Search Results (46)

As the impacts of climate change intensify, water resource conflicts are escalating globally, particularly in regions with uneven water distribution, such as Central Asia. Long-standing disputes over water allocation persist between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This paper aims to examine the conflicts and challenges in water allocation between the two countries and explore the potential of Decision Support Systems (DSSs) as a viable solution. The paper begins by reviewing the historical evolution of water allocation in Central Asia, analyzing upstream–downstream disputes and notable cooperation efforts, with a focus on key water agreements. It then outlines the definitions, development, and classifications of DSSs in the context of water allocation and presents two illustrative case studies—the Tarim River Basin in Xinjiang, China, and the Nile River Basin in Africa. These cases demonstrate the applicability of DSSs in water-scarce regions with similar socio-ecological dynamics and complex multi-country, cross-sectoral water demands. Building on these insights, the paper analyzes the key challenges to implementing DSSs for transboundary water allocation in Central Asia, including limited data availability and sharing, insufficient technical capacity, chronic funding shortages, socio-political complexities, climate change impacts, and the inherent difficulty of modeling complex systems. In response, a set of targeted pragmatic recommendations is proposed. While acknowledging its limitations, the paper argues that establishing a structured, system-based decision-making framework—namely DSSs—can help stakeholders enhance climate-informed strategic planning and foster cooperation, ultimately contributing to more equitable and sustainable water resource allocation in the region. Full article

The Yangtze River Economic Belt is a crucial driver of China’s economy, and its shoreline is a strategic, finite resource vital for ecological security, flood control, navigation, and socioeconomic development. However, intensive development has resulted in functional conflicts and ecological degradation, underscoring the need for accurate identification and suitability assessment of shoreline functions. Conventional methods, which predominantly rely on land use data and remote sensing imagery, are often limited in their ability to capture dynamic changes in large river systems. This study introduces an integrated framework combining macro-level “Three-Zone Space” (urban, agricultural, ecological) theory with micro-level Point of Interest (POI) data to rapidly identify shoreline functions along the Yichang section of the Yangtze River. We further developed a multi-criteria evaluation system incorporating ecological, production, developmental, and risk constraints, utilizing a combined AHP-Entropy weight method to assess suitability. The results reveal a clear upstream-downstream gradient: ecological functions dominate upstream, while agricultural and urban functions increase downstream. POI data enabled refined classification into five functional types, revealing that ecological conservation shorelines are extensively distributed upstream, port and urban development shorelines concentrate in downstream nodal zones, and agricultural production shorelines are widespread yet exhibit a spatial mismatch with suitability scores. The comprehensive evaluation identified high-suitability units, primarily in downstream urban cores with superior development conditions and lower risks, whereas low-suitability units are constrained by high geological hazards and poor infrastructure. These findings provide a scientific basis for differentiated shoreline management strategies. The proposed framework offers a transferable approach for the sustainable planning of major river corridors, offering insights applicable to similar contexts. Full article

In practice, platforms are likely to target popular or niche product markets to introduce store brands (SBs). However, existing studies on horizontal SB positioning mainly focus on product similarity or attribute differentiation and do not clarify how such positioning should be chosen when national brand manufacturers (NBMs) strategically respond through innovation. Motivated by the conflict between the NBs and SBs, as well as the upstream–downstream co-opetition induced by the platform’s dual role, we develop a game-theoretic model to analyze the interplay between the platform’s SB positioning strategy and the NBM’s core category innovation decisions to provide new insights for promoting supply chain coordination. We find that first, when consumers prefer the SB product intended for the popular market, the platform should introduce an SB targeting the popular market if the NBM is expected to either refrain from innovation or allocate innovation efforts to the popular NB product. However, this decision may change if the NBM directs innovation efforts toward the niche NB product instead. Second, when confronting the invasion of SB, the NBM should reduce the wholesale price of the affected NB product and increase innovation efforts for that product. Additionally, under the reselling mode, a “win-win” outcome can only be achieved when the NBM directs innovation efforts to the product categories affected by SB invasion. In contrast, under the agency mode, Pareto optimality can be achieved regardless of whether the NBM allocates innovation efforts to affected or unaffected product categories. Full article

