Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a crucial cultural resource and an integral part of China's excellent traditional culture. Protecting, inheriting, and promoting ICH is significant for preserving historical context, strengthening cultural confidence, fostering civilizational exchanges, and building a socialist cultural power. After over two decades of efforts, China has achieved remarkable progress in ICH protection and accumulated valuable experience. Currently, ICH preservation is transitioning from "rescue-oriented protection" to "systematic protection", marked by new characteristics. This special discussion invites experts and scholars from ICH and related fields to explore topics such as ICH protection system construction, innovative protection models, and inheritance pathways. Based on their insights, the following priorities emerge for innovative protection and inheritance in the New Era: (1) Promote systematic ICH protection by emphasizing the relationship between ICH and its environment, implementing regional holistic conservation through cultural ecological reserves, and building a people-centered protection system. (2) As a crystallization of ethnic wisdom and a key bond for consolidating the Chinese national community, ICH must connect with contemporary life. Multi-stakeholder collaboration should facilitate its integration into modern society to achieve creative transformation and innovative development. (3) Technology and tourism can empower ICH protection and inheritance across multiple dimensions. However, the core objective of heritage preservation must remain paramount. Strategic integration of technological tools can deepen ICH-tourism synergies, improve heritage experience infrastructure, facilitate ICH preservation and adaptive reuse, and effectively support both rural revitalization and urban renewal initiatives.

Based on the Global-Luenberger index derived from the super-efficiency EBM model, this study measures China's agricultural green and low-carbon development performance from 2012 to 2022. The regional disparities are examined from spatial and structural dimensions using the Gini coefficient bidimensional decomposition method, and the driving factors of regional differences are comprehensively analyzed from both endogenous and exogenous perspectives through the optimal parameters-based geographical detector. The results indicate that: (1) During the observation period, China's agricultural green and low-carbon development performance exhibited an overall upward trend, with the three major grain regions showing a development pattern of "eastern>central>western regions", and among the three functional zones, main sales areas achieved the highest development performance, followed by main production areas. (2) Regional disparities in agricultural green and low-carbon development performance demonstrated an overall convergence trend, with inter-regional differences serving as the primary source of overall spatial disparities, while differences in input factor development performance dominated the regional differentiation pattern at the structural level. (3) Among the three major regions, technological progress exerted a relatively high impact intensity on intra-regional disparities in the eastern region, whereas regional differences in the central and western regions were more susceptible to spatial variations in agricultural industrialization levels and fiscal support for agriculture. Among the three major grain functional zones, average temperature and agricultural structure had a relatively great impact on disparities in main production areas compared to main sales areas and production-sales balanced areas. The research findings provide important support for optimizing regional agricultural development strategies, promoting coordination in agricultural green and low-carbon development, and enhancing the quality of agricultural development.

The development of characteristic agriculture is an important approach to achieving rural revitalization and promoting county-level economic development by stimulating industrial vitality. How to combine resource advantages and transform them into industrial strengths is the key to build a high-quality characteristic agriculture industry. This paper selects 31 county-level characteristic agriculture cases as research objects, constructs a TOE and dual-dimensional theoretical indicator system, and uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to extract element combinations and examine the influencing factors and differentiated paths of characteristic agricultural development in China's county-level areas. The study shows that: (1) "organizational resources" and "crop varieties" are the core factors for achieving high-quality development in county-level characteristic agriculture. (2) The high-quality development of county-level characteristic agriculture presents mixed development models, including market-oriented, organization-oriented, and technology-oriented models, as well as outward development models embedded in elements and inward development models relying on endowments. (3) Non-high-quality development of county-level characteristic agriculture exists in outward deficiency models constrained by organizations and mixed deficiency models constrained by organizations-environment and technology-environment. (4) The integration of multiple resource paths from both internal and external drivers is more effective than relying on a single internal or external driver in constructing action mechanisms for high-quality characteristic agriculture development. Based on the above research results, this paper proposes diversified, complementary, and integrated development path suggestions for county-level characteristic agriculture in China, providing a reference for achieving agricultural and rural modernization.

