A better understanding of the spatio-temporal characteristics and driving mechanism of population and residential land change in urban and rural China under rapid urbanization and industrialization is the important premise for constituting feasible policy and strategy promoting the farmland protection, urban development and new countryside construction. Based on decoupling theory and model, this paper analyzes the overall trend, coupling types and patterns of China's population and construction land change in urban and rural areas, using urban and rural demographic and land-use data from China Statistics Bureau and the Department of Land and Resources of each province. The results show that, the relationship between urban population and construction land in 25 provinces are weakly decoupled, that is, the growth rate of urban construction land is higher than the growth rate of urban population; while in rural areas, rural residential land expends as rural population decreases. The relationship between urban population and construction land in nearly half of the provinces all over the country are strongly decoupled and that in 11 provinces reflects the phenomenon of recession decoupling, that is, rural residential land change is not coordinated with rural population change in most of the provinces. The relationship between urban-rural population and construction land could be divided into seven types and the relationship in about 1/3 provinces is very uncoordinated. This paper argues that the important reason for the aforementioned problems include three aspects: fiscal and tax systems and the evaluation mechanism for officials being imperfect, poor control of urban and rural planning, and the deep-rooted urban-rural dual system. In the new era, the sustainable approaches to coordinate urban-rural population and construction land changes are: following the objective laws in population, industrial, urban and social development, actively reforming fiscal and tax systems, scientifically defining the urban spatial growth boundary, gradually removing the urban-rural dual system, and orderly promoting urban-rural land integration and replacement.
Quantitative evaluation on decoupling status and degree between tourism economic growth and eco-environmental pressure is of great theoretical significance and practical value to improve the new planning revision and guide the construction and management of geopark. Based on existing research results of the decoupling theory, the paper attempted to introduce decoupling theory into microscopic field of geopark, and evaluation indicator system, evaluation model, evaluation criteria of decoupling analysis between tourism economic growth and eco-environmental pressure of geopark have been established. A case study of Songshan Global Geopark, made a quantitative analysis about the decoupling relationship and degree between tourism economic growth and eco- environmental pressure in Songshan Global Geopark from 2004 to 2012, and development stage and the evolution trends of decoupling are analyzed. The results showed that: 1) From the point of view of the strength and its variation characteristics of eco-environmental pressure in the process of tourism economic growth, the eco-environmental pressure index of tourism economic growth generally fluctuated and evolutionary trend appeared increased first and then decreased during the state, the index enhanced during 2004- 2009, then reduced during 2009-2012. 2) From the point of view of the decoupling status and its evolution tendency between tourism economic growth and eco-environmental pressure, the decoupling degrees show the evolutional path of relative decoupling Ⅱ→relative decoupling Ⅳ→relative decouplingⅣ→couplingⅡ→couplingⅠ→absolute decoupling→relative decouplingⅠ→ absolute decoupling, the sustainability of geopark tourism development change periodically of strong→weak→strong. 3) From the point of the graph of the elasticity curve, the decoupling curve shows a rising→down→up→down trend and its change is close to the rightward“M-shaped”type in general. According to the decoupling elastic curve, the research period can be roughly divided into three evolutionary stages: 2004- 2007 (relative decoupling stage), 2007-2009 (coupling stage), and 2009-2012 (absolute and relative decoupling alternative stage). 4) The results are consistent with the actual situation in Songshan Global Geopark and have strong practical significance, indicating that the established evaluation method for decoupling evaluation between tourism economic growth and eco- environmental pressure provides a new analysis and feedback mechanisms for geopark tourism sustainable development.
