Biodiversity is the foundation for maintaining the security of the earth, human well-being, and economic prosperity. Biodiversity accounting can provide an in-depth understanding of the interconnection among biodiversity, economy and society, and provide information for the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity. Based on the international biodiversity assessment actions, this paper rationally divides the formation stages of the accounting system in order to clarify its development pattern and the accounting essence. According to the specific content of the official texts of the United Nations, it analyses the update and evolution of the international standards from the four dimensions of accounting logic, accounting scope, core accounts and accounting methods. In the light of the global biodiversity conservation objectives, the practical experience of international accounting and its reference value are explored from the four dimensions of scope definition, region selection, account design and indicator construction. Finally, combining the results and challenges of China's practice, this paper puts forward specific ideas for promoting biodiversity accounting. By strengthening the scientific understanding of the accounting system and expanding the practical paths to promote accounting, this study helps to promote the theoretical discussion and practical research on biodiversity accounting in China.
Agricultural ecosystem accounting is an important support for understanding the sustainability of agricultural production, the health of the ecological environment, and the quality and safety of agricultural products. Currently, there are three international standards for agricultural ecosystem accounting: the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (SEEA-AFF), the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting-Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA2021), and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture & Food (TEEB-AgriFood). Based on these three international standards, some countries have carried out agricultural ecosystem accounting. This article first reviews the development process of the three international standards, and compares them from six aspects: theoretical basis, accounting perspective, accounting object, accounting scope, classification standard, and account expression. Secondly, the international practices of agricultural ecosystem accounting are summarized from the overall situation and practical experience. Finally, combined with the current situation of agricultural ecosystem accounting in China, policy recommendations for agricultural ecosystem accounting in China are proposed.
The institution of territorial spatial governance for 'integrated mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grassland and deserts' is a direction for exploring ecological civilisation and is crucial for China to modernise its governance systems and capacity. This paper analyses the core concepts and theoretical logic of territorial spatial governance and analyses its governance problems and realisation bases. It explores the appropriate ways forward for the specific institutional construction. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The current governance problems are that the ecological feedback of the governance object needs to be taken seriously, the coordination and linkage of the governance subject is still a problem, along with the fact the synergy and empowerment of the governance system is not yet in place. (2) It is necessary to respond to the demand for modernisation of the national governance system and capacity in the context of China's natural ecology, taking into account fairness and efficiency, and integrating security and development, yet to define the basis of the realisation of the governance subject and the governance system. (3) We should carry out the construction of territorial spatial governance institutions for 'integrated mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasses' in three aspects, namely, the governance object, governance subject and governance system.
The greater food approach sets forth elevated requisites and novel benchmarks for the advancement of conceptualization, expansion of connotations, transformation of objectives, and evolution of strategies in the governance of non-grain conversion of cultivated land. A reevaluation of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance through the greater food approach not only aids in rectifying the imbalance in food supply and demand, but also establishes a fundamental underpinning for national security assurance. Findings reveal that: (1) The crux of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land under the greater food approach lies not in the dichotomy of "grain" versus "non-grain" but rather in the judicious allocation of diverse food categories within the framework of the greater food approach. (2) The greater food approach and "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance in the theoretical logic of the fundamental goal and value orientation consistency, theoretical origin and practice to follow the same origin, determines the two in the practical logic of interaction and linkage, embracing the greater food approach serves as the guiding ethos for "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance, constituting the bedrock and avenue for enacting the greater food approach. (3) Governance of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land under the greater food approach encounters challenges such as lagging adjustments in planting structures, an inverted significance of grain and income gradients, simultaneous existence of production bottlenecks and wastage, as well as incongruences between universally applicable rectification measures and localized idiosyncrasies. (4) Proposals encompass five overarching strategies for systematized governance of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land oriented towards the greater food approach, focusing on the preservation of grain within land, crops, techniques, losses, and policies. Grounded in the multifaceted demands and holistic outlook of the greater food approach, the optimization of governance strategies proffers invaluable insights for the theoretical refinement and practical exploration of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance amidst the backdrop of a multidimensional transformation in the agricultural and food system.
