Search Results (204)

Rapid urbanization has led to habitat fragmentation in peri-urban areas, continuously eroding the ecological foundation of sustainable food systems in urban–rural transition zones and posing a real threat to regional food security. Against the backdrop of urbanization disturbances, traditional nature-based solutions have limitations in addressing socioecological nonlinear responses, whereas digital tools offer new governance pathways for enhancing food system resilience. To elucidate the intrinsic mechanisms through which digital technology empowers the resilience of peri-urban food systems, this study, which is grounded in ecological wisdom theory, constructs a system dynamics model that integrates “digital technology-ecological perception-ecological wisdom capital” in a three-dimensional linkage. This model simulates the dynamic process through which sustainable food systems in urban–rural transition zones resist the risks of habitat fragmentation and achieve synergistic steady-state evolution. According to the simulation results, a synthesized steady-state transition in sustainable food systems can be regarded as a self-organizing phase transition process. During resource metabolism, system elements show strong nonlinear symbiotic and mutually beneficial features. Further, there is a significant time-lag effect on improving food system resilience through digital technology empowerment and policy coordination. Also, the effects of governance are not immediately visible. Further, as an important instrumental empowerment carrier, urban–rural spatial and information barriers can be broken through means like digital ecological monitoring. Moderate investment in this regard can promote the acceleration of the system’s self-organizing phase transition. Also, this can enhance resilience against disturbance from habitat fragmentation while ensuring food production and supply. Finally, the ecological carrying capacity of core food production spaces does not increase monotonically. This means that the system possesses an adaptive cyclical fluctuation mechanism, with a periodic oscillatory evolution of carrying capacity. This study breaks through static analytical paradigms, fills the quantitative research gap on the resilience evolution of peri-urban food systems driven by the integration of digital technology and ecological wisdom, and can provide scientific evidence and decision-making support for food–ecological collaborative governance in China’s urban–rural transition zones. Full article

As tourism shifts from sightseeing to experience-oriented consumption, understanding how tourist perception differs across heterogeneous destination types and spatial scales remains challenging. Using 23,439 Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) reviews archived for six destinations in Shangrao, China, this study compares mountain-type and rural comprehensive destination products. These are operational dominant-function categories rather than mutually exclusive geomorphological classes. The archive supports fine-grained sentiment, topic, and semantic-network analyses; annual temporal comparisons use the full 23,439-review corpus covering 2019–2025, whereas a separate subset of reviews posted from 1 August 2022 with official IP labels, aggregated into 2022–2024 province–year observations, supports Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (Pooled OLS) estimation. A hybrid lexicon–XLM-RoBERTa workflow, BERTopic, semantic co-occurrence analysis, and Pooled OLS are integrated in a cross-scale framework. Static results reveal shared strengths and weaknesses—high scenery and overall-experience evaluations but low price evaluations—alongside type-specific structures: mountain reviews concentrate on natural scenery, climbing effort, and accessibility, whereas rural reviews span village landscapes, cultural activities, accommodation, and nighttime experiences. Temporally, mountain demand retains a stable scenic core while accessibility concerns become more salient; rural demand shifts from traditional agricultural landscapes toward nighttime performances and other experience-oriented products. Cross-scale regressions identify destination- and dimension-specific correlates rather than causal drivers: urbanization is positively associated with several rural evaluations, while ecological contrast, climatic difference, and competing scenic resources are associated with more critical assessments in selected dimensions. The findings show that perception differences arise from the interaction of destination product structures and origin-region contexts, supporting differentiated accessibility management for mountain destinations and balanced product innovation, service improvement, and commercialization control for rural destinations. Full article

Accelerated urban expansion and socioeconomic growth have led to substantial changes in territorial spatial organization and growing pressures among spatial functions. Therefore, conducting fine-scale identification, functional evaluation, and coordination analysis of production-living-ecological space (PLES) carries practical value for improving spatial allocation and fostering harmonious regional coordination. By integrating remote sensing imagery and point-of-interest (POI) data, this study employed a hierarchical identification method combining the object-oriented random forest method with the DBSCAN (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise) algorithm to map the PLES spatiotemporal evolution in Fuzhou’s rapidly urbanizing territory over the 2012–2024 period. PLES functions were quantitatively assessed through a comprehensive evaluation index system, while the standard deviation ellipse, GeoDetector, and coupling coordination degree models were further employed to reveal their evolutionary patterns, driving mechanisms, and synergistic interactions. The results indicated that ecological-dominated spaces occupied the dominant share (nearly 63%). Meanwhile, living-dominated spaces expanded significantly, growing by 68.93 km² during the study period. The PLES comprehensive function increased by 15.50%, with the living function and production function rising by 57.19% and 61.84%, respectively. Distinct spatial differentiation existed in PLES functions across urban and rural territories, shaping mutually complementary functional systems. The coupling coordination level of PLES functions continuously improved, although notable regional disparities existed, with highly coordinated areas concentrated in midwestern urban areas. PLES functional evolution was jointly driven by natural and socioeconomic factors, which interacted through nonlinear or two-factor enhancement effects. This study provides a replicable methodological framework for fine-scale PLES research and offers scientific support for regional spatial governance and high-quality coordinated development. Full article