Since the reform and opening up in 1978, China's urbanization pace has been quickened. Tourism industry has become one of the fastest-growing and largest industries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the interrelation between urbanization and tourism economy, and the influence of urbanization on tourism economic growth. Through theoretical analysis, the effects of consumption and investment are two engines, of which urbanization promotes tourism economic growth. Urbanization is mainly manifested in the population migration and industrial agglomeration, which promote the accumulation of material capital, human capital and the transformation and upgrading of industrial structure, and stimulate tourism economic development, in turn, also accelerate the urbanization level. On the basis of theoretical analysis, we employ the proportion of urban population to total population to represent urbanization using the time series data and panel data of related tourism economic development. We also construct the models to investigate the relation between urbanization and the development of tourism economy and the contribution of urbanization to China's tourism economic growth. First, from the national level, this paper employs ADF unit root tests, Engel-Granger Two-step Co-integration Model and Granger Causality Model to examine the long-term equilibrium and causeeffect relationship between urbanization and tourism economic development. The results show that there is a long-term stable co-integration between tourism economic growth and urbanization, and tourism economic growth is in the Granger causality with urbanization during the period from 1993 to 2011, but the direct effect of urbanization on tourism economic growth is not obvious. Second, from the regional level, based on the Cobb Douglas production function, we construct tourism economic growth model and influencing models of urbanization on tourism economic growth factors, the models show that the physical capital, labor, industrial structure and marketization are important factors promoting tourism economic growth from 2000 to 2011. Urbanization can accelerate the accumulation of capital and labor, upgrade industrial structure and push marketization. Urbanization has indirect positive effect on tourism economic growth. We still cannot take effectively the conduction effect of the tertiary industry between the urbanization and the development of tourism economy. The fitting results of urbanization with tourism economic growth of different regions is good, overall, the higher the level of urbanization, the more developed regional tourism economy. The study also shows the effect of physical capital elements on tourism economic growth is waning, while the effect of labor, marketization and industrial structure are gradually increasing. We can better release potential effects of new urbanization on tourism economic growth through relying on market-oriented reforms, promoting transformation of industrial structure and accelerating development of new urbanization.
We studied 545 peasant households in 42 villages at six towns which are respectively located in Minhang District in Shanghai city, Zhangjiagang city in Jiangsu Province and Chengdu city in Sichuan Province, and analyzed the implementation effects and influencing factors of the ecological compensation policy in the typical region. The results are as follows: Firstly, the economic incentives of farmland conservation compensation, to some extent, has aroused peasants' enthusiasm to cultivating farmland. The compensation policy has made some achievements in increasing grain production and raising peasants' income. On the other hand, land use planning control of the policy has relatively decreased the peasants' positivity in the inputs of public goods, such as maintaining farmland infrastructure and increasing inputs for farmland production, etc. Secondly, the implementation effect of policy had significantly regional difference. Namely, peasants who hadn't received the compensation fund in Jingang and Leyu towns of Zhangjiagang city that had drawn up a plan for implementation took the least participation in the economic compensation policy. On the contrary, peasants in Yongan, Jinqiao and Jiangyuan towns of Chengdu city where farmland ecological compensation policy was first implied in our country had a relatively positive evaluation on the policy. Thirdly, the results of the hierarchical model showed that regional and farmers' individual factors had apparently impact on the policy's implementation effects. For regional factors, the location of villages had significant influence on the policy's implementation effects. Implementation effects of the policy is better in common villages mainly depending on agricultural income than suburban counties and urban villages with higher share of non-farming income. For peasants' individual factors, with more perceptions on the policy and higher standard about the policy, the peasants who are village cadres and have higher attention on the policy seldomly considered the policy's implementation to be positive. Economy in financial compensation area for farmland protection is relatively developed, more opportunities of non-agricultural income for farmers, and during the land transfer process compensation funds directly benefit farmland contracting households, these all made farmers with larger share in agri- income and relying mainly on agricultural works would be more difficult to participate in the policy of farmland conservation economic compensation.
Lakes are a natural buffer against flood disasters, and reservoirs are an important part of the modern flood control system. Scientific research on measuring flood regulation service of China's lakes and reservoirs and analyzing the regional demand for flood control is the basis of the country' s flood control and disater reduction. In this paper, we constructed primary flood regulation models for lakes and reservoirs based on the relationship between available storage capacity (ASP) and water area for lakes and between flood control storage capacity (FCSP) and total storage capacity for reservoirs, using ASP and FCSP as indicators, respectively. Next we evaluated the flood regulation service provided by China's lakes and reservoirs with the constructed models. The results showed that, the ASP of lakes and FCSP of reservoirs were 1475.47×108 m3 and 2506.85×108 m3, respectively, with a total of 3982.33×108 m3. In terms of the spatial distribution, the provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, Jiangsu as well as the basins of the northwest rivers, the Yangtze River, and the Huaihe River had a strong flood regulation capacity for lakes, while the provinces of Hubei, Guangdong, Hunan as well as the basins of the Yangtze River, the Pearl River, and the Yellow River had a strong flood regulation capacity for reservoirs. For the combination of lakes and reservoirs, the provinces of Tibet, Hubei, Qinghai, Jiangsu, Hunan as well as the basins of the Yangtze River and the northwest rivers had a strong flood regulation capacity. In terms of the demand for flood control, the basins of the Pearl River, the Yangtze River, the Haihe River and the Huaihe River faced high pressure of flood control. For the Pearl River Basin and the Haihe River Basin, the flood regulation capacity can be improved through structural measures like construction of reservoirs. For the Yangtze River Basin and the Huaihe River Basin, the comprehensive capacity of flood control can be strengthened with the combination of returning farmlands to lakes and constructing reservoirs. The results of this study can provide a scientific guidance for the flood control construction and flood management in China.