Effective control of land fragmentation is a necessary part of promoting agricultural modernization and implementing food security strategies. Based on the perspective of "enabling governance", an analytical framework of "subject-mechanism-path" was constructed to examine the land fragmentation governance practices in three counties and explain the practical logic of effective land fragmentation governance. The findings were as follows: (1) The grass-roots government was the enabling body, providing various governance elements for land fragmentation management. (2) The grass-roots government empowered village communities by institution, resource and organization, and enhance the collective capacity of village communities. (3) Under the empowerment of the grass-roots government, multiple subjects took the village community collective as the center to form a land fragmentation governance structure follow the principle of "village community overall planning-farmer participation-management subject undertaking", and promoted the orderly development of land fragmentation governance. The paper presented the operation process and practical logic of land fragmentation effective management, and provided practical enlightenment for land fragmentation management.
Conducting resource and environmental metabolism research at the village scale not only allows for the direct and quantitative observation of human activities' characteristics in resource utilization and their impact on environmental disturbances, but also supports the accelerated establishment of a waste recycling system and the achievement of a positive ecological cycle. Based on the analysis of the concept of resource and environmental metabolism, this article uses CiteSpace 6.3R1 to construct a co-occurrence map of keywords from current domestic and international literature on resource and environmental metabolism analysis. By comparing the current research status, it explores the comprehensive utilization paths and trend characteristics of resource and environmental metabolism analysis. On this basis, it investigates existing issues in village resource metabolism in terms of data composition, model construction, account design, and optimization control, aiming to propose paths that can improve resource utilization efficiency and reduce environmental impact. In the current context, the problems of rural resource metabolism research need to be explored and optimized in several aspects. First, it is necessary to establish a sound mechanism for data entry, sharing and calling to ensure the comprehensiveness and reliability of resource and environmental data. Second, an integrated model of resource-environment metabolism needs to be developed to better understand and predict the relationship between resource utilization and environmental change in village areas. At the same time, the village scale resource environment and socio-economic metabolism integrated account is constructed to realize the coordination and integration of resource environment and economic and social development. Finally, it is also necessary to improve the comprehensive resource-environment-economy management capacity of the village system, so as to realize the effective utilization of resources and the sustainable improvement of the environment through scientific and reasonable management measures. In this process, government departments, research institutions, enterprises, and various sectors of society should work together to form a cohesive force that promotes the sustainable use and protection of resources and the environment in rural areas, creating favorable conditions for harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
The island is defined as "a small piece of land surrounded by water". Recently, island cognition has experienced a change from emphasizing insularity to emphasizing relationality. Since the 1980s, the understanding of islands has undergone a shift from emphasizing insularity to emphasizing relationality, focusing more on the understanding of "mainland-island", "island-island", and "island-sea" relationships. The shift in island cognition challenges the dichotomy of island/mainland and land/sea, and interprets islands more in terms of the mutual construction of space, society, and the land-sea environment. In terms of research topics, "mainland-island relationship" mainly focuses on decolonial turn, island colonization, non-sovereign island governance, and island geopolitics. "Island-island relationship" mainly focuses on archipelagic turn, island transport geography, island migration and the impact of informatization on islands. "Island-sea relationship" focuses on aquapelagic turn, island culture and identity, island sustainable development under climate change, and island-marine tourism research. The interpretation of mainland-island relationship is the discussion of the unequal power relationship between continent-island, the interpretation of island-island relationship is the cognition of the dynamic correlation of islands, and the interpretation of island-sea relationship is the consideration of human-land-sea interaction. The island is an important support for the implementation of future national maritime strategies. By sorting and prospect, this paper hopes to enrich the current cognitive dimensions of island spatiality and provide an interpretation based on the relational perspective for the governance of marine territory.
