Grey System Forecasting Model into the evaluation and prediction of urban ecosystem resilience in plateau-mountainous cities. The findings highlight the ecosystem’s inherent capacities for self-organization, adaptation, learning, and innovation and reveal its nested, multi-scalar resilience structure. The DPSIR-based framework not only reflects the complex human–nature interactions in urban systems but also identifies key drivers and enables the prediction of future resilience patterns—providing valuable insights for sustainable urban development. Full article

Water resources are a key constraint on sustainable development in arid regions, especially for agricultural production where water use is intensive. To assess the sustainability of agricultural water use in such environments, this study utilizes 2010–2020 agricultural data from the Turpan–Hami Basin and is among the first to integrate the water footprint (WF) theory with the DPSIR (driver–pressure–state–impact–response) model into a comprehensive framework for evaluating water resource sustainability in arid agricultural systems. The agricultural blue, green, and grey WF in the Turpan–Hami Basin were quantified for 2010–2020, followed by a sustainability assessment under the DPSIR framework using a comprehensive weighting method. The results showed a continuous increase in the WF, dominated by the blue WF (>60%), largely due to crops like cotton and grapes, intensifying regional water stress. Turpan experienced prolonged resource overload, while Hami exhibited slightly higher sustainability. DPSIR analysis revealed stronger policy responses in Turpan and significant ecological investments in Hami. Key influencing factors included the crop yield, WF modulus, per capita WF, and water quality shortage index. Overall, sustainability in the basin fluctuated between “Basically Sustainable (Level III)” and “Insufficiently Sustainable (Level IV)”, with slight improvement in 2020. The findings highlight the need for region-specific agricultural optimization, strengthened ecological governance, and improved water-saving strategies to enhance water use efficiency and sustainability in arid regions. Full article

Water security is a basic requirement of a region’s residents and also an important point of discussion worldwide. The middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project (MR-SNWDP) represents the most extensive inter-basin water allocation scheme globally. It is the major water resource for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, and its security is of great significance. In this study, 28 indicators including society, nature, and economy were selected from the water sources of the MR-SNWDP from 2000 to 2017. According to the Drivers-Pressures-States-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework principle, the entropy weight method was used for weight calculation, and the comprehensive evaluation method was used for evaluating the water security of the water sources of the MR-SNWDP. This study showed that the total loss of nonpoint source pollution (NPSP) in the water source showed a trend of slow growth, except in 2007. Over the past 18 years, the proportion of pollution from three NPSP sources, livestock, and poultry (LP) breeding industry, planting industry, and living sources, were 44.56%, 40.33%, and 15.11%, respectively. The main driving force of water security in all the areas of the water source was the total net income per capita of farmers. The main pressure was the amount of LP breeding and the amount of fertilizer application. The largest impact indicators were NPSP gray water footprint and soil erosion area, and water conservancy investment was the most effective response measure. Overall, the state of the water source safety was relatively stable, showing an overall upward trend, and it had remained at Grade III except for in 2005, 2006, and 2011. The state of water safety in all areas except Shiyan City was relatively stable, where the state of water safety had fluctuated greatly. Based on the assessment findings, implications for policy and decision-making suggestions for sustainable management of the water sources of the MR-SNWDP resources are put forward. Agricultural cultivation in water source areas should reduce the application of chemical fertilizers and accelerate the promotion of agricultural intensification. Water source areas should minimize retail livestock and poultry farming and promote ecological agriculture. The government should increase investment in water conservancy and return farmland to forests and grasslands, and at the same time strengthen the education of farmers’ awareness of environmental protection. The evaluation system of this study combined indicators such as the impact of agricultural nonpoint source pollution on water bodies, which is innovative and provides a reference for the water safety evaluation system. Full article

Policymakers face the challenge of increasing food and energy production while reducing nutrient pollution. Coastal hypoxic zones, often caused by human activity, are a key indicator of sustainability. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel framework that can be used by policymakers to assess strategies to reduce or eliminate hypoxic zones in coastal waters. The developed framework includes socioecological conditions by integrating the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework and multiple thinking approaches (nexus, systems, and goal-oriented) with sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their targets, the food–energy–water (FEW) nexus, agricultural conservation practices (ACPs), and the collective knowledge from the published literature and experts, all applied to hypoxia in oceans. Four categories of ACPs with potential positive effects on hypoxia were identified: conservation cropping systems, conservation drainage systems, riparian buffer systems, and wetland systems. The Gulf of Mexico, a large hypoxic zone, served as a case study. The methods from the development of this framework may be tailored to some 500 global coastal hypoxic zones, covering 245,000 km² of oceans. Full article

