Search Results (6)

Linear tourism corridors can stimulate regional economic revitalization, but they may also intensify land conversion, fragment habitats, and challenge the long-term sustainability of ecologically sensitive landscapes. Resolving this tension requires a transition from qualitative zoning to data-driven, threshold-informed spatial governance. This study develops a continuous analytical pipeline to support land-use governance along China National Highway 331 (G331). We integrated principal component analysis (PCA) with a Bayesian-optimized eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, validated through Spatial Block Cross-Validation to reduce spatial data leakage and provide a more conservative assessment of geographic transferability. Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) was used to interpret localized non-linear associations, threshold patterns, and spatially heterogeneous model responses. Empirical results indicate that anthropogenic socioeconomic intensity is the dominant predictive driver associated with spatial variation in ecological quality. The SHAP analysis identified model-derived threshold patterns, including an approximate population-density threshold around 4000 people per square kilometer and a corridor-distance response around 50 km from the G331 highway. To translate these model-derived explanatory insights into spatial governance scenarios, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) was used to approximate the Pareto trade-off frontier between ecological integrity and socioeconomic expansion. This multi-objective optimization delineated three spatial governance scenarios and identified a Pareto-elbow configuration that supports compatible-use management. This closed-loop framework provides a transferable analytical approach for sustainability-oriented corridor governance by identifying where development may be concentrated, where ecological buffers should be strengthened, and where strict conservation should be prioritized. Full article

Protecting and preserving the agricultural heritage, folk culture and ecological environment of traditional villages is a key element in advancing the strategy for comprehensive rural revitalisation. This paper constructs a theoretical framework for tourism symbiosis, examines the level of tourism symbiosis in the 13 national-level traditional villages of Jia County, and proposes strategies for tourism development. This study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, alongside spatial analysis techniques such as the Hotspot Analysis, to reveal the levels of tourism symbiosis in traditional villages and their spatial distribution. The results indicate that traditional villages are distributed along the Yellow River, with a linear clustering pattern particularly evident in the central region of Jia County; the overall level of symbiosis exhibits a spatial pattern of higher levels in the north and lower levels in the south, with uneven levels across various dimensions; The traditional villages are categorised into four symbiotic models: comprehensive advantage-led, cultural corridor-dependent, ecological and cultural tourism potential, and low-development conservation. Based on these categories, strategies are proposed to deepen the exploration of local culture, promote industrial integration and regional collaboration, prioritise ecological conservation and environmental restoration, and establish distinctive brands through the rational utilisation of surrounding resources. The research framework and conclusions of this paper provide methodological references and practical insights for the concentrated and contiguous protection of traditional villages, as well as for research on rural revitalisation and sustainable development. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as emerging contaminants in aquatic environments; however, their occurrence and fate in tropical wastewater treatment systems remain poorly understood. This study provides the first inland–island comparison of MP removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor. Influent and effluent samples were collected from six WWTPs, encompassing five treatment types: oxidation ditch, aerated lagoon, stabilization pond, aerated tank, and sand filtration combined with reverse osmosis. Polymeric composition and size distribution were examined in parallel with conventional water quality indicators. Across all sites, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene dominated influent MPs, together accounting for 57–92% of total abundance. Inland plants received heterogeneous municipal wastewater, including domestic inputs and agricultural runoff. In contrast, island facilities consistently showed PE-enriched influents (45–60%) in site F, reflecting tourism-driven reliance on single-use plastics and personal care products. In addition, several minor polymers were identified, including poly (vinyl stearate) (up to 26%), polyamide, polytetrafluoroethylene and ethylene–butyl acrylate, highlighting overlooked pathways of MP entry into WWTPs. Fine MPs (100–300 μm) comprised over two-thirds of influent particles, with stabilization ponds reaching 16,000 MP m⁻³. Removal efficiency ranged from 86.0% to 98.5%. Spearman’s correlation and multiple linear regression analyses revealed strong positive relationships between MPs and both total suspended solids (TSS) and turbidity. Suspended solids parameters emerged as the most reliable predictor of MP abundance (adjusted R² = 0.91, p = 0.001). This finding highlights TSS coupled with turbidity as a practical, cost-effective indicator for monitoring MPs in tropical WWTPs. To achieve greater accuracy, a larger dataset should be built and further analyzed. Full article

