Search Results (1,701)

In river-connected lake regions, both land use and hydrological regime changes may affect the ecosystem services; however, few studies have attempted to elucidate their complex influences. In this study, the spatiotemporal dynamics of eight ecosystem services (crop production, aquatic production, water yield, soil retention, flood regulation, water purification, net primary productivity, and habitat quality) were investigated through remote-sensing images and the InVEST model in the Dongting Lake Region during 2000–2020. Results revealed that crop and aquatic production increased significantly from 2000 to 2020, particularly in the northwestern and central regions, while soil retention and net primary productivity also improved. However, flood regulation, water purification, and habitat quality decreased, with the fastest decline in habitat quality occurring at the periphery of the Dongting Lake. Land-use types accounted for 63.3%, 53.8%, and 40.3% of spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality, flood regulation, and water purification, respectively. Land-use changes, particularly the expansion of construction land and the conversion of water bodies to cropland, led to a sharp decline in soil retention, flood regulation, water purification, net primary productivity, and habitat quality. In addition, crop production and aquatic production were higher in cultivated land and residential land, while the accompanying degradation of flood regulation, water purification, and habitat quality formed a “production-pollution-degradation” spatial coupling pattern. Furthermore, hydrological fluctuations further complicated these dynamics; wet years amplified agricultural outputs but intensified ecological degradation through spatial spillover effects. These findings underscore the need for integrated land-use and hydrological management strategies that balance human livelihoods with ecosystem resilience. Full article

Wellington, New Zealand, is highly vulnerable to disaster-induced food security crises due to its geography and geological characteristics, which can disrupt transportation and isolate the city following disasters. Urban agriculture (UA) has been proposed as a potential alternative food source for post-disaster scenarios. This study examined the potential of urban agriculture for enhancing post-disaster food security by calculating vegetable self-sufficiency rates. Specifically, it evaluated the capacity of current Wellington’s community gardens to meet post-disaster vegetable demand in terms of both weight and nutrient content. Data collection employed mixed methods with questionnaires, on-site observations and mapping, and collecting high-resolution aerial imagery. Garden yields were estimated using self-reported data supported by literature benchmarks, while cultivated areas were quantified through on-site mapping and aerial imagery analysis. Six post-disaster food demand scenarios were used based on different target populations to develop an understanding of the range of potential produce yields. Weight-based results show that community gardens currently supply only 0.42% of the vegetable demand for residents living within a five-minute walk. This rate increased to 2.07% when specifically targeting only vulnerable populations, and up to 10.41% when focusing on gardeners’ own households. However, at the city-wide level, the current capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed people remained limited. Nutrient-based self-sufficiency was lower than weight-based results; however, nutrient intake is particularly critical for vulnerable populations after disasters, underscoring the greater challenge of ensuring adequate nutrition through current urban food production. Beyond self-sufficiency, this study also addressed the role of UA in promoting food diversity and acceptability, as well as its social and psychological benefits based on the questionnaires and on-site observations. The findings indicate that community gardens contribute meaningfully to post-disaster food security for gardeners and nearby residents, particularly for vulnerable groups with elevated nutritional needs. Despite the current limited capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed residents, findings suggest that Wellington could enhance post-disaster food self-reliance by diversifying UA types and optimizing land-use to increase food production during and after a disaster. Realizing this potential will require strategic interventions, including supportive policies, a conducive social environment, and diversification—such as the including private yards—all aimed at improving food access, availability, and nutritional quality during crises. The primary limitation of this study is the lack of comprehensive data on urban agriculture in Wellington and the wider New Zealand context. Addressing this data gap should be a key focus for future research to enable more robust assessments and evidence-based planning. Full article