Different from the previous water rights management at the meso regional level and micro water user level, this article puts the initial water rights of the river basin in the macro common wealth framework, systematically optimizes the initial water rights allocation of the basin from the perspective of fairness and efficiency, constructs a traditional, weighted, sequential bankruptcy game model to clarify the initial water rights allocation scheme, evaluates the overall welfare of the basin using the Kaldor-Hicks criterion, and applies it to the Tarim River Basin, and the Yellow River Basin is used as a substitute basin for testing. The results indicate that: (1) The initial water rights allocation principle is in line with the connotation and value orientation of common prosperity, but the quantitative measurement of fairness and efficiency needs to be improved. The traditional bankruptcy game model has defects such as multidimensional preferences and data distortion, which can be corrected by weighting and other methods. (2) The weight factors of fair negotiation, labor remuneration, and river order make the initial water rights allocation more balanced and fair, with a greater degree of adjustment in labor remuneration. The weight factors of efficiency based water conservancy investment and water resource utilization efficiency make the initial water rights allocation plan more focused on the competitiveness of water resource utilization. After incorporating the river sequence factor into the bankruptcy game model, this research can reflect the information asymmetry of the geographical location of multiple subjects in the basin and the resulting heterogeneity of negotiation status. (3) The Kaldo-Hicks criterion focuses more on improving the overall social benefits when evaluating initial water rights allocation schemes, allowing for individual benefits to decrease while overall benefits increase. It improves the rigorous optimization conditions of the Pareto criterion and is more applicable in practical applications. We should integrate initial water rights allocation into the common prosperity framework, examining how fairness, efficiency, and river sequence factors influence priority-setting among multiple stakeholders in river basins. This approach offers new perspectives for initial water rights allocation and provides a policy foundation for establishing basin-wide allocation systems that advance common prosperity.

Ecosystem service flows (ESF) serve as a crucial bridge connecting the supply of ecosystem services to human demand. However, there are still deficiencies in the framework research on driving mechanisms and practical applications. In this research, we took the freshwater yield ecosystem service in the Henan section of the Yellow River Basin as a case study. We developed a comprehensive framework focusing on "supply-demand quantification-attribute evaluation-driving analysis-pattern optimization" utilizing methods such as network model, random forest, and Bayesian belief network. The key findings are as follows: (1) There was a spatial mismatch between the freshwater yield ecosystem service supply and demand, with demand exceeding supply in the study area. (2) Three flow directions and 35 sub-boundaries were identified throughout the flow process, with flow quantity ranging from 0 to 188×10⁶ m³. (3) Evapotranspiration and human activities were the primary factors affecting the changes in supply-demand, with the contribution of 0.47 and 0.14, respectively. (4) Key optimization areas included Southern Luoyang, Central and Southern Sanmenxia, and Central Jiyuan. The comprehensive framework developed in this study analyzes ecosystem service supply and demand from four dimensions, enhancing the organization and depth of "flow" research. Furthermore, the framework demonstrates strong practical applicability, specifically in addressing the supply-demand imbalance of ecosystem services, providing robust support for water resource management and government decision-making in the Henan section of the Yellow River through effective water resource optimization.

Investigating the relationship between hydropower development scale and annual balance of basin water resources is a practical issue for promoting high-quality basin development. A total of 18 major hydropower development basins in China are selected as case study areas, and unbalanced panel data up to 2022 are constructed. By using panel regression methods and controlling for meteorological factors and other human activities affecting basin runoff, the net impact of hydropower development on basin runoff is isolated. The study finds the following: (1) The scale of hydropower development has a non-significant negative impact on total basin runoff. (2) There is a significant non-linear U-shaped relationship between hydropower development scale and annual balance of basin water resources. The turning point corresponds to a hydropower development scale of 0.406. Before (after) this turning point, the amplitude of annual fluctuations in basin water resources decreases (increases) with increasing hydropower development scale. (3) Different hydropower development structures play varying moderating roles in the impact of hydropower development scale on the annual balance of basin water resources. Structures with excessively small or large runoff regulation capacities drive the rightward shift of the hydropower development scale turning point. These results demonstrate that hydropower development can serve as an important means of regulating the annual balance of basin water resources. However, its regulatory effect on the annual balance of basin water resources depends not only on the scale of hydropower development but also on its structure. Future efforts should focus on coordinating the "scale-structure" of hydropower development to synergistically regulate the annual balance of basin water resources.