In China’s water-town regions, rural spatial governance is transitioning from land-use restructuring toward multifunctional ecological management, creating a demand for spatial units that capture interactions among land-use patterns, ecological processes, and governance objectives. To address this challenge, this study proposes the concept of Composite Ecological Space (CESpace) and develops an integrated identification–evaluation framework for ecological-oriented spatial governance. Using 38 indicators derived from remote sensing, terrain, soil, and hydrological data, CESpaces were identified through a two-stage SOM–K-means clustering approach, while their ecological performance was evaluated through ecosystem services and ecological vulnerability assessments based on an Indicator–Land Use–Dimension framework with entropy weighting. Applied to the Zhoupu Town Comprehensive Land Consolidation Pilot Area in Shanghai, the framework identified four dominant CESpace types. Type 2 (Watercourse Confluence—Productive Agroforestry) exhibited the highest ecosystem service performance and relatively low ecological vulnerability, whereas Type 4 (Build-up Settlement—Impervious Surface) showed limited ecological functions and the highest vulnerability. Spatial differentiation among CESpace types was mainly associated with variations in hydrological dynamics, vegetation productivity, and soil conditions. The proposed framework provides an operational approach for identifying CESpaces and linking spatial classification with ecological diagnosis and differentiated governance in similar water-town landscapes. Full article

This study evaluated a cost-effective UAV-based multi-sensor approach for characterizing river corridor conditions during and after moderate floods in two mountain river corridors in Northern Utah, USA: the Logan River and Blacksmith Fork River. These study reaches included urban, rural, and agricultural areas, hydraulic structures and bridges, and fish passage structures. A DJI Matrice 300 UAV was used with two separate payloads: an AgEagle Altum-PT multispectral camera and an R3 Pro V2 two-return LiDAR system. The workflow included UAV flight planning and data collection, post-processing of the multi-spectral and LiDAR sensor data, spatial resolution and accuracy assessment, and interpretation of the resultant data. The multi-spectral post-processing produced pansharpened orthomosaics with a spatial resolution of 0.0432 m, while the UAV LiDAR produced DSM/DTM products at 0.05 m resolution. LiDAR accuracy assessment showed vertical RMSE values of approximately 0.0602 m for the Blacksmith Fork and 0.0782 m for the Logan River. The results showed that multispectral imagery and 2-band LiDAR provided a cost-effective means for detailed remote sensing with each sensor providing complementary information for flood and river corridor assessment. Multispectral imagery supported interpretation of flood extent, vegetation condition, relative turbidity, and thermal patterns, while LiDAR captured terrain and surface features such as banks, levees, floodplain surfaces, channel modifications, and structures. The integrated datasets supported maximum flood extent mapping and flood-level estimation. These datasets can support reach-scale hydraulic modeling, catchment hydrology, river corridor ecology, floodplain conditions, and real-time monitoring of floods, in addition to quantification of flood hazards or post-flood impacts for municipalities and insurers. Full article