The rapid urbanization process has accelerated the degradation of ecosystem services (ESs) in peri-urban rural areas of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), leading to increasing landscape ecological risks (LERs). Establishing a scientifically grounded landscape ecological risk assessment (LERA) system and corresponding control strategies is therefore imperative. Using rural areas of Jiangning District, Nanjing as a case study, this research proposes an optimized dual-dimensional coupling assessment framework that integrates ecosystem service value (ESV) and ecological risk probability. The spatiotemporal evolution of LER in 2000, 2010, and 2020 and its key driving factors were further studied by using spatial autocorrelation analysis and geodetector methods. The results show the following: (1) From 2000 to 2020, cultivated land remained dominant, but its proportion decreased by 10.87%, while construction land increased by 26.52%, with minimal changes in other land use types. (2) The total ESV increased by CNY 1.67 × 10⁹, with regulating services accounting for over 82%, among which water bodies contributed the most. (3) LER showed an overall increasing trend, with medium- to highest-risk areas expanding by 55.37%, lowest-risk areas increasing by 10.10%, and lower-risk areas decreasing by 65.48%. (4) Key driving factors include landscape vulnerability, vegetation coverage, and ecological land connectivity, with the influence of distance to road becoming increasingly significant. This study reveals the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of LER in typical peri-urban villages. Based on the LERA results, combined with terrain features and ecological pressure intensity, the study area was divided into three ecological management zones: ecological conservation, ecological restoration, and ecological enhancement. Corresponding zoning strategies were proposed to guide rural ecological governance and support regional sustainable development. Full article

Gully erosion refers to the landform formed by soil and water loss through gully development, which is a critical manifestation of soil degradation. However, research on the spatio-temporal variations in erosion gullies at the county scale remains insufficient, particularly regarding changes in gully aggregation and their driving factors. This study utilized high-resolution remote sensing imagery, gully interpretation information, topographic data, meteorological records, vegetation coverage, soil texture, and land use datasets to analyze the spatio-temporal patterns and influencing factors of erosion gully evolution in Bin County, Heilongjiang Province of China, from 2012 to 2022. Kernel density evaluation (KDE) analysis was also employed to explore these dynamics. The results indicate that the gully number in Bin County has significantly increased over the past decade. Gully development involves not only headward erosion of gully heads but also lateral expansion of gully channels. Gully evolution is most pronounced in slope intervals. While gentle slopes and slope intervals host the highest density of gullies, the aspect does not significantly influence gully development. Vegetation coverage exhibits a clear threshold effect of 0.6 in inhibiting erosion gully formation. Additionally, cultivated areas contain the largest number of gullies and experience the most intense changes; gully aggregation in forested and grassland regions shows an upward trend; the central part of the black soil region has witnessed a marked decrease in gully aggregation; and meadow soil areas exhibit relatively stable spatio-temporal variations in gully distribution. These findings provide valuable data and decision-making support for soil erosion control and transformation efforts. Full article

In mining areas with high groundwater levels, intensive coal mining has led to the accumulation of substantial surface water and significant alterations in regional landscape patterns. Reconstructing the ecological security pattern (ESP) has emerged as a critical focus for ecological restoration in coal mining subsidence areas with high groundwater levels. This study employed the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model to predict the landscape evolution trend of the study area in 2032 under three scenarios, combining environmental characteristics and disturbance features of coal mining subsidence areas with high groundwater levels. In order to determine the differences in ecological network changes within the study area under various development scenarios, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and landscape connectivity analysis were employed to identify ecological source areas and establish ecological corridors using circuit theory. Based on the simulation results of the optimal development scenario, potential ecological pinch points and ecological barrier points were further identified. The findings indicate that: (1) land use changes predominantly occur in urban fringe areas and coal mining subsidence areas. In the land reclamation (LR) scenario, the reduction in cultivated land area is minimal, whereas in the economic development (ED) scenario, construction land exhibits a marked increasing trend. Under the natural development (ND) scenario, forest land and water expand most significantly, thereby maximizing ecological space. (2) Under the ND scenario, the number and distribution of ecological source areas and ecological corridors reach their peak, leading to an enhanced ecological network structure that positively contributes to corridor improvement. (3) By comparing the ESP in the ND scenario in 2032 with that in 2022, the number and area of ecological barrier points increase substantially while the number and area of ecological pinch points decrease. These areas should be prioritized for ecological protection and restoration. Based on the scenario simulation results, this study proposes a planning objective for a “one axis, four belts, and four zones” ESP, along with corresponding strategies for ecological protection and restoration. This research provides a crucial foundation for decision-making in enhancing territorial space planning in coal mining subsidence areas with high groundwater levels. Full article