The rapid pace of urbanization and global climate change necessitates a thorough assessment of urban ecological resilience to cultivate sustainable regional ecosystem development. Cities along the Yangtze River face an intensifying conflict between ecological preservation and socio-economic growth. Analyzing the ecological resilience of these urban centers is essential for achieving equilibrium in regional urban ecosystems. This study proposes a “system process space” attribute analysis framework, taking into account urban development processes, ecosystem structure, and resilience evolution stages. Utilizing data from 45 Yangtze River cities, we establish a “Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, and Response” (DPSIR) evaluation index system to evaluate changes in ecological resilience levels and evolution trends from 2011 to 2022. Our findings indicate that: (1) The ecological resilience index of Yangtze River cities increased from 0.177 to 0.307 between 2011 and 2022, progressing through three phases: ecological resilience construction, rapid development, and stable development. (2) At the city level, ecological resilience along the Yangtze River exhibits uneven development characteristics. Upstream cities display a significant “stepped” pattern, midstream cities exhibit a significant “Matthew effect”, and downstream cities present a pyramid-shaped pattern. While regional differences in ecological resilience persist, overall polarization is gradually decreasing, intercity connections are strengthening, and there is a growing focus on coordinated regional development. (3) The spatial distribution of ecological resilience in Yangtze River cities demonstrates both continuity and evolution, generally forming a “core-edge” clustered pattern. Based on these findings, we recommend enhancing inter-city cooperation and connectivity, addressing imbalances in urban ecological resilience, and promoting high-quality ecological resilience development along the Yangtze River through tailored development strategies for each city. Full article

The development of healthy building technology has become a major trend in the global construction industry, especially in China, owing to accelerating urbanization and increasing health awareness among residents. However, an effective evaluation framework to quantify and evaluate the maturity of healthy building technology is lacking. This paper proposes a novel maturity evaluation model for healthy building technology. After analyzing the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework for asserting the maturity of healthy building in China, it constructs an evaluation indicator system, comprising five and twenty-seven first- and second-class indicators, respectively. Subsequently, this paper constructs an improved projection pursuit model based on border collie optimization. The model obtains evaluation results by mining evaluation data, thus overcoming the limitations of traditional evaluation models in dealing with complex data. The empirical research results demonstrate that China is in the optimization stage in terms of the level of maturity of healthy building technology. The weight of impact is as high as 0.2743, which is the most important first-level indicator. Strict green energy utilization policy requirements are the most important secondary indicator, with a weight of 0.0513. Notably, the model is more advanced than other algorithms. In addition, this paper offers some countermeasures and suggestions to promote healthy building in China. Developing and applying this model can promote and popularize healthy building technology in China and even the globe and contribute to a healthier and more sustainable living environment. Full article

Amidst the mounting global challenges associated with climate change and resource depletion, achieving sustainable development is paramount. Focusing on cities as vital scenarios for pursuing sustainability, this research measured urban sustainability and identified its obstacles. Employing the DPSIR (Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response) framework, we establish a metric system with 25 indicators to assess the urban sustainability of six innovation zones in China and identify their developmental impediments to sustainability with an obstacle model. The core findings of the study are as follows: First, over the five-year period, all six cities demonstrated a consistent increase in their urban sustainability levels except for Shenzhen, which experienced a decline from its top position among these cities due to a decrease in its score from 0.44296 to 0.36942 in 2017. Second, there was consistent urban sustainability progress in five cities, with the exception of Shenzhen, from 2016 to 2020. Third, inadequate government response emerges as a primary obstacle across all six cities, marked by shortcomings in public expenditure, R&D investment, and healthcare. Every year, all six cities experienced more than 60% obstacle degrees in terms of response, with the exception of Shenzhen in 2016. The urban sustainability pursuit model we developed bridges urban sustainability theory with practical interventions, promoting adaptive governance. In addition, this study provides scholars and policymakers with a comprehensive approach to gauging urban sustainability, recognizing obstacles, and designing strategies for a sustainable urban future. Full article

