Search Results (167)

As a cultural corridor connecting the Central Plains and Northeast China, the Liaoxi Corridor has a special position in the transmission of traditional Chinese culture. Traditional villages in the region have preserved rich intangible cultural heritage and traditional architectural features, which highlight the historical heritage of multicultural intermingling. This study fills the gap in the spatial distribution of traditional villages in the Liaoxi Corridor and reveals their spatial distribution pattern, which is of great theoretical significance. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis and quantitative geography, this study analyzes the spatial pattern of traditional villages and the influencing factors. The results show that traditional villages in the Liaoxi Corridor are clustered, forming high-density settlement areas in Chaoyang County and Beizhen City. Most villages are located in hilly and mountainous areas and river valleys and are affected by the natural geographic environment (topography and water sources) and historical and human factors (immigration and settlement, border defense, ethnic integration, etc.). In conclusion, this study provides a scientific basis and practical reference for rural revitalization, cultural heritage protection, and regional coordinated development, aiming at revealing the geographical and cultural mechanisms behind the spatial distribution of traditional villages. Full article

The development of the Great Wall National Cultural Park has unleashed the potential for integrating cultural and tourism development along the Great Wall. However, ICH along the Great Wall, a key part of its cultural identity, suffers from low recognition and a mismatch between protection and development efforts. This study analyzes provincial-level and above ICH along Hebei’s Great Wall using geospatial tools and the Geographical Detector model to explore distribution patterns and influencing factors, while Geographically Weighted Regression is utilized to reveal spatial heterogeneity. It tests two hypotheses: (H1) ICH shows a clustered pattern; (H2) economic factors have a greater impact than cultural and natural factors. Key findings show: (1) ICH distribution is numerically balanced north–south but spatially uneven, with dense clusters in the south and scattered patterns in the north. (2) ICH and crafts cluster significantly, while dramatic balladry spreads evenly, and other categories are random. (3) Average annual temperature and precipitation have the greatest impact on ICH distribution, with the factors ranked as: natural > cultural > economic. Multidimensional interactions show significant enhancement effects. (4) Influencing factors vary spatially. Population density, transport, temperature, and traditional villages are positively related to ICH. Elevation, precipitation, tourism, and cultural institutions show mixed effects across regions. These insights support targeted ICH conservation and sustainable development in the Great Wall cultural corridor. Full article

As an integral component of humanity’s cultural heritage, traditional villages universally confront challenges such as population loss and cultural discontinuity amid rapid urbanization. Cluster-based protection models have increasingly become the international consensus for addressing the survival crisis of such settlements. This study selects the Central Yunnan region of Southwest China—characterized by its complex geography and multi-ethnic habitation—as the research area. Employing ArcGIS spatial analysis techniques alongside clustering algorithms, we examine the spatial distribution characteristics and clustering patterns of 251 traditional villages within this region. The findings are as follows. In terms of spatial distribution, traditional villages in Central Yunnan are unevenly dispersed, predominantly aggregating on mid-elevation gentle slopes; their locations are chiefly influenced by rivers and historical courier routes, albeit with only indirect dependence on waterways. Regarding single-cluster attributes, the spatial and geomorphological features exhibit a composite “band-and-group” pattern shaped by river valleys; culturally, two dominant modes emerge—“ancient-route-dependent” and “ethnic-symbiosis”—reflecting an economy-driven cultural mechanism alongside latent marginalization risks. Concerning construction characteristics, the “Qionglong-Ganlan” and Han-style “One-seal” residential features stand out, illustrating both adaptation to mountainous environments and the cumulative effects of historical culture. Based on these insights, we propose a three-tiered clustering classification framework—“comprehensive-element coordination”, “feature-led”, and “potential-cultivation”—to inform the development of contiguous and typological protection strategies for traditional villages in highland, multi-ethnic regions. Full article

The value realization of ecological products is an important part of rural and agricultural development. As a significant force for protecting traditional agricultural systems and promoting rural revitalization, agricultural heritage systems (AHSs) have formed diverse value realization paths of ecological products in the process of dynamic protection and adaptive management. Through theoretical research, this article analyzed the characteristics of ecological products in AHS sites (EPAHSSs) and summarized the framework of value realization paths of EPAHSSs. Then, the Wannian Rice Culture System in China was selected as a case for conducting empirical research. The results showed that EPAHSSs exhibit obvious uniqueness in terms of climate environment, germplasm resources, farming and breeding models, and cultural heritage. The value realization paths of EPAHSSs mainly include industrial development support, such as the extension of agricultural industrial chains and the development of tourism, as well as fiscal transfer payments. The case analysis results indicated that Wannian County contains a rich variety of ecological products and developed a value realization pathway mainly based on the integration of industries and supplemented by fiscal transfer payments during the process of protection and development. However, further optimization is needed to promote the development of tourism and other paths. This study not only contributes to the sustainable development of the Wannian Rice Culture System, but the proposed framework is also applicable to other heritage systems and similar regions. Full article