This study examines the urban–rural interface of Loja, Ecuador, as a differentiated socio-ecological system shaped by environmental structure, the persistence of productive land, reliance on infrastructure, and terrain-adaptive settlement patterns. An integrated territorial taxonomy was developed using a four-phase methodological framework that combined morphological analysis, socio-territorial characterization, adaptive tectonic interpretation, and multivariate synthesis. Ten representative polygons located within Loja’s Andean periphery were evaluated using indicators of Biotic Porosity (BP), Degree of Hybridity (DH), Infrastructure Dependency (ID), and Alimentary Autonomy Extent (AAE), complemented by spatial analysis, field verification, and exploratory correlation assessment. The results revealed strong positive associations between socio-territorial hybridity and alimentary autonomy (ρ = 0.92), and strong negative associations between hybridity and infrastructure dependency (ρ = −0.88). A moderate positive relationship was identified between biotic porosity and hybridity (ρ = 0.67). The analysis also identified three adaptive tectonic typologies—Terracing, Cantilever, and Platform Urbanization—and a territorial taxonomy composed of Resilient, Adaptive, and Consolidating Edges. These findings demonstrate that the Andean urban periphery operates as a heterogeneous continuum rather than a homogeneous expansion zone. Although the statistical relationships should be interpreted as exploratory due to the limited sample size, the framework provides a useful basis for comparative research and resilience-oriented planning in intermediate mountain cities undergoing rapid territorial transformation. Full article

Urban–rural integration, as a pivotal strategy for reshaping the relationship between cities and the countryside and promoting balanced regional development in the current era, carries considerable weight for the green transition of agricultural systems. This study utilizes panel data from 31 Chinese provincial units over the 2011–2023 period to construct a four-dimensional (economic, social, spatial, and ecological) assessment framework for urban–rural integration. It then applies the SBM-GML model to estimate agricultural green total factor productivity and systematically investigates the impact and underlying mechanisms of integration on that productivity. The principal findings are as follows: (1) Urban–rural integration significantly boosts agricultural green total factor productivity, and this outcome remains robust after a variety of sensitivity checks and corrections for potential endogeneity. (2) Mechanism tests further reveal that the primary conduits through which such integration raises AGTFP are the upgrading of human capital and the proliferation of agricultural socialized services. (3) Analysis of moderating effects indicates that both innovation in agricultural science and technology and government fiscal support for farming positively reinforce the facilitative impact of urban–rural integration on agricultural green total factor productivity. (4) Results from heterogeneity analysis suggest that the green productivity effect of such integration is strongest in major grain-producing areas, weaker in major grain-selling areas, and not statistically detectable in grain production–marketing balance regions. Full article

Agricultural ponds are often narrowly reduced to water storage units, purification systems, or biodiversity reservoirs, reflecting a dominant yet incomplete perspective that overlooks their role in rural landscapes. By moving beyond that, this study argues that they should be understood as multifunctional socio-ecological infrastructures embedded within rural territorial dynamics. Their functions extend beyond hydrological and ecological processes to include productive, social, cultural, and landscape-related dimensions. Both utilitarian and aesthetic, agricultural ponds contribute to territorial organisation, support agricultural productivity, sustain rural livelihoods, and shape local socio-ecological interactions. Based on a review of Scopus-indexed literature, this study proposes a reconceptualisation of agricultural ponds through a socio-ecological and landscape perspective. The analysis identifies the main research themes, their evolution, associated functions, and persistent knowledge gaps. Results reveal a fragmented literature, strongly dominated by biophysical approaches that focus on water quality, nutrient cycles, microbial dynamics, and ecosystem processes. Despite increasing methodological sophistication, social and territorial dimensions such as local perceptions, governance systems, practices, and spatial organisation remain marginal. Drawing on empirical illustrations from exploratory investigations of rural villages in Belgium and Poland, the study further highlights the role of agricultural ponds in shaping territorial organisation, identity, and community interactions. These examples demonstrate that pond-related systems are inherently multidimensional and have historically played an underappreciated role in shaping rural landscapes and mediating socio-ecological relationships across scales. Full article

Previous morphological studies have confirmed that Canton settlements maintain a stable cultural landscape sequence consisting of ponds, open spaces, ancestral halls, residences, and forests. Villages in the Dongjiang River Basin exhibit an inherent coordination between cultural landscape patterns and rainwater drainage and storage systems, contributing to strong resilience against frequent heavy rainfall events. This study selects Jiangbian Village in Dongguan as a case study and develops a quantitative analysis framework by integrating GIS and SWMM (Storm Water Management Model). Using DEM-derived terrain data and land use interpretation, a hydrological model incorporating ponds, drainage channels, paddy fields, and threshing floors was established. Five levels of functional failure severity and five design rainfall return periods were applied to systematically evaluate hydrological regulation performance. The results show that (1) ponds serve as the core water-storage component of the entire system, and a 25% reduction in their functionality leads to a substantial decline in flood mitigation capacity. Paddy field ridges and drainage channels jointly provide secondary buffering functions, while village boundary structures play a significant role in flood regulation. These landscape elements possess distinct hydrological functions and collectively shape the production, living, and ecological landscapes of the village. (2) Influenced by steep topographic gradients, the village adopts a spatial configuration characterized by horizontal alleys and terraced forms, which enhance transverse drainage and connect ponds through longitudinal channels. This comb-like settlement pattern demonstrates strong adaptation to local terrain conditions. This study reveals the terrain-adaptation characteristics of traditional Canton villages and provides valuable insights for the sustainable conservation of rural cultural landscapes. Full article