In recent years, there appears to be a notable transition towards preserving heritage on a regional scale, aiming to promote the authenticity and integrity of traditional settlements. The complex natural topography of these settlements, along with their spread-out arrangement, poses significant challenges to their protection and preservation. With the acceleration of urbanization and the implementation of the national strategy of building a twin-city economic circle in the Chengdu–Chongqing region, economic, cultural, and ecological exchanges between the twin cities have become the key dimensions of their construction. In this context, the concept of the BaShu Cultural Tourism Corridor has emerged, and the traditional settlement sites in the study area have become an important node of urban–rural integration and the BaShu Cultural Tourism Corridor. The primary objective of this study is to establish a heritage corridor protection network for traditional settlements along the Chengdu–Chongqing Ancient Post Road within the Sichuan Basin of China as an example, using the minimum cost resistance model. This approach comprises several key steps: selecting traditional settlements, analyzing their distribution traits, calculating the resistance value for the spread of traditional settlement culture, identifying potential cultural corridors, identifying cultural spaces, and, thus, constructing a protection network. The results show that the spatial distribution of traditional settlements in the study area shows obvious clustering characteristics, the core ecological space in this study is located in the mountains in the north and the southwest, and the cultural spaces are located along the central and southwestern sections, creating a linear distribution pattern. In the ecological culture corridor network, the Premier Corridor is the most extensive of the three categories, connects important cultural area, and serves as a vital conduit for developing heritage tourism strategies. This research aims to bolster the comprehensive protection and application of the region’s traditional cultural heritage, fostering the integration of urban and rural zones and enhancing regional cultural tourism. Future research directions are to integrate the conservation of traditional settlements and the surrounding environment at different planning scales with local policies and to expand the role of digital technology in the data management and visualization of ecocultural corridors. Full article

Research on the tourism carrying capacity (TCC) serves as the scientific basis for ensuring the sustainable development of tourism and is vital for the establishment of tourism corridors. From the novel perspective of the space of flows, in this study, we conducted a set of evaluations of the TCCs of tourism corridors using the methods of space–time consumption and linear programming in operational research. Through empirical investigation of the five tourism corridors in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, we arrived at the following conclusions: (i) The traffic carrying capacity of the tourism corridors amounts to 2,463,600 people/day. (ii) Under the constraints of urban reception service facilities and tourist attraction capacity, the traffic carrying capacity of each section is only 1,782,400 people/day. The research results scientifically reflect the current carrying capacity of tourism traffic in different corridors and sections, as well as the state of road traffic and the urban tourism infrastructure along corridors experiencing overload. This paper not only verifies the feasibility of the proposed theoretical method but also provides an optimization plan and theoretical support for enhancing the sustainable development of the tourism industry on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Full article

Heritage corridors are methods to effectively protect and utilize linear cultural heritage based on the concept of regional conservation. The construction of a heritage corridor system is extremely important to preserve the natural environment of the heritage corridor area as well as the history and culture alongside. The majority of the research on the construction of heritage corridors heretofore focused on the generation of corridors, whereas studies on the classification of corridors are relatively limited, without a complete system for the construction of heritage corridors. Therefore, this paper aimed to (1) establish a comprehensive system for the construction of heritage corridors, (2) provide new ideas for the construction of heritage corridors, and (3) guide the scientific development of heritage corridors combining conservation and tourism. In the first place, the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model was applied to analyze the spatial structure of the study area and explore site selection of the heritage corridors; secondly, spatial syntax was used to measure the heritage corridors and determine the level of the heritage corridors; last but not least, the kernel density analysis was used to classify the types of heritage corridors. The present study shows that the heritage corridor system is built in a scientific approach, covering all aspects including construction, protection, and development. Full article