This article considers the dilemma between advocating for a religion-based environmentalism in the Himalayas and recognising that the different cultural traditions in the region make a uniform religious environmentalism difficult to uphold. Conservationists often attempt to mobilise local communities for environmental protection by building on their religious and cultural beliefs. Yet, such forms of mobilisation tend to homogenise plural traditions by forcing them within a single fold. What is the way out of this dilemma? I offer some reflections, drawing on my empirical work in the Buddhist Himalayas, and focusing on the case studies of the yak and the black-necked crane respectively, two species which hold a special significance in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Examining these multispecies relations in Arunachal Pradesh reveal not only Buddhist values at work, but plural and evolving entanglements. The question, then, is not to see if the value is religious but if the value is more-than-human in its orientation, taking into account the entangled lives of human and non-human habitations. My broad argument is that an ethics of the environment need neither to be removed from religious ethics, nor enclosed by it. Rather than force environmental thought and behaviour into silos of particular religious traditions or conservation science paradigms, how can one see these as the function of plural habitations? Full article

Wetlands in northeastern Algeria’s Numidia region provide vital ecosystem services, yet their cultural and intangible values (e.g., spiritual or aesthetic benefits) remain under-recognized in policy and practice. This study explores how gender, education, occupation, and wetland protection status influence local perceptions of provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services. Based on surveys (n = 552) across 12 wetland communities, results show that women place greater importance on cultural services, while those with higher education display more ecological awareness but less connection to traditional practices. Occupation and residence in protected areas also significantly shape valuation. These findings highlight the need for inclusive conservation strategies that integrate gender perspectives and local knowledge, promoting community-driven stewardship. This research supports more equitable and resilient environmental governance. Full article

Gastrodia elata, known as Tianma in Chinese, is a valuable medicinal and nutritional resource. The favorable climate of Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, China, facilitates its growth and nurtures rich biocultural diversity associated with Tianma in the region. Local people not only cultivate Tianma as a traditional crop but have also developed a series of traditional knowledge related to its cultivation, processing, medicinal use, and culinary applications. In this study, field surveys employing ethnobotanical methods were conducted in Yiliang County, Zhaotong City, from August 2020 to May 2024, focusing on Tianma. A total of 114 key informants participated in semi-structured interviews. The survey documented 23 species (and forms) from seven families related to Tianma cultivation. Among them, there were five Gastrodia resource taxa, including one original species, and four forms. These 23 species served as either target cultivated species, symbiotic fungi (promoting early-stage Gastrodia germination), or fungus-cultivating wood. The Fagaceae family, with 10 species, was the most dominant, as its dense, starch-rich wood decomposes slowly, providing Armillaria with a long-term, stable nutrient substrate. The cultural importance (CI) statistics revealed that Castanea mollissima, G. elata, G. elata f. flavida, G. elata f. glauca, G. elata f. viridis, and Xuehong Tianma (unknown form) exhibited relatively high CI values, indicating their crucial cultural significance and substantial value within the local community. In local communities, traditionally processed dried Tianma tubers are mainly used to treat cardiovascular diseases and also serve as a culinary ingredient, with its young shoots and tubers incorporated into dishes such as cold salads and stewed chicken. To protect the essential ecological conditions for Tianma, the local government has implemented forest conservation measures. The sustainable development of the Tianma industry has alleviated poverty, protected biodiversity, and promoted local economic growth. As a distinctive plateau specialty of Zhaotong, Tianma exemplifies how biocultural diversity contributes to ecosystem services and human well-being. This study underscores the importance of biocultural diversity in ecological conservation and the promotion of human welfare. Full article

An important historical and cultural region in southern China, the Xiangjiang River Basin, has formed a unique spatial pattern and regional cultural characteristics in its long-term development. In recent years, the acceleration of urbanization has led to the historical texture and cultural elements of Changsha’s suburban blocks facing deconstruction pressure. How to identify and protect their cultural value at the spatial structure level has become an urgent issue. Taking three typical traditional township blocks in the suburbs of Changsha as the research object, this paper constructs a trinity research framework of “spatial gene identification–diversity analysis–strategy optimization.” It systematically discusses the makeup of the types, quantity, distribution, relative importance ranking, and diversity characteristics of their spatial genes. The results show that (1) the distribution and quantity of spatial genes are affected by multiple driving forces such as historical function, geographic environment, and settlement evolution mechanisms, and that architectural spatial genes have significant advantages in type richness and importance indicators; (2) spatial gene diversity shows the structural characteristics of “enriched artificial space and sparse natural space,” and different blocks show clear differences in node space and boundary space; (3) spatial genetic diversity not only reflects the complexity of the spatial evolution of a block but is also directly related to its cultural inheritance and the feasibility of renewal strategies. Based on this, this paper proposes strategies such as building a spatial gene database, improving the diversity evaluation system, and implementing differentiated protection mechanisms. These strategies provide theoretical support and methods for the protection and sustainable development of cultural heritage in traditional blocks. Full article