We take 59 cities at prefecture level and above in the Yellow River Basin as the research area, to measure the coordinated development level of ecological resilience and land use intensity from 2013 to 2022 by using coordination degree model, and to explore their spatio-temporal evolution characteristics, spatial correlation and convergence. The results show that: (1) The coordinated development level of the study area shows a fluctuating upward pattern in the 10-year period, with an annual growth rate of 0.59%. The upper, middle and lower reaches have the same trend as the whole basin, with annual growth rates of 0.72%, 0.54% and 0.55%, respectively. (2) The coordinated development level presents a stepped distribution pattern decreasing from east to west, with obvious characteristics of spatial agglomeration and regional imbalance. The primary coordinated areas are mainly distributed in the lower reaches, the marginally coordinated areas are mainly distributed in the south of Shaanxi and the southeast of Shanxi, and the near-imbalanced areas are distributed in clusters in the whole upper reaches and the northwest of the middle reaches. (3) There exists a significant positive spatial correlation in the coordinated development levels across the Yellow River Basin. The high-value agglomeration areas are mainly distributed in the lower reaches, while the low-value agglomeration areas are mainly in the upper reaches and the northwest of the middle reaches. (4) There are σ convergence, absolute and conditional β convergence in the coordinated development levels. Both the upper and lower reaches have the same convergence characteristics as the whole basin, while there is no σ convergence in the middle reaches, but there are significant absolute and conditional β convergences. The results of the study can provide a policy framework for coordinating urban ecological resilience and land-use intensity to facilitate high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.

Developing a scientifically grounded regionally-balanced pricing mechanism for rural homestead compensation is essential to resolve spatial inequities in withdrawal compensation. Based on the utility theory of regional economics, a regional "ecological economic" land coordination compensation mechanism for rural homestead withdrawal was constructed, and a new round of homestead reform pilot city, Peixian county, Xuzhou city, was taken as the research object. Numerical analysis methods were used for quantitative analysis and empirical testing. The results indicate that: (1) The compensation pricing mechanism for rural homestead withdrawal based on regional "economic ecological" land coordination balances fairness and efficiency, and balances the interest conflicts of stakeholders in different functional areas within the regional scope during the process of homestead withdrawal. (2) From the perspective of regional synergy, when rural homesteads within a region are converted to ecological land types, an additional economic compensation of 145.65 yuan per unit area can be obtained for the withdrawal of homesteads. The main payer is the region where the homesteads are withdrawn and converted to economic land types. (3) From the perspective of regional coordination, the additional compensation amount obtained when rural homesteads are transformed into ecological land can be offset by the value-added income from the exit of rural homesteads and the transformation into economic land. Rural homesteads undergoing withdrawal and conversion to economic land can generate a 5.45% regional value-added premium. Based on the above research conclusions, it is necessary to coordinate the inter-regional interests of different functional zones in the reform of the rural homestead withdrawal system, and actively explore differentiated compensation strategies and standards for homestead withdrawal under the guidance of regional economic ecological system balance.

As an important approach to managing cropland abandonment, cropland transfer warrants an in-depth examination of its effectiveness. This study utilized a dataset from the hilly and mountainous areas of Sichuan province and applied Probit, IV-Probit, and other models at the land plot level to analyze the impact of cropland transfer on cropland abandonment and explored the family and land plot heterogeneity of the effect. The results showed that: (1) Cropland transfer significantly restrained cropland abandonment, with a 1% increase in cropland transfer participation rate decreasing the probability of cropland abandonment by 23.2%. (2) Family heterogeneity analysis showed that cropland transfer had a stronger abandonment-suppressing effect on families with lower agricultural population aging and those engaged in non-agricultural employment. (3) Land plot heterogeneity analysis revealed that cropland transfer had a more pronounced abandonment-reducing effect on remote land plots, large land plots, and sloped land plots. It is recommended to enhance the effectiveness of cropland transfer in curbing cropland abandonment through improved cropland transfer security mechanisms, targeted subsidy support, and land consolidation policies.

The 'compensation to comprehensive occupation' system (CCOS), which is characterized by rigid regulations, serves as a crucial policy for China to enforce the redline mandate for farmland conservation and reinforce the foundation of national food security. Exploring effective incentive measures is essential to stimulate the willingness of entities' responsibilities for compensating farmland and ensure its stable use. Based on Williamson's social science analytical framework and situational analysis methodology, this study aims to compare the practices of transfer of development right domestically and internationally, additionally, interpret its underlying logic in various scenarios, and propose an optimization system by capturing the value derived from the transfer of farmland development right (TFDR). The results show that: (1) Similar to the international TDR, the CCOS in China is a farmland conservation policy tool based on the TFDR. Their similarities and differences exist in institutional environment, governance structure, and resource allocation. (2) Under different scenarios within the CCOS, when farmland development rights are either transferred and realized in the occupied area or restored in the compensated area, the entities' responsibilities for compensated farmland should obtain the license fee for the TFDR or be compensated for revenue losses due to farmland appreciation, respectively. (3) Optimizing the CCOS should be guided by three key aspects. Firstly, the property rights subjects should be clearly defined to establish a property rights foundation for capturing and allocating value increments from the TFDR. Secondly, governance structure should aim to construct a hybrid governance framework integrating government supervision and market mechanism for the TFDR. Thirdly, allocation efficiency improvement requires the establishment of a system combining responsibility constraints and economic incentives for allocating the supplementary farmland. Optimizing the CCOS through the TFDR is an effective strategy to promote farmland conservation through economic incentives. The research findings offer theoretical and practical references for improving the farmland conservation policies and incentivizing the supplementary farmland providers.

