Dual advancement of marine economic growth and environmental governance: an empirical analysis of China’s Marine Economic Development Pilot Zones

IF 2.8 2区生物学 Q1 MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY

Frontiers in Marine Science Pub Date : 2025-04-07 DOI:10.3389/fmars.2025.1497895

Zhiyong Song, Zechen Li, Yipin Zhang

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Abstract

IntroductionThis research aims to empirically investigate the dual effects of establishing the Marine Economic Development Pilot Zone (MEDPZ) on marine economic growth and environmental governance. The study focuses on China’s coastal provinces, where MEDPZs have been implemented, to assess their impacts on both economic and environmental aspects.MethodsThe study employs a Time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) model based on panel data from China’s coastal provinces. This method allows for assessing the causal impact of MEDPZ establishment on marine economic growth and environmental governance by comparing pilot provinces with non-pilot provinces over time.ResultsThe establishment of MEDPZ has significantly enhanced marine economic growth and environmental governance in the pilot provinces. Specifically, marine economic growth increased by 1.222 percentage points, while environmental governance improved by 0.748. Additionally, the impact of MEDPZ establishment varied spatially across different marine economic circles. The northern marine economic circle experienced the most substantial economic growth and environmental governance benefits. The southern marine economic circle saw a significant increase in economic growth but a relatively minor improvement in environmental governance. In contrast, the eastern marine economic circle was not substantially affected.DiscussionThe findings suggest that the establishment of MEDPZ has effectively boosted the competitiveness of the marine economy in pilot provinces while mitigating adverse environmental impacts. This is achieved through promoting scientific and technological advancement and strengthening government regulation. The study provides a scientific basis for policymakers to formulate and implement marine economic development strategies that consider regional differences, enhance financial support for marine science and technology R&D, and enforce stricter regulations for marine environmental protection.

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海洋经济增长与环境治理的双重推进——基于中国海洋经济发展试验区的实证分析

本研究旨在实证探讨建立海洋经济发展试验区对海洋经济增长和环境治理的双重效应。本研究的重点是中国沿海省份，这些省份已经实施了medpz，以评估其对经济和环境方面的影响。方法采用基于中国沿海省份面板数据的时变差中差（DID）模型。该方法可以通过比较试点省份与非试点省份的时间变化，来评估MEDPZ的建立对海洋经济增长和环境治理的因果影响。结果海洋经济试验区的建立显著促进了试点省份的海洋经济增长和环境治理。其中，海洋经济增长1.222个百分点，环境治理水平提高0.748个百分点。此外，MEDPZ建设对不同海洋经济圈的影响在空间上也存在差异。北方海洋经济圈的经济增长和环境治理效益最为显著。南方海洋经济圈经济增长明显，但环境治理改善相对较小。相比之下，东部海洋经济圈没有受到太大影响。研究结果表明，珠三角经济试验区的建立有效地提升了试点省份海洋经济的竞争力，同时减轻了对环境的不利影响。这是通过推动科技进步和加强政府监管来实现的。研究结果为决策者制定和实施考虑区域差异的海洋经济发展战略、加大海洋科技研发资金支持力度、加强海洋环境保护法规等提供了科学依据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Marine Science Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Aquatic Science

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

16.20%

发文量

2443

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Marine Science publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of all aspects of the environment, biology, ecosystem functioning and human interactions with the oceans. Field Chief Editor Carlos M. Duarte at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, policy makers and the public worldwide. With the human population predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050, it is clear that traditional land resources will not suffice to meet the demand for food or energy, required to support high-quality livelihoods. As a result, the oceans are emerging as a source of untapped assets, with new innovative industries, such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine energy and deep-sea mining growing rapidly under a new era characterized by rapid growth of a blue, ocean-based economy. The sustainability of the blue economy is closely dependent on our knowledge about how to mitigate the impacts of the multiple pressures on the ocean ecosystem associated with the increased scale and diversification of industry operations in the ocean and global human pressures on the environment. Therefore, Frontiers in Marine Science particularly welcomes the communication of research outcomes addressing ocean-based solutions for the emerging challenges, including improved forecasting and observational capacities, understanding biodiversity and ecosystem problems, locally and globally, effective management strategies to maintain ocean health, and an improved capacity to sustainably derive resources from the oceans.