Traditional villages possess considerable heritage values. Tourism provides an effective way to protect and revitalize the traditional village heritages. Current research has insufficient consideration of tourism potential when constructing the spatial utilization pattern of traditional villages. This study aims to build a spatial utilization pattern of traditional villages within the Yellow River Basin by assessing the tourism potential of each traditional village via the Combined Weight Method and identifying cultural heritage corridors through the application of the Minimum Cumulative Resistance model. The results indicate the following: (1) The traditional villages situated within the Yellow River Basin demonstrate an uneven spatial distribution, with a notable concentration in the middle and lower reaches. (2) The traditional villages located in the middle and lower reaches possess greater tourism potential compared to those found in the upstream, and they are primarily situated in Shanxi and Henan provinces. (3) In light of the cultural attributes, this study proposes a spatial utilization pattern characterized by “four core areas, seven cultural zones, and a three–tiered corridor system”. These findings promote the development of traditional villages while preserving their heritage values, strengthen the communication and integration of regional cultures, and offer practical guidance towards regional coordination and enduring development. Full article

Fungal biodiversity and ethnomycological knowledge are fundamental components of the biocultural identity of communities within the La Malinche National Park (PNM), a region of ecological and cultural significance in Mexico. This study documented the diversity of wild fungi and their uses in San Miguel Canoa, Puebla, through field excursions with local mushroom gatherers, interviews, and qualitative analysis. Key species such as Russula delica, Boletus aff. edulis, and Amanita basii were identified, playing a vital role in local gastronomy with traditional recipes like mole and pipián. Intergenerational knowledge transmission, crucial for identifying edible fungi and avoiding intoxications, highlights the importance of oral tradition. However, deforestation, illegal logging, and land-use change threaten fungal diversity, a problem exacerbated by the lack of effective conservation policies. The discussion highlights the interplay between biodiversity and culture, emphasizing the significance of the Wild Mushroom Fair organized by the Yolaltepetl collective as an effort to disseminate ethnomycological knowledge and promote the conservation of the PNM. Such community-driven initiatives represent a sustainable model that integrates environmental protection with cultural strengthening. The study concludes that protecting the PNM requires a holistic approach, merging ecological conservation with the recognition of biocultural knowledge. This is essential to preserve both biodiversity and cultural heritage, ensuring their sustainability for future generations. Full article

Traditional villages (TVs) and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) serve as dual carriers for the living transmission of agrarian civilization, with their spatial compatibility being crucial for the sustainable development of cultural ecosystems. Existing research shows deficiencies in quantitative analysis, multidimensional driving mechanism interpretation, and spatial heterogeneity identification. This study establishes a three-phase framework (“spatial pattern identification–spatial relationship analysis–impact mechanism assessment”) using nationwide data encompassing 8155 TVs and 3587 ICH elements. Through the comprehensive application of the spatial mismatch index, Optimal-Parameter Geographic Detector (OPGD), and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model, we systematically reveal their spatial differentiation patterns and driving mechanisms. Key findings: First, TVs exhibit a “three-primary-core and two-secondary-core” strong agglomeration pattern, while ICH shows multi-center balanced distribution. Significant positive spatial correlation coexists with prevalent mismatch: 65% of China’s territory displays positive mismatch (ICH dominance) and 35% displays negative mismatch (TV dominance). Second, the spatial mismatch mechanism follows a “weakened natural foundation with dual drivers of socio-economic dynamics and cultural policy momentum”, where the GDP, tertiary industry ratio, general public budget expenditure, number of ICH inheritors, museums, and key cultural relic protection units emerge as dominant factors. Third, core drivers demonstrate significant spatial heterogeneity, with economic factors showing differentiated regulation while cultural policy elements exhibit distinct regional dependency. The proposed “economy–culture” dual governance approach, featuring cross-scale analysis methods and three-dimensional indicator system innovation, holds practical value for optimizing cultural heritage spatial governance paradigms. Full article