The study explored the impacts of rainfall and land use on surface runoff, taking the area surrounding the North Moat in Beijing, China, as an example. We selected 15 rainfall events occurring from April to November in 2011 and 2012, representing six rainfall levels, which were light rain, moderate rain, heavy rain, rainstorm, heavy rainstorm, and torrential rainstorm, respectively. Surface runoff depths during each rainfall event in the seven control sections were simulated using the calibrated SWMM (Storm Water Management Model). The simulated results showed that the modeled runoff depth significantly linearly increased with increasing rainfall. There were distinct variations in runoff depth when rainfall varied between different rainfall levels. Although rainfall and runoff depth might exhibit different dynamics over time during different rainfall events, runoff depth at each time was determined by rainfall in the previous 1-2 h, and the overall variation in runoff depth depended on the early cumulative rainfall. Runoff depth significantly declined with increasing permeability area ratio (PARO), occurring a critical threshold of 15%-20% at control section scale. PARO had greater impacts on the runoff in rainstorm, heavy rainstorm, and torrential rainstorm events. The result can provide important theoretical basis and implications for catchment management and urban planning to reduce surface runoff and flood peak and avoid waterlogging disasters, which are very common in current China.
Soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is an active fraction of soil organic carbon (SOC) pool, the degradation of DOC can affect soil carbon cycling, ecosystem nutrient dynamics and energy supply to microorganism. Elevated nitrogen deposition is an important factor affecting forest carbon pool, its effect on DOC dynamics has been discussed extensively. In the last five years, we investigated the seasonal and profile variabilities of DOC concentrations in soils of three types of planted forests in central subtropical region. Seasonal variation of DOC concentration in descending order for slash pine forest was: autumn (11.3 mg/L) > spring (10.4 mg/L) >summer (10.2 mg/L) > winter (8.0 mg/L); for masson pine forest: autumn (12.2 mg/ L) > spring (10.7 mg/L) > winter (8.9 mg/L) > summer (7.3 mg/L); and Chinese fir forest: autumn (9.4 mg/L) > summer (8.2 mg/L) > winter (7.2 mg/L) > spring (7.0 mg/L). Profile variability of DOC concentration for slash pine forest: 10 cm (12.7 mg/L) > 20 cm (10.6 mg/L) > 30 cm (8.7 mg/L); masson pine: 20 cm (13.1 mg/L) >10 cm (9.8 mg/L) > 30 cm (5.8 mg/L); and Chinese fir: 20 cm (8.1 mg/L) > 30 cm (8.0 mg/L) >10 cm (7.3 mg/L). The effects of four kinds of treatments on DOC concentration in different forests were compared. Variabilities of DOC concentration in descending order for slash pine were: P fertilization > CK > N+P fertilization > N fertilization; masson pine: CK, N+P fertilization > N fertilization > P fertilization; and Chinese fir：CK > P fertilization > N fertilization, N+P fertilization. This study highlighted the importance of DOC dynamics for the carbon cycle and provided evidence for DOC dynamics in soil of coniferous planted forests under nitrogen deposition in subtropical region.
