Search Results (9)

Eco-migration (EM) constitutes a specialized form of migration aimed at enhancing living environments and alleviating ecological pressure. Nevertheless, large-scale external migration has intensified habitat fragmentation (HF) in resettlement areas. This paper takes the Shule River Resettlement Project (SRRP) as a case, based on the China Land Cover Dataset (CLCD) data of the resettlement area from 1996 to 2020, using the Landscape Pattern Index (LPI) and the land use transfer matrix (LTM) to clearly define the stages of migration and the types of resettlement areas and to quantitative explore how EM affects HF. The results show that (1) EM accelerates the transformation of natural habitats (NHs) to artificial habitats (AHs) and shows the characteristics of sudden changes in the initial stage (1996–2002), with stability in the middle stage (2002–2006) and late stage (2007–2010) and dramatic changes in the post-migration stage (2011–2020). In IS, MS, LS, and PS, AH increased by 26.145 km², 21.573 km², 22.656 km², and 16.983 km², respectively, while NH changed by 73.116 km², −21.575 km², −22.655 km², −121.82 km², and −213.454 km², respectively. The more dispersed the resettlement areas are the more obvious the expansion of AH will be, indicating that the resettlement methods for migrants have a significant effect on habitat changes. (2) During the resettlement process, the total number of plaques (NP), edge density (ED), diversity (SHDI), and dominance index (SHEI) all continued to increase, while the contagion index (C) and aggregation index (AI) continued to decline, indicating that the habitat is transforming towards fragmentation, diversification, and complexity. Compared with large-scale migration bases (LMBs), both small-scale migration bases (SMBs), and scattered migration settlement points (SMSPs) exhibit a higher degree of HF, which reflects how the scale of migration influences the extent of habitat fragmentation. While NHs are experiencing increasing fragmentation, AHs tend to show a decreasing trend in fragmentation. Ecological migrants play a dual role: they contribute to the alteration and fragmentation of natural habitat patterns, while simultaneously promoting the formation and continuity of artificial habitat structures. This study offers valuable practical insights and cautionary lessons for the resettlement of ecological migrants. Full article

The largest disaster reduction and relocation project was conducted in Shaanxi Province, China, in an effort to reduce the threat of natural disasters and preserve the environment. Although the literature has attempted to assess the economic and ecological impacts of the project quantitatively, there is currently a dearth of research on the connection between resource dependence and adaptive capacity at the rural household levels. Using survey data from southern Shaanxi, China, this study evaluated and quantified natural resource dependence (NRD) and household adaptive capacity (HAC) in the context of disaster resettlement. Simultaneously, we explored the differences in NRD and HAC among various groups and relocation characteristics. An ordinary least squares regression model was used to specifically examine the relationship between them. The results indicated that, first, NRD was significantly and positively related to HAC. Second, the dependence of relocated households on energy, food, and income had a significantly positive correlation with HAC. Third, compared to local, involuntary, and scattered resettlement households, the HAC of relocated households, voluntary relocated households, and centralized resettlement households is substantially lower. The aforementioned findings have significant policy implications for rural China and other developing nations, as they can help reduce natural resource dependence and increase adaptive capacity. Full article

Eco-poverty alleviation policies have significant impacts on the changes in farmer household livelihoods. This study developed a multi-dimensional index system, which applies the social cognitive theory and farmer household livelihood capital to analyze the effects of eco-poverty alleviation policies on farmer household livelihood change in a karst area in China. The multivariate logistic, entropy weight, and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution models were used to analyze the responses of 892 farmer households from eight villages in Guizhou Province, China. The results show that the Poverty Alleviation Resettlement Project (PARP) had the highest impact as it enables higher engagement of farmer households in non-agricultural activities, resulting in significant livelihood changes. Among the eco-poverty alleviation policies studied, changes in livelihoods of farmer households are highest from PARP, followed by the Ecological Forest Ranger Project (EFRP), Grain for Green Program (GGP), Forest Ecosystem Compensation Program (FECP), and Single Carbon Sink Program (SCSP). Specifically, GGP received the highest response from farmer households working out-of-province, whereas SCSP received the lowest. EFRP received the highest response from farmer households working in the village. Farmer households in different regions were found to respond differently to various eco-poverty alleviation policies, based on how specific policies can address their practical problems. It is also related to the delayed effects of these policies on their livelihoods. This study provides a theoretical basis for optimizing livelihood improvements for farmers at the regional level, which can aid in formulating strategies in the future to alleviate poverty and revitalize local rural communities. Full article