Rural ecological revitalization (RER) is one of the five goals of China’s rural revitalization strategy. However, there is a lack of an effective index system to evaluate RER levels, which hinders the implementation of this national policy and reduces the effectiveness and efficiency of public resource input. Using the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework, this study developed an evaluation framework consisting of 5 subsystems, 12 secondary indicators, and 33 tertiary indicators. Using the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, we analyzed a set of 30 provinces’ data and empirically determined the weights of each indicator. We found that the response subsystem had the largest weight (0.338), followed by the state (0.271), impact (0.148), pressure (0.130), and driver (0.113). We then evaluated the RER level in each province and found that five provinces had high RER levels, 16 provinces had moderate RER levels, and nine provinces had low RER levels. Using Moran’s I, we examined spatial autocorrelation of provincial RER levels at global and local dimensions. We found significant positive global autocorrelations across all subsystems, indicating that geological aggregation exists in all RER subsystems. The local autocorrelation results showed that low–low and high–high patterns were the dominant local autocorrelation patterns. According to the findings, we discussed the possible implications of this RER evaluation index system and provided policy recommendations for strengthening RER in different regions across the country. Full article

This study quantified uncertainties involved in assessing the future flood vulnerability in 33 urban areas with population exceeding designated thresholds in South Korea. The driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework was utilized as the study procedure, integrating social, economic, and environmental factors. In addition, a total of 220 cases of combinations were examined, encompassing twenty general circulation models combined with shared socioeconomic pathway scenarios, five weight determination methods, and three multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, as sources of inherent uncertainties in the process. The rankings of urban flood vulnerability (UFV) for the selected cities were comprehensively assessed considering all combinations, followed by an analysis of variance test to investigate contributing sources of uncertainties. As a result, Incheon and Busan were found to be vulnerable to flooding, while Yeongcheon and Andong appeared to be safe cities. Some cities exhibited wide ranges in their rankings, such as Daegu, Yangpyeon, and Jeongeup. The identified contributing sources were weighting (58%), MCDM (27%), and the combination of weighting and MCDM methods together (15%). This study revealed that weight determination methods and MCDM techniques are the primary sources of uncertainties in the assessment of future UFV instead of multiple GCMs and SSPs. This finding underscores the importance for decision-makers and stakeholders to carefully consider these uncertainties for sustainable flood risk management and prevention. Full article

The green transition of China’s cities is crucial for ecology civilization realization. Based on the driver–pressure–state–impact–response (DPSIR) framework, an integrated technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) model with entropy weight, this study achieved the comprehensive assessment of the green transition of 288 province-level municipalities and prefecture-level cities in China over 18 years from 2002 to 2019, in addition to the spatial correlations and obstacles analysis. The results indicate that major cities in China have a more significant green transition value, and the eastern region is developing fast, while the northeast region is relatively slow. There was heterogeneous spatial distribution for green transition, because of the disequilibrium sustainable development of 288 cities. Green transition has a significantly positive spatial autocorrelation in the cities of China, the high–high significant clusters greatly increased, and the main locations changed from the northeast to southeast of China. Frequent obstacles were also found, including road infrastructure construction, water resources, and the green coverage of urban built-up areas. Based on these results, several policy implications were put forward, including the optimization of environmental laws and regulations, the development of green transportation infrastructure, resource conservation and the circular economy, the establishment of a green financial system, and increasing the linkage for the green transition of different cities. Full article

The goal of this project is to assess the state of marine biodiversity in the Natura 2000 marine network in Spain and analyze the impact of fishing policies on it. The study focuses on three marine demarcations in Spain: North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and the Strait of Gibraltar and Alborán Sea. The research uses the DPSIR (Drivers of Change-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) framework, a multi-criteria analysis approach to understand the relationships between biodiversity loss, fishing, marine ecosystem integrity, and the provision of ecosystem services. Our results revealed a significant decline in biodiversity since 1985 in the four marine areas studied; this loss was more pronounced in the Gulf of Cadiz (in Andalusia) and less intense in the northern regions of Spain (Galicia and Asturias). This trend aligns with the global degradation of marine ecosystems and loss of biodiversity caused by human activities. The main drivers behind this decline are economic factors promoting industrial fishing and overexploitation. However, there has been a reduction in the industrial fishing fleet since the 2000s, supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for transitioning toward sustainable fishing methods. Despite the increase in regulations and the establishment of marine protected areas, these measures have not been effective enough to stop the loss of marine biodiversity. The results highlight the importance of combining administrative measures such as creating marine protected areas and implementing fisheries management regulations with the preservation of cultural services provided by these ecosystems. Successful governance models that involve collaboration between fishermen and decision-makers have been observed in northern Galicia and the Gulf of Cádiz. Full article