Regional Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"From breadbasket to sustainability challenge: A rice–wheat system of Punjab, India","authors":"Anindita SARKAR","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study is set against the backdrop of agricultural intensification in the Indian Punjab, which began with the Green Revolution in the late 1960s—an initiative originally launched to secure India’s food supply after independence. Therefore, this paper examined how the policy-driven gains since the 1970s have generated long-term lock-in trade-offs across interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly within the water–energy–food nexus. Drawing on crop area, crop yield, irrigation, and energy indicators (1970–2022), and groundwater extraction data (1984–2021), this study explored how groundwater irrigation, subsidized electricity, and assured procurement policies drove the transition to a rice–wheat system. While these interventions strengthened food security (SDG 2) and contributed to poverty reduction (SDG 1), they also created a water–energy–food nexus that has accelerated groundwater depletion, soil degradation, and environmental stress, undermining SDGs 6, 7, and 12. The result showed that Punjab’s agricultural trajectory is deeply shaped by public policies operating across multiple scales. These policies generated short-term productivity gains but neglected long-term ecological consequences. Therefore, Punjab offers a critical case for understanding how intensive agricultural economies experience trade-offs among SDGs. These findings emphasized the need for integrated governance that moves beyond linear policy interventions to address systemic interconnections across water, energy, and food systems. Transformative policy pathways are essential to sustain farmer livelihoods while restoring ecological balance. Punjab’s experience reflects broader global challenges in regions where early agricultural intensification not only produced rapid food gains, but also deepened ecological vulnerabilities over time. Understanding this trajectory is vital for informing transitions toward more sustainable, climate-resilient farming systems that can meet productivity needs while advancing environmental goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100367"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal pattern of terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage in China with projections under multiple climate scenarios","authors":"Ming LIU,&nbsp;Hao ZHANG,&nbsp;Zhihao KONG,&nbsp;Yuxin ZHENG,&nbsp;Gaoxiang ZHOU,&nbsp;Xiaofeng WANG,&nbsp;Zhaoxia REN,&nbsp;Jonathan LI","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100374","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100374","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate accounting of terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage is essential for understanding how production, decay, and disturbance shape ecological function and resilience. However, few China-wide datasets explicitly resolve spatial heterogeneity in carbon density within terrestrial ecosystem types, resulting in systematic and location-dependent uncertainty. This study produced a 1-km-resolution, annually continuous carbon-storage dataset for China’s terrestrial ecosystems from 2001 to 2020 using an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) framework, and projected the total terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage in 2030 under five Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP)–Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios (SSP1–RCP2.6, SSP2–RCP4.5, SSP3–RCP7.0, SSP4–RCP3.4, and SSP5–RCP8.5). Multi-source remote sensing, land cover, biomass, and soil data were combined to estimate carbon storage in the four carbon pools (aboveground biomass carbon, belowground biomass carbon, soil organic carbon, and dead organic matter carbon) and across six land-use types (cropland, forestland, grassland, water body, built-up land, and unused land). Validation against national-scale estimates and outputs from the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model showed reasonable consistency in magnitude and spatial pattern, although systematic positive biases were observed in the InVEST-based estimates. The total terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage increased from 78.42 Pg C in 2001 to 89.62‍ Pg‍ C in 2011, then declined to 85.49 Pg C in 2020. Soil organic carbon was the dominant pool (53.8% of the total), while forestland and grassland together contributed 69.2% of the total terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage. Under the SSP–RCP scenarios, China’s total terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage in 2030 was projected lowest under SSP1–RCP2.6 at 90.63 Pg C and highest under SSP2–RCP4.5 at 92.62 Pg C. These findings underscore the influence of policy and land-use changes under low- and medium-emission pathways, while extremely high-emission scenarios may show localized gains from ecological restoration. The dataset produced in this study provides a robust basis for carbon accounting, land-use policy, and ecosystem monitoring in China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100374"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uncovering multiple roles of green innovation in urban sustainable development efficiency in China","authors":"Zhiyuan NIU,&nbsp;Tao WEN,&nbsp;Feifei TAN","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100369","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100369","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the pivotal component of the innovation-driven strategy, green innovation has been increasingly recognized as a viable pathway to achieve harmony among economy, society, and ecological environment. Therefore, it holds significant guiding implications to investigate how green innovation drives the improvement in urban sustainable development efficiency. Employing China’s prefecture-level panel dataset (excluding Xizang Autonomous Region, Hong Kong Special Administration