Major powers compete over the 17 rare earth elements (REEs), which are strategic resources in traditional, green, and high-tech areas. The escalation of international trade conflicts poses a serious threat to the sustainable growth of the rare earth industry, triggering an investigation of the global trade landscape for diverse rare earth products. Taking cerium, the most abundant and widely traded REE, as an example, this study selected seven representative cerium products, constructed their global trade networks from 2000 to 2022, depicted macro, meso, and micro trade patterns, and revealed the impact of four major events on China’s trade influence. The findings demonstrate that (1) the trade volume of cerium products in green and high-tech sectors has increased significantly, surpassing that of cerium products in traditional sectors and upstream primary products, and (2) the global cerium trade networks are interconnected, regionalized, stable, and efficient. Germany, the U.S., and other European nations have long dominated mid- and downstream cerium product commerce, but China’s involvement has grown. (3) China’s cerium trade influence has significantly increased, positively shocked by major events. The research findings provide solid empirical support and policy insights for promoting the sustainable and high-quality development of the global cerium industry chain. Full article

Water Resource Carrying Capacity (WRCC) serves as a critical indicator for assessing the supportive capacity of water resource systems. This study selects 28 districts and counties within the Dadu River Basin as case studies, constructs a WRCC evaluation framework based on the four-dimensional collaborative perspective of “water resources–society–economy–ecology,” proposes a combined weighting method integrating the CRITIC and entropy weight approaches to optimize index weight calculation, and applies the obstacle degree model to investigate the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of regional WRCC and its underlying driving mechanisms. The results show the following: (1) From 2011 to 2020, the WRCC in the Dadu River Basin increased by 17% as a whole. All districts and counties showed an upward trend. (2) The spatial differentiation of WRCC is significant. The downstream regions are approaching the fourth-level threshold, driven by the adoption of water-saving technologies and the agglomeration effects of economic activities. In contrast, the upstream regions face inherent constraints arising from the conflict between ecological conservation and resource exploitation, leading to a relatively slower growth rate. (3) The driving mechanism of WRCC shows the transformation characteristics of “shifting from being dominated by the social economy to the synergy of the economy and ecology”. Based on this analysis, a strategy of “zonal regulation–structural optimization–management upgrade” is proposed. Full article

The synergistic development of ecosystems and socioeconomic systems constitutes a critical foundation for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Large river basins characterized by ecological and socioeconomic spatial heterogeneity frequently present contradictions and conflicts in regional sustainable development, thereby impeding the realization of SDGs. This study employed the Yellow River Basin (YRB), a typical large sediment-laden river system, as a case study. Based on the secondary water resource zones, the spatial variability and temporal evolution of ecosystem service value (ESV), population (POP), GDP, nighttime light (NTL), and Human Development Index (HDI) were analyzed at the water resource partition scale. A consistent mode was applied to quantify the spatiotemporal consistency between ESV and socioeconomic indicators across water resource partitions. The results indicated that from 1980 to 2020, the ESV of the YRB increased from 1079.83 × 10⁹ to 1139.20 × 10⁹ yuan, with no notable spatial pattern variation. From upstream to downstream, the population density, GDP per unit area, and NTL per unit area displayed increasing trends along the river course, whereas the total population, GDP, and NTL initially increased and then declined. Temporally, the population fluctuated with an overall upward tendency, while GDP and NTL experienced significant growth. The spatial distribution and temporal evolution of HDI remained comparatively stable. The coefficients of variation for population, GDP, and NTL were significantly higher than those for ecosystem services and HDI. The study highlighted an overall lack of coordination between ESV and socioeconomic development in the YRB, with relatively stable spatial patterns. These findings could offer a theoretical reference for the formulation of policies to enhance the synergistic development of ecosystems and socioeconomic systems in the YRB. Full article