Due to the unclear delineation of the regulatory power and ownership of national parks under the administrative management system, the management of property rights of natural resource assets owned by the whole people in national parks generally faces problems such as insufficient legitimacy of ownership authorization and poor implementation mechanisms of ownership. Through the analysis of the property rights structure characteristics and the definition of management responsibilities of natural resource assets owned by the whole people in national parks, starting from the legal analysis of rights (powers) and their exercise models, this paper clarifies the boundaries of ownership and regulatory rights of national park state-owned natural resource assets from the perspectives of management objectives and content, legal nature and application, exercise subjects and models, and responsibilities. Based on the actual situation of national park protection, construction, and management, 24 owner responsibilities of natural resource assets in national parks are proposed, with a focus on two key issues, namely, the division of responsibilities for technical work according to the purpose of execution, and the exercise of national park franchise rights as a civil right in a delegated agency model. Finally, suggestions for the implementation of owner responsibilities are proposed from the perspectives of ideology, legal system, and mechanism, providing technical references for the systematic, legal, and standardized management of natural resource assets owned by the whole people in national parks.
The natural forest logging ban policy represents a crucial initiative for safeguarding national ecological security and advancing the "Two Mountains" theory. This study utilizes panel data from 2005 to 2022, covering major distribution areas of collective forests, and employs a staggered DID model to analyze the policy's effects on enhancing forest carbon sink capacity and increasing rural residents' income. The results indicate that: (1) The natural forest logging ban policy significantly enhances the forest carbon sink capacity and raises rural residents' income from a long time while it has a significant negative impact on rural residents' business income in the short term. (2) The main mechanism is to enhance the forest carbon sink capacity through investment in ecological construction and protection, and to increase the income of rural residents through non-farm transfer employment and the optimization of the forestry industry structure. (3) The effect of the policy on enhancing carbon sink capacity is more pronounced in regions with abundant resources and underdeveloped industries. In contrast, the income growth effect is more evident in the regions with poor resource endowments and weak industrial bases. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the natural forest logging ban policy, increase forestry ecological investment and industrial support, expand new forms of forestry industry, and open up channels for realizing the value of forestry ecological products, thus achieving the integrated goals of high-level natural forest protection and high-quality economic development.
Land serves as the core carrier of territorial space and is also a significant entity for carbon emissions and carbon sequestration. Optimizing land use patterns is a crucial means of regulating territorial space carbon emissions. Using the composite carbon coefficient method, a 30 m×30 m grid-scale carbon budget index was constructed to precisely evaluate the carbon budget changes due to land-use variations in the Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration (CCUA) from 2000 to 2020. This study also identified driving factors influencing carbon budget changes using POI data, and on this basis, constructed a carbon budget monitoring and early warning index, followed by risk zoning. Some conclusions can be drawn as follows: (1) During the study period, the total land-use area in the CCUA changed by 22700 km2, accounting for 12.32% of the total land area. This change resulted in an increase of 18.44 million tons in net carbon emissions, primarily due to the mutual conversion between cultivated land and construction land. (2) Cultivated land-to-construction land conversion represented a "super-enhanced" source of increased net carbon emissions in Chengdu and Chongqing's main urban areas, whereas conversion from construction land to cultivated land served as a "super-enhanced" source of reduced net carbon emissions in the rural areas adjacent to these "dual-core" cities. (3) Industrial space and transportation space were the dominant factors driving the increase in "super-enhanced" net carbon emissions. The key to regulating the carbon functionality of territorial space lied in expanding the scope for reducing net carbon emissions or narrowing the scope for increasing net carbon emissions. (4) The carbon budget risk zones identified based on the dominant factors indicate that Chengdu, the main urban areas of Chongqing, Luzhou, Mianyang, and other locations were classified as extremely high-risk areas.
To achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) power generation in China will continue to grow rapidly, and the land use is a key issue facing its development. Floating PV, as an important PV development mode, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, shows significant benefits over land-based PV in terms of land conservation, water evaporation reduction, PV performance improvement and mitigation of aquatic weed growth. Also, if floating PV could be integrated with existing hydropower, it would contribute to the transmission and large-scale consumption of PV power generation. However, these benefits are often presented in a qualitative manner and systematic quantitative analysis has not yet been available. Based on hydropower plant information, meteorological data, PV system performance model and water evaporation model for water bodies covered by PV system, this paper evaluates the potential power generation, land conservation and water evaporation reduction benefits from floating PV in the "existing hydropower + floating PV" power generation system, and the feasibility of implementation of the system, taking the Upper Yellow River from Eling Lake estuary to Qingtong Gorge as the study area. The results show that if the floating PV system covers 10% of the water area at the existing hydropower reservoirs, the annual economic benefits in terms of power generation, land saving and water evaporation saving are 5.38 billion yuan, 0.078 billion yuan and 0.052 billion yuan, respectively, with a cumulative annual economic benefit of 5.51 billion yuan. The total investment and potential net income at the end of the lifecycle are 93.06 billion yuan and 41.47 billion yuan, respectively, with an average return on investment of 1.78%, which makes the construction economically feasible. The results of this paper confirm the comprehensive benefits of the "hydropower+floating PV" power generation system, which can help China to adjust and optimize the relevant policies as well as contribute to the sustainable development of PV projects.
