Search Results (4,251)

The green transition in agriculture is a key issue for achieving sustainable development. Based on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces covering the period from 2011 to 2022, this paper examines the relationship between environmental enforcement and agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP), with a focus on analyzing the moderating effects of land transfer and agricultural insurance, as well as their synergistic threshold characteristics. The study employs two-way fixed-effects models, moderating effect models, and Hansen threshold regression methods for empirical analysis. The baseline regression results show a significant positive association between environmental enforcement and AGTFP. This conclusion remains robust after various tests, including truncation, replacement of core explanatory variables, difference GMM, and instrumental variables. The decomposition test shows that this positive correlation is mainly reflected through the channel of technological progress, rather than the improvement in technical efficiency. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive association is more pronounced in regions with high GDP, strong law enforcement capacity, and in northern regions. Moderation analysis reveals that both the land transfer rate and insurance depth positively moderate the relationship between environmental enforcement and AGTFP, and the two exhibit a synergistic effect. However, this synergistic effect exhibits nonlinear characteristics and may weaken or even reverse at extreme value intervals. A threshold model further reveals an asymmetric complementary relationship between the two institutional conditions. The moderating effect of land transfer is activated only after insurance depth crosses a threshold value, while the moderating effect of insurance depth is most effective during the small-scale farming stage. These findings suggest that environmental regulation policies should be advanced in coordination with land transfer and agricultural insurance systems, with a focus on institutional alignment and coordination. Full article

Saudi Arabia currently lacks a nationally representative, multi-day National Household Travel Survey comparable to the US, UK, or New Zealand programmes; existing official data products focus on aggregate road-transport indicators or general household statistics rather than detailed day-to-day travel diaries. This study develops a benchmark-driven framework for NHTS–KSA by comparing Saudi demographic, geographic, infrastructure, climate, and mobility indicators with those of the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand, and by systematically assessing 15 survey-design indicators across their national household travel surveys. Context benchmarking identifies the United States as the closest for highway-oriented interurban structure and motorisation level, New Zealand for geography and demographic structure (in particular, near-identical physiological density on limited arable land), and the United Kingdom as the most aspirationally aligned benchmark for the multimodal mobility patterns Saudi Arabia aims to develop under Vision 2030. Design benchmarking shows that the three surveys are closely matched in aggregate similarity but lead on distinct elements: New Zealand on diary length and integrated passive tracking, the US on digital tools and emerging-behaviour modules, and the UK on interviewer-led recruitment and multimodal analysis, a pattern that proves robust to plausible variation in individual scores. The resulting NHTS–KSA blueprint specifies a statistically justified, stratified multistage annual household sample, a two-day diary with rolling 12-month fieldwork, interviewer-assisted recruitment, a digital-first diary with optional GPS tracking, and modules on long-distance travel, telework, e-commerce, gendered mobility, accessibility, safety, and environmental attitudes. While preserving international comparability, the framework provides the data foundation required to steer public-transport investment, demand-management measures, and land-use policies in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives for sustainable, inclusive, and smart mobility. Full article

Comprehensive biological and ecological data are essential for the appropriate stock management of Solenocera alticarinata Kubo, 1949. The lack of ecological knowledge on S. alticarinata, a species of potential economic value in the East China Sea, limits the development and implementation of appropriate fishery management measures such as minimum landing size and seasonal closure. Accordingly, we employed research vessels to characterize the seasonal spatial distribution patterns of S. alticarinata within the study area (26.5–35° N, 120–127° E) in 2018–2019. Our findings indicate that S. alticarinata can survive at a depth of 50–120 m and sea bottom salinity of 33–35. The highest biomass-based CPUE and greatest abundance of S. alticarinata were found during the summer and autumn, respectively. The seasonal ranking of the total catch per unit effort in number was as follows: autumn (1438.7 ind·h⁻¹) > summer and winter (1012.1–1078.2 ind·h⁻¹) > spring (287 ind·h⁻¹). In terms of mean average individual size, the order was summer > spring > autumn and winter. Overall, our findings provide a basis for developing management policies, and offer insights for designing fishery management and conservation strategies. Full article