Due to the proposal of China’s carbon neutrality target, the traditional fossil energy industry continues to decline, and the proportion of new energy continues to increase. New energy power systems have high requirements for peak shaving and energy storage, but China’s current energy storage facilities are seriously insufficient in number and scale. The unique features of abandoned mines offer considerable potential for the construction of large-scale pumped storage power stations. Several countries have reported the conversion of abandoned mines to pumped storage plants, and a pilot project for the conversion of an underground reservoir group has been formalized in China. A feasibility study that considered the natural conditions, mine conditions, safety conditions, and economic benefits revealed that the construction of pumped storage power stations using abandoned mines could ameliorate several economic, ecological, and social problems, including resource utilization, ecological restoration, and population resettlement. The construction of pumped storage power stations using abandoned mines not only utilizes underground space with no mining value (reduced cost and construction period), but also improves the peak-load regulation and energy storage urgently needed for the development of power grid systems. Combined with the underground space and surface water resources of the Shitai Mine in Anhui, China, a plan for the construction of a pumped storage power station was proposed. The challenges faced by the current project were evaluated, further research suggested, and demonstration projects established in order to help achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. Full article

The resettlement of residents within the construction area of large projects is an important task related to people’s welfare. Livability is often used as an evaluation indicator when selecting resettlement areas. According to the results of the China Development Plan and 300 questionnaires, the human settlement factors that constitute livability include the living environment, ecological health, infrastructure, public facilities, and economic development, data on which can only be obtained from existing villages, and therefore cannot be used to directly assess the livability of potential resettlement areas. In fact, these human settlement factors are formed by the complex influences of numerous geographical factors (e.g., slope, slope orientation, accessibility, etc.), and it is scientific and reliable to use these geographical factors, which can be determined for each location, to carry out the livability assessment of potential resettlement areas. To this end, this paper takes the village resettlement project in the Dafosi coal mining area on the Loess Plateau of China as an example, calculates the livability scores of the existing villages around the coal mine using the entropy weighting method, and quantitatively analyzes the relationship between the livability scores and the selected geographic factors using a spatial correlations analysis method named Geodetector. It further uses the weighted overlayed function to superimpose the main geographic factors in order to obtain a livability grading map of the potential resettlement area. The results were successfully applied to the above resettlement project. We also verified the accuracy of this paper’s assessment method by adding 184 natural villages, and the method can be applied to other types of resettlement area livability assessment. Full article

In Gansu Province, China, Wuwei City is an ecologically fragile migration area at the intersection of the Loess Plateau, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the Mongolia-New Plateau. Using the Triangular Fuzzy TOPSIS method and the obstacle factor diagnostic model, the implementation performance and follow-up support issues of the Ecological Resettlement Project were analyzed from the perspective of the eco-migrant and the public value theory. In contrast to traditional performance appraisal methods, Triangular Fuzzy TOPSIS breaks through the ambiguity of complex environments and subjective information and effectively quantifies the fuzziness of evaluator language variables to improve the validity. The overall performance of the Ecological Resettlement Project in Wuwei is good; the average closeness degree of process is higher than outcome. Migrants rated the fairness of the project as the highest, followed by support, economic outcome, and satisfaction. Gulang County’s performance in the Ecological Resettlement Project is the best, followed by Tianzhu County and Liangzhou District. Project obstacles were mostly related to the outcome dimension, especially the ecological restoration and management, the return to poverty risk, and industrial development on the resettlement site. The main obstacle to the process dimension is migrant satisfaction with government subsidies. Research results provide case study support and experience inspiration for migrant relocation models and their long-term livelihood improvement in the context of rural revitalization. Full article