Region, Macao Special Administration Region, and Taiwan Province due to missing data) during 2004–2022, this study evaluated the direction and extent of the impact of green innovation on urban sustainable development efficiency through adopting combining super-efficiency Slack Based Measure (SBM) model and Driving-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. The results indicated that green innovation could make improvements in urban sustainable development efficiency through improving energy efficiency and driving industrial structure upgrading. In addition, compared with utility model green innovation, invention-based green innovation exerted a more pronounced role in urban sustainable development efficiency. Heterogeneity tests demonstrated that large cities and cluster cities enable themselves to enhance urban sustainable development efficiency through green innovation more than small to medium-sized cities and non-cluster cities. Spatial analysis revealed that green innovation imposes a significant spillover effect. Specifically, supported by the pollution haven hypothesis and siphon effect, the increased green innovation level in the neighboring cities may inhabit the local city’s sustainable development efficiency to certain degree. Based on these findings, the government can regularly hold cross-city seminars to share green technology case studies and provide financial and technological compensation to surrounding areas that have sacrificed development opportunities for the sake of protecting the environment, so as to better promote China’s green innovation capability and sustainable development efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100369"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crop planting structural optimization over area expansion: A pathway to sustainable oasis agriculture in arid Northwest China","authors":"Jinfeng HE,&nbsp;Jie BAI,&nbsp;Cun CHANG,&nbsp;Jingyu JIN,&nbsp;Yongbo ZHAO,&nbsp;Junli LI,&nbsp;Anming BAO,&nbsp;Qihao CHEN,&nbsp;Huilan SUN","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100373","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100373","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arid regions face critical challenges in balancing water resources, agricultural, and ecological sustainability. This study developed an integrated framework that combines remote sensing, the Penman-Monteith (P-M) model, and a multi-objective optimization model to optimize the crop planting structure in the Hotan Oasis, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, using 2020 as the baseline year. The model maximizes economic benefit while minimizing crop water consumption (CWC) and fertilizer application, subject to constraints such as croplands and water resources, food security, and policy requirements. The Hotan Oasis had 23.99×10⁴ hm² of cropland, dominated by fruit-grain intercropping (43.65%), which accounted for 55.54% of the total CWC. Under constant and flexible total planting areas, reducing water-intensive crops such as monocropped fruits (jujube and walnut) and cotton and expanding the vegetable area can simultaneously increase grain yield (increase of 1.77%–2.21%) and economic benefit (increase of 5.33%–6.80%) while reducing CWC by 2.65% and fertilizer application by 4.37%–9.61%. However, any form of cropland expansion inevitably increased CWC (6.88%–14.76%) and fertilizer application (10.48%–20.09%), despite further gains in grain yield and economic benefit. While county-level optimization results generally aligned with these trends, specific adjustment pathways showed regional variations. These findings demonstrated that the sustainable development of the Hotan Oasis agriculture depends on internal structural adjustments and targeted crop diversification rather than spatial expansion to reconcile water use, food production, and ecological goals. This study provides a framework that supports the efficient management of water and land resources, offering a conceptual and practical reference for optimizing agricultural structures in similar arid regions worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100373"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating runoff retention and associated flood mitigation services of urban blue-green infrastructure in a mega urban centre","authors":"Md Rejaul ISLAM,&nbsp;Mohd RIHAN,&nbsp;Intejar ANSARI,&nbsp;SHAHFAHAD,&nbsp;Mohd Waseem NAIKOO,&nbsp;Swapan TALUKDAR,&nbsp;Atiqur RAHMAN","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100370","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100370","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) plays a significant role in regulating stormwater management and mitigating urban flooding. However, the effectiveness of urban BGI in mitigating surface runoff remains insufficiently explored, particularly in densely populated, flood-prone cities. This study presents an integrated geospatial framework to evaluate the runoff retention capacity of urban BGI and their associated flood mitigation services in Kolkata City, India. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-Offs (InVEST)–Urban Flood Risk Mitigation (UFRM) model was applied to estimate the potential runoff generation and retention under two rainfall scenarios in Kolkata City. The model incorporated land use and land cover types, hydrological soil groups, and rainfall inputs to simulate spatial runoff patterns and runoff retention potential across different urban micro-watersheds. Flood mitigation services provided by BGI were quantified in terms of runoff retention capacity and flood volume generation. The results show that urban BGI provides substantial runoff retention capacity, with tree-covered lands and herbaceous wetlands retaining 45.00%–60.00% more runoff than impervious surfaces. Spatial analysis indicates that regions with permeable surfaces and dense vegetation cover enhance infiltration and water absorption, thereby demonstrating the hydrological effectiveness of BGI. The InVEST–UFRM results were validated with Synthetic Aperture Radar-derived flood data