The measurement and improvement of urban land use efficiency (ULUE) are crucial for sustainable development in China’s Canal Cities (CCCs). Drawing on the theories of production factors, spatial externalities, and agglomeration economy, this study proposes a framework that explicitly addresses the trade-offs and synergies of sustainable land use. A comprehensive ULUE evaluation index system was established. The super-SBM (Slack-Based Measure) and Global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) index models were employed to assess the green efficiency of urban land use from 2002 to 2023, while Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and the optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD) model were used to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of ULUE. The results reveal a distinctive V-shaped trend in efficiency, marked by significant spatial disequilibrium and predominantly technology-driven sustainable growth. Furthermore, ULUE exhibits a spatial distribution characterized by bipolar and multipolar differentiation, accompanied by concurrent concentration and dispersion, with high-value clusters dominating the spatial clustering type. Government regulation emerges as the dominant factor influencing ULUE, underscoring the pivotal role of policy intervention in guiding the sustainable development of land use. The interactions among pairs of influencing factors strengthened over time; notably, the interaction between government regulation and other factors is the strongest. Four-quadrant analysis profoundly reveals the underlying mechanism, distinguishing a high-quality, sustainable development model driven by technological innovation and a resource-dependent economic growth model. The findings provide valuable insights for promoting green development and formulating sustainable land use policies in CCCs. Full article

Metropolitan fringe villages are important interfaces where urban–rural factor flows, urban functional spillovers, and spatial restructuring converge. However, how spatial governance shapes the evolution of their territorial spatial patterns remains insufficiently explained. Taking Donglin Village in Chengdu, China, as a case study, this paper integrates field investigation, in-depth interviews, and remote-sensing image interpretation to examine the mechanisms and governance logic underlying the evolution of territorial spatial patterns in metropolitan fringe villages. The findings show that the spatial evolution of Donglin Village is not merely a process of land-use change, but a dynamic process characterized by the coordinated restructuring of material, functional, and social spatial patterns. Spatial governance operates through three interrelated mechanisms: element integration promotes the reorganization of spatial resources and the reshaping of material space; functional synergy facilitates rural multifunctional transformation and spatial value enhancement; and benefit sharing helps stabilize actor relationships and institutionalize the distribution of development gains. Policy and institutional arrangements do not constitute an independent mechanism, but instead provide boundary constraints, rule support, and implementation guarantees for the above mechanisms. The case of Donglin Village further demonstrates that spatial governance connects spatial restructuring, functional reorganization, and benefit coordination into a continuous process of territorial spatial optimization. This study clarifies the mechanisms through which spatial governance shapes the evolution of territorial spatial patterns in metropolitan fringe villages and provides implications for spatial optimization in similar villages under the context of urban–rural integrated development. Full article

While land development opportunities stemming from planning regulations demonstrably influence rural household income, quantitative evidence quantifying these effects remains limited. Measuring and decomposing these effects can empirically support territorial spatial planning policies aimed at alleviating associated regional development imbalances and advancing sustainable rural development. This study selects Wuhan’s Sino-French Eco-City (urban development zone) and Xiaosi Township (wetland conservation zone) as typical zones. Based on 573 randomly sampled rural households, we explore the effects of land development opportunities on rural household incomes and find that: (1) Land development opportunities for non-agricultural conversion in the urban development zone significantly increase rural households’ total income, wage income, though their corresponding contribution rates are limited. Endogenously accumulated endowments such as human capital and economic status dominate the formation of such income gaps. (2) Planning-induced land development opportunities yield coefficients of 1.0442 for local employment income and −0.4567 for agricultural business income, with both statistically significant at the 1% significance level. Decomposition results show their respective contribution rates of 70.68% and 86.77%, demonstrating that such opportunities primarily account for cross-regional rural household income gaps. (3) Whereas non-agricultural land development opportunities narrow disparities in households’ local employment income, they raise inequality in rural households’ migrant employment, business, property and transfer income. These growth and equality-enhancing effects on local wage income are particularly pronounced for households possessing high-quantity but low-quality human capital. This study recommends supporting protected zones via farmer vocational training, expanded rural public service expenditure, and a benefit-sharing mechanism that channels land development gains to ecological and agricultural regions to strengthen households’ endogenous development capacity. Full article