Based on the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method and drawing on data from 1166 households and 5041 plots in Sichuan province, this study investigates the impact of high-standard farmland construction on farmland transfer from the dual perspectives of plot governance and household decision-making. The findings are as follows: (1) At the plot level, high-standard farmland construction significantly promotes land transfer, with field consolidation, infrastructure development, and post-construction management playing notable roles. Larger plots with convenient locations and flat terrain are more likely to be transferred. (2) At the household level, high-standard farmland construction also significantly facilitates land transfer, with field consolidation and infrastructure development being particularly influential. This positive effect is significant across households of different operational scales and degrees of off-farm employment. (3) Interaction analysis reveals that large-scale farmers show stronger transfer effects for large plots, nearby plots and non-plain plots, while highly off-farm-employed households prefer small and nearby plots but exhibit weaker effects; in contrast, households with low off-farm employment generally benefit. The study suggests that high-standard farmland construction should be steadily advanced, along with improvements to the matching support system between households and land plots, in order to revitalize the farmland transfer market.

As a key institutional arrangement for advancing the rural revitalization strategy, the current operational framework of the collectively-owned land use regulation system consists of a supervision mechanism for formulation and implementation, as well as a compensation mechanism for benefit distribution. However, this operational framework has encountered practical challenges that fail to align with the unique spatial use characteristics and property rights features of collectively-owned land. The theoretical framework of land development rights, originating from the West, can serve as a key tool for solving practical problems in the current collectively-owned land use regulation system. Based on the meaning and role of land development rights under China's collectively-owned land ownership system, the land development rights are applied to the special spatial use and property rights characteristics of collectively-owned land, and the theoretical framework for solving practical problems is constructed. Based on this, the collectively-owned land use regulation logic is proposed, which consists of two parts: the first is collectively-owned land use regulation logic of establishment, implementation and supervision based on government restrictions on land development rights; the second is the collectively-owned land use regulation logic of compensation and distribution of benefits based on the realization of land ownership and use rights. This study advances a framework to optimize the spatial valuation of rural land and facilitate efficient factor allocation, thereby empowering farmers to achieve sustained income growth and common prosperity, and critical steps toward realizing the strategic goal of rural revitalization.

Reconstruction of regional land use/land cover changes not only provides scientific data for climate change and ecological effect simulations but also enriches and improves global datasets with regional references. By examining and analyzing historical records on manor cropland from 800 to 1583, cropland measurements from 1583 to 1872, cropland surveys from 1872 to 2000, and population estimations and surveys from 800 to 2000 in Japan, this study reconstructs the national and regional cropland area in Japan over the past millennium and at eight representative time points, respectively. Then the temporal and spatial variations of cropland in Japan were analyzed. The results are shown as follows: (1) During the manor system period (800-1583), per capita cropland area of Japan was approximately 0.31 hm², with agricultural population constituting about 80% of the total population. In the period of the Kokudaka-based feudal system (1583-1872), paddy and dry fields accounted for approximately 60% and 40% of the total cropland areas, respectively. And the standard yield of rice per 0.1 hm² was 1.2 koku for paddy fields and 0.8 koku for dry fields, respectively. The unit "koku" is a traditional Japanese measure of rice, with 1 koku equivalent to approximately 30 kg of rice. (2) Over the past millennium, the total cropland area of the whole study area experienced four phases: slow increase (800-1338), gradual decrease (1338-1598), rapid growth (1598-1940), and sharp decline (1940-2000). At the regional scale, the overall trend in cropland area of the study area was similar, though there were significant regional differences. Spatial distribution patterns show that, over the past millennium, cropland in Japan was primarily concentrated in the Kinki, Kanto, and Chubu regions, with a trend of gradual expansion from the central region to the south and northeast. (3) The relative discrepancy rates of the total cropland area from the HYDE 3.2 and PJ datasets for 1200-1880 compared to the reconstruction results of this study are -37% to -70% and -69% to -90%, respectively. The study shows that per capita cropland area of Japan declined from 0.31 hm² to 0.12 hm² during the study period, while the HYDE 3.2 and PJ datasets report per capita cropland areas of approximately 0.06 hm² and 0.03 hm², respectively.