Objectives: The major sugarcane-producing regions of Guangxi represent a critical agricultural zone in China. Investigating the mechanisms of land use change and carbon storage dynamics in this area is essential for optimizing regional ecological security and promoting sustainable development. Methods: Employing the land use transfer matrix, the InVEST model and the Geodetector model to analyze carbon storage changes and identify key driving factors and their interactive effects. Results: (1) From 2011 to 2022, Guangxi’s major sugarcane-producing regions experienced significant land use changes: reductions in cultivated land, grassland and water bodies alongside expansions of forest, bare land and construction land. (2) The total carbon storage in Guangxi’s major sugarcane-producing regions has increased from 2011 to 2018 by 0.99%, representing 1627.03 and 1643.10 million tons, while it has decreased by 0.1% in 2022 (1641.47 million tons) compared to 2018. (3) Cultivated land proportion and forest coverage rate were the primary drivers of spatial heterogeneity, followed by average slope and land urbanization rate. (4) Interaction analysis revealed strong synergistic effects among cultivated land proportion, forest coverage rate, NDVI and average slope, confirming multi-factor control over carbon storage changes. Conclusions: Carbon storage in the Guangxi sugarcane-producing regions is shaped by land use patterns and multi-factor interactions. Future strategies should optimize land use structures and balance urbanization with ecological protection to enhance regional carbon sequestration. Full article

Urban expansion has a profound impact on both society and the environment. In this study, VOSviewer 1.6.16 and CiteSpace 6.3.R1 were used to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 2987 articles published during the period of 1992–2022 from the Web of Science database in order to identify the research hotspots and trends of urban expansion and its driving factors. The number of articles significantly increased during the period of 1992–2022. The spatiotemporal characteristics and driving forces of urban expansion, urban growth models and simulations, and the impacts of urban expansion were the main research topics. The rate of urban expansion showed regional differences. Socioeconomic factors, political and institutional factors, natural factors, path effects, and proximity effects were the main driving factors. Urban expansion promoted economic growth, occupied cultivated land, and affected ecological environments. Big data and deep learning techniques were recently applied due to advancements in information techniques. With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, the number of studies on environmental impacts and spatial planning regulations has increased. Some political and institutional factors, such as subsidies, taxation, spatial planning, new development strategies, regulation policies, and economic industries, had controversial or unknown impacts. Further research on these factors and their mechanisms is needed. A limitation of this study is that articles which were not indexed, were not included in bibliometric analysis. Further studies can review these articles and conduct comparative research to capture the diversity. Full article

The utilization of saline–alkali land for rice cultivation is critical for global food security. However, most existing studies on rice salt tolerance focus on the seedling stage, with limited insights into tolerance mechanisms during reproductive growth, particularly at the panicle initiation stage (PI). Leveraging precision salinity-control facilities, this study imposed four salt stress gradients (0, 3, 5, and 7‰) to dissect the differential response mechanisms of six rice varieties (YXYZ: Yuxiangyouzhan, JLY3261: Jingliangyou3261, SLY91: Shuangliangyou91, SLY138: Shuangliangyou138, HLYYHSM: Hualiangyouyuehesimiao, and SLY11:Shuangliangyou111) during PI. The results revealed that increasing salinity significantly reduced tiller number (13.14–68.04%), leaf area index (18.58–57.99%), canopy light interception rate (11.91–44.08%), and net photosynthetic rate (2.63–52.42%) (p < 0.001), accompanied by reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced membrane lipid peroxidation. Integrative analysis of field phenotypic and physiological indices revealed distinct adaptation strategies: JLY3261 rapidly activated antioxidant enzymes under 3‰ salinity, alleviating lipid peroxidation (no significant difference in H₂O₂ or malondialdehyde content compared to 0‰ salinity) and maintaining tillering and aboveground biomass. SLY91 tolerated 7‰ salinity via CAT/POD-mediated lipid peroxide degradation, with H₂O₂ and malondialdehyde contents increasing initially but decreasing with escalating stress. These findings highlight genotype-specific antioxidant strategies underlying salt-tolerance mechanisms and the critical need for integrating phenomics–physiological assessments at reproductive stages into salt-tolerance breeding pipelines. Full article