How to judge the water environment effect of industrial transfer in the context of industrial development is the urgent need to realize high-quality development and build a beautiful China in the new development pattern. Using the data of 31 provincial-level regions in China from 2016 to 2022, we apply the dynamic deviation-share method to measure the scale and trend of industrial transfer, and adopt the industrial gray water footprint to calculate the amount of industrial water pollution, and use the Spatial Durbin Model to analyze the ''pollution paradise'' or ''pollution halo'' effect of the water environment of the current industrial transfer. The Spatial Durbin Model is used to analyze the ''pollution paradise'' or ''pollution halo'' effect of the current industrial transfer. The following conclusions are drawn: The industrial transfer shows the compound water environment effect of ''pollution paradise'' and ''pollution halo''. The water pollution in the receiving place shows the effect of ''pollution paradise'' due to the deepening of industrial transfer. Industrial transfer reduces the total amount of industrial water pollution in China, but this ''pollution halo'' effect has not been fully confirmed. The water environment effect of industrial transfer varies according to the type of industry and region. The results show that there is a ''pollution paradise'' crisis and a ''pollution halo'' transformation opportunity for industrial transfer in the new development pattern. Therefore, China should seize the time window of industrial transfer and promote industrial upgrading to better adapt to the water resource constraints and environmental protection needs in the new development pattern.
This paper examines the trade-offs and synergies among the value of cultivated land resources, a critical consideration for ensuring farmers' livelihoods, supporting natural ecosystem management, and promoting integrated sustainable development in agroforestry systems. The study employs grids as accounting units for these resources, elucidating the economic-social-ecological trade-off/synergy mechanisms. It further clarifies the accounting results of cultivated land resource assets in Guangxi. The research utilizes methods such as spatial overlay, Spearman correlation, and the PPF model to comprehensively investigate the spatial heterogeneity, interrelationships, and optimal combinations under the trade-off/synergy relationship of cultivated land resource asset values. The results show that: (1) The total value of cultivated land resources in Guangxi is estimated at 12837.519 billion. Among the three types of values, ecological value (62.76%) exceeds both social value (32.98%) and economic value (4.26%), with all demonstrating pronounced spatial distribution characteristics in the central part. (2) The value of these cultivated land resource assets primarily stems from a strong trade-off and low synergy relationship concentrated in Guangxi's central region, while areas exhibiting high synergy and weak trade-off constitute 18.45% and 9.43%, respectively. (3) In most cities, the relationship between economic and social values tends to be synergistically enhancing, even overloaded, with a similar trend observed between economy-ecology and society-ecology trade-offs. Consequently, it is advisable to advocate for the recognition and articulation of the value inherent in cultivated land resource assets by introducing tailored strategies for enhancing value synergy. Such an approach can offer novel perspectives and technical assistance to both the theoretical framework and practical applications of natural resource asset value accounting.
The synergistic integration between ecological resources and industrial development plays a pivotal role in supporting regional coordinated development. This study aims to clarify the driving mechanisms underlying this integration by employing a combination of coupling coordination models, obstacle degree models, and geodetectors. These methodologies are applied to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, obstacle factors, and driving factors of synergistic integration across 24 counties in the Western Hunan region from 2000 to 2021. The findings indicate several key trends: (1) The comprehensive level of ecological resources and the industrial development level in this study area have both demonstrated a significant upward trajectory over the study period. (2) Despite a gradual improvement in the overall synergy between ecological resources and industrial development, notable spatial disparities persist, characterized by a "high in the northeast, and low in the southwest" pattern. However, this spatial disparity has shown signs of narrowing over time. (3) The main obstacles to achieving effective synergistic integration include the production capacity of ecological resources, the availability and quality of ecological environmental resources, and the levels of open and innovative development within the region. (4) Key driving factors for promoting synergistic integration have been identified, including people's livelihood, economic development level, government policy regulation, market investment, the aggregation of the labor population, and urban development level. These findings provide critical insights and theoretical support for other underdeveloped regions, offering a potential pathway for pursuing green development strategies that are well-aligned with the local economic base and resource endowment. This research contributes to the broader understanding of how to harmonize ecological preservation with industrial growth, ultimately supporting the sustainable development goals of regions similar to Western Hunan.