The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile has heightened transboundary water tensions in the Nile River Basin, particularly affecting downstream Sudan and Egypt. This study leverages African Earth Observation Data Cubes, specifically Digital Earth Africa’s Water Observations from Space (WOfS) platform, to quantify the hydrological impacts of GERD’s three filling phases (2019–2022) on Sudan’s Roseires Dam. Using Sentinel-2 satellite data processed through the Open Data Cube framework, we analyzed water extent changes from 2018 to 2023, capturing pre- and post-filling dynamics. Results show that GERD’s water spread area increased from 80 km² in 2019 to 528 km² in 2022, while Roseires Dam’s water extent decreased by 9 km² over the same period, with a notable 5 km² loss prior to GERD’s operation (2018–2019). These changes, validated against PERSIANN-CDR rainfall data, correlate with GERD’s filling operations, alongside climatic factors like evapotranspiration and reduced rainfall. The study highlights the potential of Earth Observation (EO) technologies to support transparent, data-driven transboundary water governance. Despite the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) ratified by six upstream states in 2024, mistrust persists due to Egypt and Sudan’s non-ratification. We propose enhancing the Nile Basin Initiative’s Decision Support System with EO data and AI-driven models to optimize water allocation and foster cooperative filling strategies. Benefit-sharing mechanisms, such as energy trade from GERD, could mitigate downstream losses, aligning with the CFA’s equitable utilization principles and the UN Watercourses Convention. This research underscores the critical role of EO-driven frameworks in resolving Nile Basin conflicts and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 for sustainable water management. Full article

The global tourism industry is currently experiencing a significant boom, leading to increasing prosperity in the tourism economy. However, litigation disputes and conflicts between tourism consumers and operators have become more frequent, severely disrupting the smooth functioning of tourism markets. Therefore, clarifying the spatiotemporal attributes and distributional characteristics of tourism disputes in destinations holds substantial significance for destination market governance and the sustainable development of tourism systems. Taking China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt as a case study, this research employs the geographic concentration index, the gravity center model, and the Dagum Gini coefficient to analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of different types of tourism disputes and their watershed-specific variations from 2013 to 2024. The results demonstrated that tourism disputes exhibited an increase–decrease–increase inter-annual trend. The downstream basin had the most disputes, followed by the upstream and midstream ones. Areas with a high and low incidence of disputes were interspersed, with low spatial agglomeration. The gravity center was in Hubei Province. Basin differences changed in a fluctuating manner. Basin differences were large at the beginning of the study period, and thereafter the basin differences decreased in a fluctuating manner. The inter-basin differences were more significant for travel agency disputes and catering disputes. Overall, this study effectively presented the temporal distribution characteristics, spatial evolution characteristics, and basin differences in tourism disputes using mathematical statistics, geospatial analysis, and other methods. Full article

As critical strategic mineral resources underpinning high-tech industries and national defense security, rare earth elements have become a central focus of international competition, with their global industrial chain configuration deeply intertwined with geopolitical dynamics. Leveraging a novel multilateral database encompassing 140 countries’ geopolitical relationships and rare earth trade flows (2001–2023), this study employs social network analysis and temporal exponential random graph models (TERGMs) to decode structural interdependencies across upstream mineral concentrates, midstream smelting, and downstream permanent magnet sectors. Empirical results show that topological density trajectories reveal intensified network coupling, with upstream/downstream sectors demonstrating strong clustering. Geopolitical cooperation and conflict exert differential impacts along the value chain: downstream trade exhibits heightened sensitivity to cooperative effects, whereas midstream trade suffers the most pronounced obstruction from conflicts. Cooperation fosters long-term trade relationships, whereas conflicts primarily impose short-term suppression. In addition, centrality metrics reveal asymmetric mechanisms. Each unit increase in cooperation degree centrality amplifies the mid/downstream trade by 3.29 times, whereas conflict centrality depresses the midstream trade by 4.76%. The eigenvector centrality of cooperation hub nations enhances the midstream trade probability by 5.37-fold per unit gain, in contrast with the 25.09% midstream trade erosion from conflict-prone nations’ centrality increments. These insights provide implications for mitigating geopolitical risks and achieving sustainable governance in key mineral resource supply chains. Full article