China regards shale gas as a key energy source for ensuring energy security, promoting the transformation of the energy structure, and addressing climate change. However, at this stage, the scarcity of land resources, coupled with various institutional restrictions, has brought numerous practical obstacles to the large-scale commercial development of shale gas. By analyzing the restrictive provisions concerning shale gas development in China’s current laws, this paper points out three major institutional constraints faced by the use of agricultural land for shale gas development: first, stringent land use control policies; second, the legal acquisition system for surface land remains unstable; third, institutional gaps in the supervision of subsurface space on collectively owned land. To overcome these institutional barriers, this study proposes fundamental reform measures for the current land legal framework. If comprehensive reform cannot be achieved immediately, partial breakthroughs may be sought within the existing institutional framework. The sequence has three phases. Near-term one to three years: negative-list quotas, refined land classification, land linkage, benefit balance, and community guidance. No law changes needed; provinces can act. Medium-term three to seven years: regulations and the mining land chapter in the revised Mineral Resources Law. Long-term beyond seven years: constitutional amendment for collective land transfer and dual-track supply reform. This study provides a theoretical reference for solving the land use issues in China’s shale gas development, and its conclusions also provide a reference for resolving the conflicts between shale gas development and agricultural land use in other jurisdictions. Full article

The shift to circular agrosystems necessitates using new ideas like sustainable biochar, which provides many eco-beneficial attributes like enhancing soil fertility, storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, and retaining soil moisture. However, there is still a small number of farmers worldwide (particularly those located in low-income countries) adopting biochar. Accordingly, this research is focused primarily on determining how factors affecting behavior will influence the decision of wheat producers in Marvdasht County, in Iran’s Fars Province, to use biochar as a circular technology for farming. The study will focus on addressing issues related to environmental challenges (e.g., degradation of soil and drought) through the implementation of resource-efficient, sustainable agricultural technologies. The intent of this paper was to research the behavioral characteristics associated with wheat farmers who choose to use biochar in the city of Marvdasht, Fars Region, Iran, using a new Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The model is theoretically enriched through the inclusion of personal norms and connectedness to the land, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of pro-environmental decision-making. Data was collected from a total of 386 wheat farmers through the use of a structured survey. The data was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with the software Smart-PLS 3.0. The results reveal that attitude (β = 0.342, p < 0.001) and personal norms (β = 0.278, p < 0.001) are the strongest predictors of behavioral intention, while perceived behavioral control showed a weaker but significant effect (β = 0.178, p = 0.049). Subjective norms do not have a significant direct effect (β = 0.115, p = 0.199) but significantly influence intention indirectly through personal norms (β = 0.100, p < 0.001). Furthermore, connectedness to the land strongly affects personal norms (β = 0.420, p < 0.001) and exerts a significant indirect effect on intention (β = 0.117, p < 0.001), highlighting the importance of emotional attachment to land. The findings are significant because they demonstrated that farmers’ biochar adoption decisions are shaped not only by rational evaluations but also by moral obligations and emotional relationships with land. This study makes significant theoretical contributions by extending TPB with moral and relational constructs and empirically demonstrating their mediating roles in agricultural innovation adoption. The novelty of this study lies in integrating personal norms and connectedness to the land into the TPB framework to explain biochar adoption behavior within the context of circular agriculture in a developing country. Practically, the findings provide evidence-based insights for designing policies that integrate cognitive, ethical, and emotional drivers to promote biochar adoption and advance circular agriculture. Specifically, policymakers and extension agencies should prioritize behavioral-level strategies such as awareness campaigns, farmer training programs, and community-based initiatives that strengthen positive attitudes, environmental responsibility, and farmers’ emotional connection to land in order to enhance biochar adoption. Full article