In this article, we address the interaction of the Iranian State, an agent of power, with affected village residents, as four dam projects are planned and implemented. Dams, recently positioned as a green energy source, are a central component to Iran’s national development strategies; yet historically their construction has been a source of significant conflict and resistance around the world. We focus on ten villages facing displacement or partial loss of lands at the time of the research, and we answer the question: During dam building and resettlement processes, how have residents experienced their role in decision making and the exercise of state power over them? Through a lens of political ecology, we engage with Lukes’ theory of power to interpret data from 18 focus group discussions and 20 in-depth interviews with residents, as well as from 10 interviews with local and state authorities. This case study illustrates how, from the perspectives of residents of rural communities, the Iranian State applies its power over them through multiple, simultaneous means. Coercion, non-decision making, and the withholding of information emerge from analysis as the primary successful mechanisms, while discursive consent-production emerges as largely unsuccessful. We demonstrate how lack of data or other information provision for natural resource development projects can be an important lever the state uses to exercise power, especially when combined with non-decision making. Although all Lukes’ dimensions of power apply to this case, non-decision making was most severe in its experienced effects, as residents suffered from uncertainty and an inability to move forward with individual plans. Our research provides insight into how conflicts over state-sponsored dam building can embody the contest between a sustainable development centered on justice/equity and one centered on economic growth. Full article

The karst area in northwestern Guangxi is poor, underdeveloped, and ecologically fragile. It is experiencing rocky desertification, which creates challenges that are more severe than those of other regional ecological environments. In this paper, the ecological footprint (EF) model is used to analyze the ecological carrying capacity (EC) in northwestern Guangxi from 1995 to 2015, and the differences in karst counties with different poverty levels are discussed. The results show that (1) since 1995, the EC of northwestern Guangxi has continued to decrease, the EF has continued to increase, the ecological deficit (ED) has been expanding, and the status of the region has been unsustainable for a long time. (2) The evolutionary patterns, EF and EC of karst counties with different poverty levels are different. The county with the lowest poverty rate has the fastest growth rate of the per capita EF. The county with the largest proportion of karst area has the lowest EC. (3) It is recommended that different types of counties take different measures, including strengthening ecological environment protection, carrying out rocky desertification control and ecological resettlement projects, and reducing energy consumption. This study can provide information for the sustainable development of the karst region and provide decision support for regional poverty alleviation. Full article

The spatial pattern of landscape has great influence on the biodiversity provided by ecosystem. Understanding the impact of landscape pattern dynamics on habitat quality is significant in regional biodiversity conservation, ensuring ecological security guarantee, and maintaining the ecological environmental sustainability. Here, combining CA-Markov and InVEST model, we investigated the evolution of landscape pattern and habitat quality, and presented an explanation for variability of biodiversity linked to landscape pattern in Hubei section of Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA). The spatial-temporal evolution characteristic of landscape pattern from 1990 to 2010 were analyzed by Markov chain. Then, the spatial pattern of habitat quality and its variation in three phases were computed by InVEST model. The driving force for landscape variation was explored by using Logistic regression analysis. Next, the CA-Markov model was used to simulate the future landscape pattern in 2020. Finally, future habitat quality maps were obtained by InVEST model predicted landscape maps. The results concluded that, the overall landscape pattern has changed slightly from 1990 to 2010. Woodland, waters and construction land had the greatest variations in proportion among the landscape types. The area of woodland has been decreasing gradually below the average elevation of 140 m, and the area of waters and construction land increased sharply. Logistics regression results indicated that terrain and climate were the most influencing natural factors compared with human factors. The Kappa coefficient reached 0.92, indicating that CA-Markov model had a good performance in future landscape prediction by adding nighttime light data as restriction factor. The biodiversity has been declining over the past 20 years due to the habitat degradation and landscape pattern variation. Overall, the maximum values of habitat degradation index were 0.1188, 0.1194 and 0.1195 respectively, showing a continuously increasing trend from 1990 to 2010. Main urban areas of Yichang city and its surrounding areas has higher habitat degradation index. The average values of habitat quality index of the whole region were 0.8563, 0.8529 and 0.8515 respectively, showing a continuously decreasing trend. The lower habitat quality index mainly located in the urban land as well as the main and tributary banks of the Yangtze River. Under the business as usual scenario, habitat quality continued to maintain the variation trend of the previous decade, showing a reducing habitat quality index and an increasing area of artificial surface. Under the ecological protection scenario, the variation of habitat quality in this scenario represented reverse trend to the previous decade, exhibiting an increase of habitat quality index and an increasing area of woodland and grassland. Construction of Three Gorges Dam, impoundment of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), resettlement of Three Gorges Project and urbanization were the most explanatory driving forces for landscape variation and degradation of habitat quality. The research may be useful for understanding the impact of landscape pattern dynamics on biodiversity, and provide scientific basis for optimizing regional natural environment, as well as effective decision-making support to local government for landscape planning and biodiversity conservation. Full article