Red soil regions commonly experience land degradation and low nutrient availability. Excessive fertilizer use in recent years has intensified these challenges, necessitating scientifically informed fertilization strategies to ensure agricultural sustainability. To identify optimal fertilization strategies for maize cultivation in Yunnan’s red soil regions, this study conducted field experiments involving partial substitution of nitrogen fertilizer with organic manure to determine whether this approach improves soil health and boosts maize yield. Four treatments were compared in a randomized complete block design over one growing season: no fertilization (NF), soil testing and formula fertilization (STF), 15% organic fertilizer (swine manure) replacing nitrogen fertilizer (OF15), and 30% organic fertilizer replacing nitrogen fertilizer (OF30). The results indicated that substituting organic fertilizer for nitrogen fertilizer reduced soil acidification while increasing total phosphorus (TP) and available phosphorus (AP), thereby enhancing soil physicochemical properties. Maize grown under OF30 exhibited improved agronomic traits including plant height, stem diameter, ear height, and ear length. Additionally, the partial replacement of synthetic fertilizer with organic fertilizer notably increased maize yield and the weight of 100 grains, but there was no significant difference (p < 0.05) between OF15 and OF30. Moreover, the OF30 treatment generated the highest economic return of 25,981.73 CNY·ha⁻¹. Correlation and principal component analyses revealed that substituting organic fertilizer for nitrogen fertilizer notably influenced total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), and yield, with maize yield positively correlated with TP and AP content. This study presents evidence that replacing 30% of nitrogen fertilizer with organic fertilizer is a viable strategy to enhance soil health, maize productivity, and profitability in Yunnan’s red soil regions, providing a crucial scientific foundation to support sustainable agricultural development in the region. Full article

The Eastern Huang–Huai region of China is a representative mining area with a high groundwater level. High-intensity underground mining activities have not only induced land cover and land use changes (LUCC) but also significantly changed the watershed hydrological behavior. This study integrated the land use prediction model PLUS and the hydrological simulation model MIKE 21. Taking the Bahe River Watershed in Huaibei City, China, as an example, it simulated the hydrological response trends of the watershed in 2037 under different land use scenarios. The results demonstrate the following: (1) The land use predictions for each scenario exhibit significant variation. In the maximum subsidence scenario, the expansion of water areas is most pronounced. In the planning scenario, the increase in construction land is notable. Across all scenarios, the area of cultivated land decreases. (2) In the maximum subsidence scenario, the area of high-intensity waterlogging is the greatest, accounting for 31.35% of the total area of the watershed; in the planning scenario, the proportion of high-intensity waterlogged is the least, at 19.10%. (3) In the maximum subsidence scenario, owing to the water storage effect of the subsidence depression, the flood peak is conspicuously delayed and attains the maximum value of 192.3 m³/s. In the planning scenario, the land reclamation rate and ecological restoration rate of subsidence area are the highest, while the regional water storage capacity is the lowest. As a result, the total cumulative runoff is the greatest, and the peak flood value is reduced. The influence of different degrees of subsidence on the watershed hydrological behavior varies, and the coal mining subsidence area has the potential to regulate and store runoff and perform hydrological regulation. The results reveal the mechanism through which different land use scenarios influence hydrological processes, which provides a scientific basis for the territorial space planning and sustainable development of coal mining subsidence areas. Full article

Reclaimed fields have a low soil fertility and low productivity compared to conventional arable land, necessitating research on productivity enhancement. The rice–frog co-culture model is an ecologically intensive practice that combines biodiversity objectives with agricultural production needs, offering high ecological and economic value. However, there is a lack of research on this model that has focused on factors other than soil nutrient levels. The present study evaluated the rice–frog co-culture model in a reclaimed paddy field across three experimental plots with varying frog stocking densities: a rice monoculture (CG), low-density co-culture (LRF), and high-density co-culture (HRF). We investigated the effects of the frog density on greenhouse gas emissions throughout the rice growth. The rice–frog co-culture model significantly reduced methane (CH₄) emissions, with fluxes highest in the CG plot, followed by the LRF and then HRF plots. This reduction was achieved by altering the soil pH, the cation exchange capacity, the mcrA gene abundance, and the mcrA/pmoA gene abundance ratio. However, there was a contrasting nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission pattern. The co-culture model actually increased N₂O emissions, with fluxes being highest in the HRF plots, followed by the LRF and then CG plots. The correlation analysis identified the soil nosZ gene abundance, redox potential, urease activity, nirS gene abundance, and ratio of the combined nirK and nirS abundance to the nosZ abundance as key factors associated with N₂O emissions. While the co-cultivation model increased N₂O emissions, it also significantly reduced CH₄ emissions. Overall, the rice–frog co-culture model, especially at a high density, offers a favorable sustainable agricultural production model. Full article