Rurbanization and peri-urbanization are among the most dynamic territorial processes affecting metropolitan regions in Morocco, particularly within the Casablanca–Settat region. These transformations, driven by rapid urban growth, demographic pressure, and socio-economic change, generate complex transitional spaces between rural and urban environments. In this context, the present study proposes a hybrid methodology for detecting, classifying, and analyzing the rural–urban continuum by using remote sensing data and artificial intelligence techniques. The approach integrates Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, spectral indices, Global Human Settlement Layer datasets, and socio-demographic indicators derived from the Moroccan census. Two models, Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and Graph Neural Networks (GNN), were applied to classify territories into four categories: urban, peri-urban, rurban, and rural. Model outputs were combined with expert-based decision rules to improve classification robustness and interpretability. The SOM model achieved up to $89.3\%$ agreement with expert classifications and a Cohen’s Kappa coefficient of $0.842$, demonstrating strong interpretability and consistency, while the GNN model reached $53\%$ agreement and effectively modeled spatial dependencies and neighborhood interactions. Diachronic analysis between 2014 and 2024 revealed a $54\%$ increase in peri-urban municipalities, a $24\%$ decrease in rurban territories, and a decline in rural municipalities, highlighting intensified urban sprawl and fragmentation of agricultural landscapes. Beyond its scientific contribution, this study provides a valuable decision-support framework for urban planners, environmental agencies, and policy makers involved in territorial governance and sustainable development. It can support land-use planning, monitoring of urban sprawl, protection of agricultural lands, and the implementation of adaptive territorial policies aimed at improving the resilience and sustainability of rurban environments. Full article

The housing sector in major cities is facing escalating challenges due to rapid population growth and land scarcity. Consequently, vertical growth has been adopted as a strategic solution to optimize land use while balancing economic, social, and environmental needs. This study examines the phenomenon of vertical growth of the Dammam Metropolitan Area (DMA) in Saudi Arabia, from an urban sustainability perspective, focusing on evaluating the current state of multi-story buildings, their determinants, and their impact on quality of life and infrastructure efficiency. This study utilizes a systematic review methodology and a conceptual approach to develop an integrated framework for sustainable vertical growth. Furthermore, an empirical validation was conducted by projecting this framework onto vertical housing projects in Dammam, focusing on challenges related to design, construction quality, shared service management, and the suitability of apartments for family needs. The results indicate that the shift toward vertical growth achieves land-use efficiency, limits random horizontal expansion, and provides economic opportunities. However, it faces social and cultural constraints, most notably the resistance of some families to changing traditional ownership patterns, limited privacy and green spaces, and challenges in building maintenance and operations. The study highlights the importance of integrating urban planning, governance, architectural design, and infrastructure to ensure the sustainability of vertical growth and provide suitable housing alternatives. The study recommends further field research to assess social acceptance, improve quality-of-life indicators, and develop policies encouraging sustainable vertical expansion in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring cities are more resilient, efficient, sustainable, and liveable. Full article

Improving the cultivated land use eco-efficiency (CLUE) is crucial to achieving sustainable land use and the green transformation of agriculture. This study is based on the data from 353 prefecture-level cities in China from 2013 to 2021. The slacks-based measurement (SBM)-undesirable model, the social network analysis (SNA), and the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) are adopted to measure and analyze the spatial patterns, network characteristics, and multiple driving pathways of inefficiency in the cultivated land use eco-efficiency in prefecture-level administrative units. Results show the following: (1) From 2013 to 2021, CLUE in the study areas shows spatial heterogeneity, with most efficiency values at a moderate level and showing a fluctuating downward trend over time. (2) The nine major agricultural regions have formed a complex association network, with the overall network connectivity being weak but efficiency relatively high. The hierarchical structure is gradually flattening, and inter-regional cooperation is increasing. (3) There are significant differences in influence, control, and accessibility within individual networks, and the collaborative network is developing into a “multi-core-hierarchical” structure. (4) The formation of inefficiency involves multiple concurrent mechanisms. Four typical inefficiency paths were identified, with significant heterogeneity across different agricultural regions. In the future, differentiated land use and ecological protection policies should be implemented based on the spatial network characteristics and inefficiency driving pathways of each agricultural region to promote the coordinated improvement of CLUE. Full article

Improving land green utilization efficiency (LGUE) is essential for achieving sustainable development in China. This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution and localized driving mechanisms of land green utilization efficiency across 127 cities in six major Chinese urban agglomerations from 2011 to 2023. Previous research frequently overlooks the spatial non-stationarity and structural interactions within regional land governance. To address this theoretical gap, a comprehensive multiscale framework is employed. This framework integrates the Super-SBM model, Dagum Gini decomposition, Spatial Markov chains, and Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression. The empirical results reveal an overall upward efficiency trajectory alongside persistent spatial inequalities. A pronounced scale-efficiency inversion is observed between developed eastern coastal and developing central-western inland regions. Furthermore, spatial interaction analysis identifies a significant backwash effect. This mechanism constrains the upward mobility of peripheral cities adjacent to high-efficiency core nodes. The multiscale regression demonstrates substantial spatial heterogeneity in the effects of key driving factors. Elements such as industrial structure and financial development exhibit highly localized associations dependent on regional institutional contexts. These findings bridge macroeconomic growth models with micro-environmental governance. The study provides critical empirical evidence for shifting from uniform administrative management to spatially targeted regional policy frameworks. Full article

Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, urban land-resource use faces the dual challenge of improving efficiency while maintaining ecological sustainability. Enhancing urban land green use efficiency contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11 and SDG 15. As an emerging governance approach for urban green infrastructure, the National Sponge City Policy (NSCP) aims to address urban waterlogging through nature-based solutions while improving land multifunctionality and ecological carrying capacity. Based on city-level panel data from 2005 to 2022, this study employs a difference-in-differences (DID) approach to identify the policy effect of the NSCP on ULGUE and further examines three transmission channels: innovation effects, infrastructure-support effects, and population-agglomeration effects. The novelty of this study lies in integrating the NSCP into the analytical framework of urban land green use efficiency, extending previous research that mainly focused on waterlogging control, water-resource management, and ecological benefits, and further developing a “policy intervention-factor reallocation-ULGUE improvement” mechanism pathway. The empirical results show that the NSCP significantly improves land green use efficiency in pilot areas, and this conclusion remains valid across multiple robustness checks. The mechanism analysis indicates that strengthened green innovation capacity, improved green infrastructure, and population agglomeration are key channels through which the policy effect is realized. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the policy effect varies across regions, dominant industrial structures, and industrial-base types. Overall, the NSCP promotes green spatial governance and efficient resource utilization, providing important institutional experience for coordinating ecological protection and urban development. Full article

Unsustainable land-use transitions in peri-urban watersheds threaten both food security and ecological integrity. While Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) models for ecosystem service (ES) assessment are commonly integrated, limited studies have simultaneously (i) accounted for multiple real-world spatial policies (e.g., ecological redlines) as hard constraints, (ii) targeted a comprehensive suite of ESs, and (iii) explicitly pursued synergies without relying on large-scale land conversion. To address these gaps, we developed a spatially explicit framework that integrates the PLUS and InVEST models to simulate four land-use scenarios and assess six ESs—grain yield, water yield, nitrogen export, phosphorus export, soil conservation, and carbon sequestration—in the Yuqiao Reservoir watershed, China, during 1990–2030. Against a backdrop of historical declines in cropland/grassland and key ESs due to construction expansion (1990–2020), the novel Comprehensive Development scenario—implementing slope-adaptive management and riparian buffers—synergistically increases grain yield (+0.55%) and carbon sequestration (+1.10%) while drastically reducing phosphorus export (−10.86%). It demonstrates that synergistic gains can arise from strategic spatial reconfiguration within a stable land-use area, advancing a paradigm from area-centric to configuration-centric optimization. This provides a quantifiable methodological basis and actionable policy reference for land spatial optimization in similar water-source watersheds. Full article

Across semi-arid and environmentally vulnerable regions, intensifying climate pressures, land degradation, and resource scarcity are placing growing demands on institutions, communities, and land users. However, the knowledge and technical skills required to respond effectively remain uneven and often poorly aligned with local needs. This study presents a comparative skills audit in Kimberley, Upington, and Rietfontein in the Northern Cape, identifying capacity gaps, stakeholder-specific training priorities, and structural barriers in natural resource and sustainable land management. Using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, participatory site visits, and multi-stakeholder consultations, competencies were assessed across GIS and remote sensing, climate resilience, soil and land restoration, water conservation, sustainable agriculture, and policy literacy. Results show significant disparities in skills proficiency. GIS and remote sensing (0.8) and climate resilience strategies (1.0) were weakest, while policy literacy (1.5) and soil management (2.0) were also limited. Sustainable agriculture (4.0) and water conservation (2.8) showed relatively stronger capacity. Training needs varied by stakeholder, with government prioritizing geospatial tools and governance, and farmers emphasizing climate adaptation and resource management. Key barriers include limited digital infrastructure (83%), insufficient government support (80%), high training costs (78%), and contextual mismatches (50%). Integrated, place-based capacity development is essential to strengthen adaptive governance and long-term resilience. Full article