The historical Lingnan gray brick buildings in Macau, a World Heritage Site, are facing severe deterioration due to prolonged disrepair, manifesting as cracks, breakages, moss adhesion, and other types of surface damage. These issues threaten not only the structural stability of the buildings but also the conservation of cultural heritage. To address the inefficiencies and low accuracy of traditional manual inspections, this study proposes an automated recognition and quantitative detection method for wall surface damage based on the YOLOv8 deep learning object detection model. A dataset comprising 375 annotated images collected from 162 gray brick historical buildings in Macau was constructed, covering eight damage categories: crack, damage, missing, vandalism, moss, stain, plant, and intact. The model was trained and validated using a stratified sampling approach to maintain a balanced class distribution, and its performance was comprehensively evaluated through metrics such as the mean average precision (mAP), F1 score, and confusion matrices. The results indicate that the best-performing model (Model 3 at the 297th epoch) achieved a mAP of 61.51% and an F1 score up to 0.74 on the test set, with superior detection accuracy and stability. Heatmap analysis demonstrated the model’s ability to accurately focus on damaged regions in close-range images, while damage quantification tests showed high consistency with manual assessments, confirming the model’s practical viability. Furthermore, a portable, integrated device embedding the trained YOLOv8 model was developed and successfully deployed in real-world scenarios, enabling real-time damage detection and reporting. This study highlights the potential of deep learning technology for enhancing the efficiency and reliability of architectural heritage protection and provides a foundation for future research involving larger datasets and more refined classification strategies. Full article

Indigenous top-priority fruit trees, like Vangueria infausta subsp. infausta. Burch (wild medlar), are essential for food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity. However, they remain underutilized due to limited documentation and integration into agricultural systems. This study presents the first ethnobotanical assessment of the wild medlar in Oyemeni, northeastern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Surveys and interviews were conducted with 100 rural participants to explore its traditional uses, commercialization potential, and knowledge transmission. The findings reveal that the fruit is widely used in porridges, juices, and traditional beer, offering nutritional benefits such as vitamin C. Medicinally, it is valued for promoting oral health, wound healing, and spiritual protection. However, traditional knowledge is declining, particularly among the youth, due to generational shifts and modernization. The study highlights sustainable commercialization opportunities, such as value-added products and agroforestry integration, while emphasizing the need to preserve indigenous knowledge. These findings contribute to food security, biodiversity conservation, and cultural preservation in a changing socio-economic landscape. Future research should focus on biochemical evaluation of the plant’s medicinal properties and cross-regional comparisons. Full article

Traditional villages contain rich natural and humanistic information, and exploring the spatial distribution characteristics and cultural landscape zoning of traditional villages can provide scientific support for their centralized and continuous protection and renewal and sustainable development. In this study, 326 traditional villages in the northern Henan region were taken as the research object, followed by analyzing their spatial distribution characteristics by using geostatistical methods, such as nearest-neighbor index, imbalance index, geographic concentration index, etc., combining the theory of cultural landscape to construct the traditional villages’ cultural factor index system, extracting the cultural factors of the traditional villages to form a database, and adopting the K-means clustering method to divide the region. The results show that the spatial distribution of traditional villages in northern Henan tends to be concentrated overall, with an uneven distribution throughout the region. The density is highest in the northwestern part of Hebi City and lower in the central and southern parts of Xinxiang City, Neihuang County, and Puyang City. Based on the cultural factor index system, the K-means algorithm divides the traditional villages in northern Henan into six clusters. Among them, the five cultural factors of topography and geomorphology, building materials, courtyard form, structural system, and altitude and elevation are the most significant, and they are the cultural factors that dominate the landscape of the villages. There is a significant correlation between topography, altitude, and other cultural factors, while the correlation between the street layout and other factors is the lowest. Based on the similarity between the clustering results and the landscape characteristics, the traditional villages in northern Henan can be divided into the stone masonry building culture area along the Taihang Mountains, the brick and stone mixed building culture area in the low hills of the Taihang Mountains, the brick and wood building culture area in the North China Plain, and the raw soil building culture area in the transition zone of the Loess Plateau. Full article

The rural landscape serves as a window to showcase regional culture and can drive the development of the rural cultural tourism industry. However, driven by the rural revitalization strategy, the construction of rural landscapes in the Yangtze River Delta region faces the challenges of homogeneity and lack of authenticity. A regional evaluation of the rural landscape and strategic suggestions are key to solving this problem. Therefore, this study selected three representative villages in the Yangtze River Delta region and established a regional evaluation model of the rural landscape in the Yangtze River Delta from the perspective of the ecological–production–living concept, utilizing the analytic hierarchy process, a tourist questionnaire survey, IPA, and Munsell color analysis. The results show that (1) the core indicator of the rural landscape regionality is the life landscape, followed by the production landscape, and finally, the ecological landscape; (2) the overall satisfaction of the rural landscape is high, and the satisfaction of the water network landscape is significantly higher than other indicators; (3) the results of IPA show that what needs to be maintained are traditional dwellings and historical relics, and what needs to be improved are sign design and rural public art design; (4) Munsell color analysis shows that the characteristics the of rural landscape in the Yangtze River Delta region are diverse and inclusive. This study is of great significance for maintaining the characteristics of the rural landscape in the Yangtze River Delta region and promoting the protection of rural landscape style under different regional conditions. Full article