Lithium, a crucial raw material for new energy vehicles, is experiencing significant market price fluctuations due to escalating geopolitical conflicts, periodic mismatches in supply and demand, and increased attention to lithium resources from countries around the world. These factors may adversely affect the development of the new energy vehicle industry. This paper adopts the TVP-VAR-DY model, which measures dynamic spillover effects by allowing for variance changes through the estimation of a stochastic Kalman filter, thereby measuring risk spillover among upstream and downstream firms in the lithium industry chain. We selected 16 listed companies and six regional financial markets as the research sample, with the sample period from 4 July 2018, to 30 June 2023. The main conclusions are as follows: Between 2018 and 2020, the overall risk spillover in the lithium industry chain demonstrated a declining trend, though it experienced a sudden surge in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase was followed by a gradual decline as the global economy improved and market stability was restored, leading to a reduction in risk aversion. Regarding the reception of risk spillovers, upstream firms exhibited a generally consistent level of directional risk spillovers, whereas downstream firms experienced more significant fluctuations. Chinese firms exhibited a higher level of received risk spillovers compared to their international counterparts, with less variation in these spillovers. From the perspective of risk spillover effects, significant variations were observed between firms in both the upstream and downstream markets. Chinese firms exhibited a higher level of risk inflow than international firms, with more pronounced changes in risk spillovers. Upstream enterprises should enhance their market competitiveness to mitigate the adverse effects of economic uncertainty. Downstream enterprises can alleviate the rise in raw material costs resulting from market price fluctuations through strategic cooperation. Additionally, the government should increase the market supply of resources, which will contribute to the establishment of a more robust lithium industry chain system. Full article

The rapid pace of urbanization and global climate change necessitates a thorough assessment of urban ecological resilience to cultivate sustainable regional ecosystem development. Cities along the Yangtze River face an intensifying conflict between ecological preservation and socio-economic growth. Analyzing the ecological resilience of these urban centers is essential for achieving equilibrium in regional urban ecosystems. This study proposes a “system process space” attribute analysis framework, taking into account urban development processes, ecosystem structure, and resilience evolution stages. Utilizing data from 45 Yangtze River cities, we establish a “Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, and Response” (DPSIR) evaluation index system to evaluate changes in ecological resilience levels and evolution trends from 2011 to 2022. Our findings indicate that: (1) The ecological resilience index of Yangtze River cities increased from 0.177 to 0.307 between 2011 and 2022, progressing through three phases: ecological resilience construction, rapid development, and stable development. (2) At the city level, ecological resilience along the Yangtze River exhibits uneven development characteristics. Upstream cities display a significant “stepped” pattern, midstream cities exhibit a significant “Matthew effect”, and downstream cities present a pyramid-shaped pattern. While regional differences in ecological resilience persist, overall polarization is gradually decreasing, intercity connections are strengthening, and there is a growing focus on coordinated regional development. (3) The spatial distribution of ecological resilience in Yangtze River cities demonstrates both continuity and evolution, generally forming a “core-edge” clustered pattern. Based on these findings, we recommend enhancing inter-city cooperation and connectivity, addressing imbalances in urban ecological resilience, and promoting high-quality ecological resilience development along the Yangtze River through tailored development strategies for each city. Full article

There exist conflicts of interest between upstream and downstream regions in flood control and drainage; how to balance these conflicts and achieve collaborative flood management remains an important scientific problem. To explore a balanced governance strategy, this study took the Demonstration Zone of Green and Integrated Ecological Development of the Yangtze River Delta, which consists of three separate administrative regions, as the research domain. Using evolutionary game theory, the study conducts a comparative analysis of the interests between upstream and downstream areas. It introduces external drivers, such as the intervention of higher-level administrative bodies and incentive-constraining policies, along with internal balancing mechanisms like bidirectional compensation. The goal is to explore collaborative strategies and cooperation mechanisms that can balance the conflicts of interest between upstream and downstream areas. Results indicate that: (1) The final collaborative strategy was closely related to factors such as the cost of conflict, the amount of two-way compensation, additional benefits of flood control and drainage, and the intensity of incentive constraints. (2) Incorporating a reasonable two-way compensation and reward and punishment mechanism into the evolutionary game theory model can promote the model to a stable strategy. (3) The external driving mechanisms aim to coordinate the conflicts between upstream and downstream regions through incentive or constraint policies, which help motivate and encourage proactive collaboration in flood control and drainage management. The internal balancing mechanism is responsible for compensating for economic losses caused by imbalances, thereby creating pressure that fosters regional cooperation in flood control and drainage governance. In a word, the collaborated management mechanism helps provide a more balanced strategy across different administrative regions. Full article