The imbalance between urban and rural development is a prominent contradiction in China's economic and social development. To fundamentally resolve this problem, it is necessary to take the path of urban-rural integrated development. The county is a crucial support for urban-rural integration. Accurately grasping the multidimensional spatiotemporal characteristics of urban-rural integration within the county domain and clarifying the mechanism by which element flow impacts urban-rural integrated development is of great significance for enriching the theoretical system of common prosperity in the New Era. Based on flow space theory, this study analyzed the theoretical mechanism of element flow on urban-rural integrated development and constructed an evaluation index system for integration at the county scale from eight elements: population, land, ecological environment, capital, industry, technology, management, and data. An empirical analysis was conducted on 64 counties in the Wuling Mountain Area, Central China. The research results showed that: (1) During the sample period, the level of urban-rural integrated development in the study area showed a continuous upward trend. (2) The number of low-level urban-rural integrated areas in this region was decreasing, while that of high-level areas was increasing, generally presenting a spatial distribution pattern of "hotspots in the south, and coldspots in the west," with the standard deviation ellipse showing a trend of moving from southeast to northwest. (3) The overall disparity in the level of urban-rural integrated development was decreasing, with intra-regional differences being the main source. (4) Fiscal decentralization and industrial structure had significant inhibitory effects on the integration of urban and rural areas, while fiscal expenditure and financial efficiency had significant promoting effects on the integrated development. The impact of these factors on urban-rural integration varied depending on altitude and whether the area was an ethnic minority autonomous county. To achieve high-quality urban-rural integrated development, it was necessary to focus on the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban-rural integration development, make full use of resource endowments and locational advantages to achieve differentiated development, and pay attention to specific factors affecting urban-rural integration. The research results can provide a scientific basis for the implementation of urban-rural integrated development in mountainous county regions.
The research of biocultural diversity in agricultural heritage sites is of significant practical importance for the formulation of protection and development plans for agricultural heritage and the sustainable development of the social-ecological systems in these sites. This research focuses on the nationally important agricultural heritage "Hubei Enshi Yulu Tea Culture System" and uses employs methods such as ArcGIS spatial analysis, coupling coordination degree model, and geographically weighted regression model to establish a zoning method for the protection of agricultural heritage from the perspective of biocultural diversity. The research results indicate that: (1) The spatial differentiation characteristics of biocultural diversity in Enshi Yulu Tea Culture System are evident, with a high overlap between biodiversity and cultural diversity. High-value areas of biocultural diversity are primarily distributed in the northern and southwestern regions, specifically on slopes and in valleys at altitudes of 500 m to 1500 m, forming continuous planar areas along riverbanks. (2) Incorporating high-value areas of biocultural diversity into the heritage protection scope results in an optimized total area of 2925 km2, enhancing the spatial continuity and integrity of biocultural diversity. (3) The coupling coordination degree of biocultural diversity generally exhibits a distribution pattern of "high in the north and south, while low in the east and west", with high-value areas often showing a high-quality coupling state, while low-value areas tend to exhibit a general coupling state. (4) The heritage site is predominantly driven by factors such as relevant plants, traditional customs, and traditional crafts, leading to the formation of different coupling coordination relationships in the region, which in turn creates unique representations of biocultural diversity. The study recommends designating high-quality coupling coordination areas as core zones, emphasizing the integrated development of traditional agriculture and culture, with an area of 1256 km2. The general coupling coordination area, as a heritage buffer zone, emphasizes the dynamic balance between ecosystems and cultural traditions, with an area of 1669 km2.