The intensification of agriculture and large-scale rural development policies present major challenges to the sustainability of agroecosystems worldwide. In China, the ‘Rural Revitalization Strategy’ has reshaped rural landscapes, yet its net impact on the interplay between agricultural production, ecosystem health, and human well-being remains poorly quantified at a national scale. This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of Rural Ecological Livability (REL)—an integrated measure of agroecosystem health and quality of life—and identifies its key agro-ecological and socioeconomic drivers across 31 Chinese provinces from 2005 to 2020. We employed an innovative evaluation framework and a nested-weight spatial Durbin model to analyze these complex interactions. Our findings reveal a significant, yet spatially uneven, improvement in REL, with a persistent gradient between developed coastal regions and inland agricultural provinces. Forest coverage and moderate climatic conditions were key positive local drivers of REL. Crucially, our model uncovers significant negative spatial spillovers, demonstrating that intensified agricultural mechanization in one province can degrade the ecological livability of neighboring agroecosystems, likely through increased market competition and resource pressure. These results reveal a critical tension between local agricultural modernization and regional environmental sustainability. They underscore the necessity for agri-environmental policies that transcend administrative boundaries and manage landscape-level spillovers to achieve truly sustainable agroecosystem management. Full article

Linpan in Chengdu Plain, a distinctive form of dispersed rural settlement on the Chengdu Plain, is composed primarily of traditional rural dwellings embedded within woodlands environments. These settlements play multifunctional roles related to agricultural production, daily life, ecological sustainability, and the preservation of folk culture, thereby holding significant ecological and cultural value. In recent decades, rapid urbanization has profoundly impacted the spatial patterns, ecological environments, and livelihood systems of Linpan in western Sichuan, posing severe challenges to their preservation and development. To investigate the extent and nature of these changes, this study examines the spatiotemporal evolution of Linpan in Chengdu over five time periods from 1980 to 2020, employing both macro- and micro-scale analyses. Settlement types were classified based on their transformation trajectories, and representative cases were selected to identify and interpret the key driving forces behind these changes. The results indicate that: (1) at the macro level, Linpans have undergone a clear transition from small-scale, widely distributed, and irregularly shaped patterns to more centralized, aggregated, and standardized spatial configurations, particularly in the peri-urban areas of Chengdu; (2) at the micro level, the internal composition of Linpan has changed substantially, with a marked decline in woodlands coverage. The original integration of buildings and trees has shifted towards a spatial arrangement characterized by peripheral and fragmented vegetation; (3) Changes in production methods have prompted the spatial restructuring of Linpan settlements, transitioning from uniformly dispersed arrangements to clustered formations along road-adjacent resource points. Concurrent population and housing migration has reduced the total number of Linpan, while individual settlements have increased in size and density. Additionally, planning and construction policies have guided the morphological transformation of Linpan from organically evolved forms to geometrically regular configurations. Full article

In the context of global climate change and intensifying resource and environmental constraints, improving agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) has become critical to achieving the green transformation of agriculture. This study develops a comprehensive evaluation index system for AEE that incorporates factor inputs, expected outputs, and undesirable outputs. Using county-level panel data from 2010 to 2022 for the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB), it applied the super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model to quantify AEE. Furthermore, spatial autocorrelation analysis and the spatial Durbin model (SDM) are employed to reveal its spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of AEE. The results indicate that the overall AEE of the YEB exhibited a fluctuating upward trend over the study period, yet significant regional heterogeneity persisted. AEE showed pronounced positive spatial correlations, with regional disparities primarily stemming from hyper-variance intensity, suggesting that high- and low-efficiency counties are spatially interwoven. The SDM results indicate that local temperature, economic development, urbanization, fiscal support for agriculture, and agricultural production structure positively influence local AEE, while rural residents’ income and educational attainment exert negative effects. These factors also demonstrate significant spatial spillover effects, with economic development and ecological conditions in adjacent regions generating positive externalities, while neighboring urbanization and temperature producing negative impacts. This study deepens the understanding of the driving mechanisms underlying AEE from a spatial interdependence perspective, providing a scientific basis for formulating cross-regional collaborative policies aimed at promoting green agricultural development in major river basins. Full article