The increasingly adverse impacts of climate change (e.g., rainfall patterns, droughts, and floods), coupled with the ever-increasing water demands, are often translated into a contingent liability for water users’ communities. Additional complexities arise due to competing priorities, water rights, and transboundary water sources. Therefore, conventional water management practices should shift toward more comprehensive and responsive integrative approaches, even for systems with limited data. Furthermore, water managers must prioritize dynamic and interactive management techniques for existing systems. One such management technique is water banking, which is the focus of this study. Herein, a dynamic interactive water allocation model, which encompasses the water managers and heterogeneous parties with competing demands, is developed. The voluntary sales of water shares between parties are illustrated through the specific case of the Medjerda River in Tunisia, an excellent example of a transboundary basin with limited hydrologic data and conflicting water use requirements between its upstream and downstream sectors. A set of scenarios is developed for the first analysis with this model: two management scenarios that include the no-water trade and the water banking option; three demand scenarios that include a combination of steady-, low-, and high-water demand conditions; and two hydrologic scenarios that include dry and wet conditions. Based on an economic model, the economic impacts of water banking are calculated using estimates of the costs of water shortages brought to users that illustrate the magnitude. The results show that the water banking technique can improve water resource availability by optimizing the management, operation, and conservation of natural and artificial water storage systems and water distribution infrastructure. Specifically, water banking can offset users’ profit losses during severe conditions (i.e., drought), even with limited hydrologic data. This water management technique would allow the Tunisian government to minimize the economic impacts on farmers from drought and to plan for future uncertainties by optimizing the water storage potential in years of abundant rainfall. Full article

The foundation for ensuring the sustainable utilization of natural resources and human well-being lies in achieving a harmonious balance between nature and humans. In the Yellow River basin (YRB), numerous water crises, including floods, droughts, soil erosion, and water pollution, threaten its crucial role as a significant economic belt and ecological barrier. Unfortunately, less comprehension regarding the complex human–water relationship in this region has impeded watershed water management decision-makers from identifying key priorities for intervention. Here, we selected 29 evaluation indicators, including water resources, environment, ecology, society, economy, and science and technology from three dimensions: healthy water systems, sustainable human systems, and synergy of human–water system. We applied the entropy weight method, hierarchical analysis, and Single index quantification, multiple index synthesis, and poly-criteria integration (SMI-P) methods to quantify the spatial–temporal variation of the human–water harmony degree (HWHD) in nine provinces of the YRB from 2002 to 2021. We observed a consistent increase in the HWHD across all provinces in the YRB in the past two decades. Notably, five provinces have transitioned from Complete disharmony (0 ≤ HWHD ≤ 0.2) to Nearly complete disharmony (0.2 < HWHD ≤ 0.4). Additionally, the average growth rate of the downstream provinces is faster compared to those upstream. By 2021, the HWHD of upstream provinces like Sichuan and Ningxia, constrained by slower growth, became the two lowest provinces of the YRB, at 0.19 and 0.12 respectively. These findings offer valuable guidance for the region and similar areas grappling with the complex challenges of human–water conflicts, providing insights to navigate and address such dilemmas effectively. Full article

The war-related contamination of water and sediment of the Tigris River within the urban area of Mosul leads to seasonally independent exceedances of the WHO limit values for Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni in water and sediments. Furthermore, exceedances consistently occur for conductivity, ${\mathrm{P}\mathrm{O}}_4^{3-}$, and ${\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}}_4^{2-}$, as well as sporadically for salinity and COD in water samples, and consistently for salinity in sediment samples, highlighting the direct impact of war (ammunition, ignition of sulfur fields), as well as indirect effects (destroyed wastewater infrastructure). Conflict-related emissions from the former conflict zone (S5–S7) are highlighted by the sudden increases in load from S4 to S5, although partially masked by the discharge of highly polluted water from the Khosr River (between S3 and S4). Due to the sorption of sediments and the presumed wind-borne discharge of highly polluted particles into the Tigris River, sediments at S10 on the southern edge of Mosul showed the highest pollutant loads. Significant statistical differences were observed through T-test analyses for E.C., TDS, salinity, COD, ${\mathrm{P}\mathrm{O}}_4^{3-}$, ${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}$, ${\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}}_4^{2-}$, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni for water samples, as well as salinity, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr for the sediment samples for seasonal comparison. Since the percentage difference of water samples at S4–S7 is smaller than upstream and downstream, contaminant input is not limited to rainwater but also occurs via the year-round infiltration of highly polluted wastewater from the surrounding valleys or suburban areas, as well as presumably polluted groundwater or windblown particulate input. Full article