Land cover changes have significant implications for ecosystem services, influencing agricultural productivity, soil stability, hydrological processes, and biodiversity. This study assesses the impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) change on soil erosion in the Upper Guder River catchment, Ethiopia, from 1986 to 2020. We analyzed Landsat imagery for three periods (1986, 2002, and 2020), achieving a classification accuracy of 89.21% and a kappa coefficient of 0.839. Using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, we quantified spatial and temporal variations in soil erosion. Over the study period, cultivated land expanded from 51.89% to 78.40%, primarily at the expense of shrubland and grassland, which declined to 6.61% and 2.98%, respectively. Forest cover showed a modest decline, from 13.60% to 11.24%, suggesting a partial offset by reforestation efforts. Built-up areas nearly tripled, reflecting increasing anthropogenic pressure. Mean annual soil loss increased markedly from 107.63 to 172.85 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, with cultivated land exhibiting the highest erosion rates (199.5 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in 2020). Severe erosion (>50 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) was concentrated on steep slopes under intensive cultivation. These findings emphasize the urgent need for integrated land management strategies that stabilize erosion-prone landscapes while improving agricultural productivity and ecological resilience. Full article

The sharp decline in the population along the northeastern border poses a significant threat to the security of the region, the prosperity of border areas, and the stability of the social economy in our country. Effective management of human and land resources is crucial for the high-quality development of border areas. Taking Changbai County on the northeastern border as an example, based on multi-source data such as land use, the natural environment, climate conditions, transportation location, and social economy from 2000 to 2020, the land use transfer matrix, spatial kernel density, and PLUS model were used to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of land use and explore simulation scenarios and optimization strategies under different planning concepts. This study reveals the following: (1) During the study period, the construction land continued to increase, but the growth rate slowed down, mainly transferred from cultivated land and forest land, and the spatial structure evolved from a single center to a double center, with the core always concentrated along the border. (2) The distance to the port (transportation location), night light (social economy), slope (natural environment), and average annual temperature (climate conditions) are the main driving factors for the change in construction land, and the PLUS model can effectively simulate the land use trend under population contraction. (3) In the reduction scenario, the construction land decreased by 1.67 km², the scale of Changbai Town slightly reduced, and the contraction around Malugou Town and Badagou Town was more significant. The study shows that the reduction scenario is more conducive to the population aggregation and industrial carrying capacity improvement of shrinking county towns, which is in line with the high-quality development needs of border areas in our country. Full article

This study presents an integrated spatiotemporal assessment of drought conditions in the Thung Kula Ronghai region of Northeastern Thailand from 2001 to 2023. Multiple satellite-derived drought indices, including SPI, SPEI, RDI, and AI, together with NDVI anomalies, were used to detect seasonal and long-term drought dynamics affecting rainfed Hom Mali rice production. The results show that dry season droughts now affect up to 17 percent of the region’s agricultural land in some years, while severe drought zones persist across more than 2.5 million hectares over the 20-year period. In the most recent 5 years, approximately 50 percent of cultivated areas experienced moderate to severe drought conditions. The RDI showed the strongest correlation with NDVI anomalies (r = 0.22), indicating its relative value for assessing vegetation response to moisture deficits. The combined index approach delineated high-risk sub-regions, particularly in central Thung Kula Ronghai and lower Surin, where drought frequency and severity have intensified. These findings underscore the region’s increasing exposure to dry-season water stress and highlight the need for site-specific irrigation development and adaptive cropping strategies. The methodological framework demonstrated here provides a practical basis for improving drought monitoring and early warning systems to support the resilience of Thailand’s high-value rice production under changing climate conditions. Full article

Root chicory (Cichorium intybus var. sativum) is a major source of inulin, a fiber with many dietary and medicinal uses. Chile is the only country outside Europe that produces inulin and is the third largest exporter worldwide. Root chicory cultivation has increased by 242% in Chile since 2006, highlighting its potential for expansion into new territories. In this study, land suitability (without restriction, mild restriction, moderate restriction, and unsuitable) for root chicory cultivation and its potential productivity were determined using Geographic Information System (GIS) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The regions where root chicory is currently produced (between the Maule and La Araucanía regions) showed the best suitability, as did the Valparaíso and O’Higgins regions. The potential maximum productivity ranged from 20 to 27 t DW ha⁻¹, mainly concentrated in the Los Lagos region, despite the absence of land without restriction. This could be attributed to the high water availability in this region, which is consistent with the expected displacement of crop areas due to climate change. Field studies in the Los Lagos region are recommended to evaluate the feasibility of expanding root chicory cultivation in these areas. Full article