Land-use/cover change threatens the ecological integrity of the Miombo region of south-central Africa. In Angola, Miombo ecosystems are of high ecological and socio-economic importance, providing rural populations with woody and non-timber forest products. Fire plays an important role in regional agricultural and silvicultural land-use systems. This study contextualised Copernicus land-cover classes at the regional level to analyse LULC transition pathways and their association with fire occurrence in Central Angola. LULC change was assessed using a post-classification comparison approach combined with pixel-based trajectory analysis. Fire activity was analysed using MODIS-derived ignition points, burned-area data, and a hexagonal-grid aggregation approach. At the same time, spatial clustering was assessed using hot spot analysis based on the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. Differences in mean fire size among LULC transition classes were tested using the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Dunn’s post hoc test. The results indicate a gradual reduction in forest cover and conversion to Cultivated Land, associated with the expansion of agricultural frontiers and urban areas. Fire activity was highest in areas affected by LULC conversion, with seasonal patterns varying notably among classes. Mean fire size differed by more than two orders of magnitude among transition types. Overall, fire activity was strongly associated with areas undergoing land-cover transition, highlighting the need to integrate fire management into sustainable land-use policies for long-term Miombo conservation. Full article

This study investigates the coupling relationship between urban–rural integration and the value realization efficiency of agricultural ecological products in China. Based on panel data from 30 provinces from 2012 to 2022, the SBM-GML model is used to measure agricultural ecological product value realization efficiency, and the entropy method is used to measure urban–rural integration. The coupling coordination model, Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and Markov chain analysis are then used to examine the spatiotemporal pattern, regional differences, dynamic evolution, and convergence characteristics of the coupling system. The results show that urban–rural integration and agricultural ecological product value realization improved overall, but regional disparities remain significant. The coupling coordination level presents a clear spatial gradient, with the eastern region performing better than the central, western, and northeastern regions. Regional disparities continue to widen, mainly due to inter-regional differences and trans-variation density. The Markov chain results show strong path dependence and spatial spillover effects, while the convergence analysis indicates limited long-term convergence. This study provides an integrated framework for understanding the interaction between urban–rural integration and ecological value realization. It also highlights China’s mixed pathway of government guidance, market participation, factor flow, and ecological value transformation, offering policy implications for coordinated regional development and ecological product value realization. Full article

Aquavoltaics, which integrates solar photovoltaic infrastructure with aquaculture production, has increasingly been promoted as a possible pathway for supporting low-carbon energy transition and multifunctional land use in coastal regions. In Taiwan, aquavoltaics has been framed as a policy approach that may contribute to renewable energy development, aquaculture continuity, and rural revitalisation. However, its implementation has also raised governance concerns related to land use, environmental uncertainty, and local participation in coastal aquaculture communities. This study examines the governance trade-offs and institutional development of aquavoltaics policy in southern Taiwan through an analytical framework that combines political ecology and the extended explanatory chain model (EECM). Drawing on policy document analysis, field observations, administrative records, and in-depth interviews with 24 stakeholders, the study traces aquavoltaics governance across five interrelated stages: policy discourse, institutional design, local implementation and community response, policy feedback, and institutional diffusion. The findings indicate that Taiwan’s aquavoltaics governance has been shaped by tensions between centralised energy-policy objectives and diverse local aquaculture conditions. Technical requirements, including the 40% shading threshold and the 70% production maintenance requirement, provide administrative clarity but may not fully reflect species-specific practices, pond-management needs, or existing land-tenure arrangements. In the cases examined, aquavoltaics development was associated with changes in land-use relations, spatial competition, and concerns over environmental uncertainty and governance legitimacy. The study also suggests that local stakeholders were not only recipients of top–down policy implementation but also participated in governance adjustment through review procedures, administrative negotiation, adaptive practices, and the mobilisation of local ecological knowledge. By integrating political ecology with the EECM, this study offers a process-oriented perspective for examining aquavoltaics as a socioecological governance issue rather than only a technical energy arrangement. The findings suggest that future aquavoltaics governance may benefit from more context-sensitive assessment, clearer institutional coordination, and greater attention to local knowledge and long-term monitoring. Full article