In order to understand the dynamic change and provide decision basis for sustainable management of Pinus yunnanensis forest resource in Yunnan Province, monitoring data obtained by continuous forest inventory during 1987-2007 was analyzed by applying mathematical statistics and chart analysis methods. Based on the analysis of variation of the forest areas, stock volume, quality and structure, the dynamic variation rule of the forest was revealed with plenty of detailed data from various angles. The result show that the resources of the forest continue to grow during 1987-2007, and the growing rate was increased rapidly during 1997-2002, when the Natural Forest Protection Project had been implemented (the total stock volume of the forest increased from 20462.33×104 m3 to 22243.65×104 m3, which is over 20.57% in five years time). On the same time, however, the percentage of over-mature Pinus yunnanensis forest was relative low and the stock volume of high quality, available resources of the forest continuously decline, and was close to exhaustion. The result also shows that the unit area stock volume of the forest had increased 27.05% in 20 years, while the volume of large or super- large timber showed a descending tendency in this period, especially the percentage of super- large timber decreased from 19.9% to 6.8%, being only the 1/3 of the original. The stock volume of the individual plant in near-mature, mature and over-mature forest fell to 0.22 m3 from 0.77 m3, which indicated that the resources available for logging were decreasing rapidly, and the tendency of poorer quality of timber structure was exacerbated while the general quality of the forest was improved. The age structure of Pinus yunnanensis forest in Yunnan Province show a remarkable characteristic of lowering ages trend, and this highlighted the importance of nursing and scientific management of the forest. The analysis also showed that the variation of dominant utilization types of Pinus yunnanensis forest in 20 years was significantly adverse to the effective management of the forest. The Pinus yunnanensis forest rehabilitated during monitoring period benefited from the protection- oriented policy, however, the management of the forest still presented problems, such as extensive management, randomly regulation of management objective and over-use of mature and over-mature forest resources etc., and the interaction of the above mentioned problems led to the fluctuation of resources quantity, stand quality and the age structure of Pinus yunnanensis forest in Yunnan Province.
As a developing country with the highest economic growth rate and the largest population in the world, China's petroleum security situation is far from optimistic at present, and exploiting biofuel such as fuel ethanol to replenish the shortage of petroleum supply is rather urgent. The current production scale of fuel ethanol in China is comparatively low, but has plenty of feedstock to produce fuel ethanol, so it is necessary to evaluate the future producing potential of fuel ethanol thoroughly from all feasible sorts of feedstock in China. According to the technical economic parameters and restriction factors of feasible sorts of feedstock such as energy crops and farming and forest residue, an estimation of ethanol producing potential in the future of China is made in this thesis. And the result shows that the ethanol production potential will rise from 63.64×106 to 118×106 t between 2015 and 2030, and the feasible production capacity can exceed 13.88×106 t, which will sharply remit the petroleum gap between supply and demand if this capacity is realized. Major feasible tactics to increase the production of ethanol in future is as follows: strengthening the evaluation and exploitation of marginal land; promoting large- scale use of energy crops; increasing energy transforming of crop stalk by benefit drive; prolong the industrial chain of forest cutting and process; and using new energy such as methane substitute for fuel wood in rural area.
Based on the general methods and steps of establishing the indicators system for sustainability assessment of regional water resources use (ISSAWRU), this paper focused on three steps of revolving around initialization, optimization and evaluation test to establish ISSAWRU. In order to decrease the information of overlapping and interfering of indicators, correlation analysis and Horafa algorithm for attribute reduction of rough set were combined to optimize the initial ISSAWRU. Moreover, the objective evaluation method coupling grey system theory with attribute importance degree computed by rough set was proposed to examine the optimized result. Fujian Province was taken as an example in this research, the initial ISSAWRU which is composed of 30 indicators selecting from four aspects including water resources condition, utilization status, ecological environment and socio- economy, was established based on the theory of sustainable development. Then, the optimized ISSAWRU composed of 12 indicators was obtained through applying correlation analysis and Horafa algorithm. And the data of those indicators are from census database of the first national water conservancy as well as the water resources bulletin and statistical yearbook in Fujian. Finally, the objective evaluation method was applied to evaluate those two indicator systems, and the results showed that the method combined correlation analysis with Horafa algorithm is reliable to optimize ISSAWRU. Additionally, screening repetitive and interferential information can simplify the complexity of indicators system and reduce the computational complexity of followup evaluation. What's more, the evaluation result of optimized ISSAWRU is more scientific and reasonable than that of initial ISSAWRU in this case study of Fujian Province.