and machine learning-based models, including Random Forest (RF) model and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, with the area under curve scores (XGBoost model: 0.73; RF model: 0.70) confirming the model’s ability to predict flood risk. This integrated framework provides a practical tool for assessing the flood mitigation potential of BGI and offers practical insights for urban planners and policy-makers seeking to improve urban flood management and support more resilient urban landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100370"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148806760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal variations in oasis structure and landscape stability in the middle reaches of the Konqi River based on high-spatial-resolution multispectral imagery","authors":"Jingyu JIN,&nbsp;Junli LI,&nbsp;Anming BAO,&nbsp;Chunxia WEI,&nbsp;Fujie LI,&nbsp;Haoyu WANG,&nbsp;Jiudan ZHANG,&nbsp;Naibi SULEI","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inland river oasis ecosystems have undergone substantial transformations due to extensive land exploitation. It is essential to understand the environmental implications and consequences of such activities to ensure the ecological safety of these ecosystems. This study applied a U-Net model to multi-temporal imagery acquired from the Système Probatoire d’Observation de la Terre (SPOT) and Sentinel-2 satellites to map structural variations of oasis ecosystems in the middle reaches of the Konqi River, China, from 1986 to 2023. Based on the mapping results, the study analysed landscape pattern changes in the context of water resource utilisation and agricultural development. The stability of the oasis in the middle reaches of the Konqi River was also assessed through landscape pattern analysis. The results showed that, from 1986 to 2023, the landscape transitioned predominantly from a natural desert ecosystem to an anthropogenic farmland ecosystem. Significant increases were observed in cropland, orchard, and urban land, with increases of 143.39%, 337.73%, and 143.39%, respectively. Conversely, grassland, shrub woodland, and bare land decreased by 58.04%, 27.30%, and 25.57%, respectively. Notably, grassland and shrub woodland together contributed to 75.15% of the cropland increase, while bare land accounted for 64.83% of the urban expansion. Cropland and orchard primarily expanded along riparian zones and irrigation channels, with new orchard developing from existing croplands that have favourable water, soil, and transportation conditions. From a landscape perspective, the proliferation and clustering of cropland and orchard patches enhanced the connectivity of the oasis ecosystem. The overall stability of the oasis landscape in the middle reaches of the Konqi River gradually increased. This study offers a scientific evaluation of land exploitation and the overall stability of oasis ecosystems under conditions of limited water resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100372"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agricultural carbon emission intensity (ACEI) in China from 1997 to 2022: Spatiotemporal differences, convergence, and its influence factors","authors":"Lilin ZOU,&nbsp;Shulin LI,&nbsp;Yongsheng WANG","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100366","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100366","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exploring the spatiotemporal differences and convergence mechanisms of agricultural carbon emissions in China can contribute to global agricultural carbon emission reduction. Taking 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan due to data unavailability) as the study area, this paper estimated the agricultural carbon emission intensity (ACEI) during 1997–2022 and analyzed its spatiotemporal characteristics, decomposed its regional differences by using the Dagum Gini coefficient, and explored its convergence mechanism by adopting the spatial <em>β</em>-convergence and the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM). The result showed that China’s ACEI has shown a downward trend during 1997–2022, with an average annual reduction rate of 4.71%, and the inter-regional difference continued to widen, with the inter-regional difference of 66.17%. The absolute <em>β</em>-convergence speed was lower than the conditional <em>β</em>-convergence speed, indicating that regional heterogeneity in agricultural production significantly accelerates spatial convergence. This effect was particularly pronounced in the central region, where favorable agricultural conditions contribute to the fastest convergence rate. In this process, social support and environmental regulation, application and innovation of agricultural technologies, as well as agricultural structure and development potential in different regions (eastern, central, and western regions) exhibited distinct spatiotemporal effects. These findings suggest that the hierarchical spatial pattern of ACEI in China results from the interaction of multiple systems, including the environmental, social, economic, and governmental dimensions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100366"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing land cover planning for carbon neutrality: Policy insights from scenario-based vegetation carbon sink assessment in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, China","authors":"Youyue WEN,&nbsp;Zhichao CHEN,&nbsp;Saoman CAI,&nbsp;Jian YANG","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100368","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100368","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mitigating national climate change requires achieving carbon neutrality, necessitating innovative land cover strategies that reconcile economic development with enhanced carbon sinks, particularly in rapidly urbanizing megaregions such as the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in China. This study developed a novel assessment framework that integrates Multi-Objective Programming (MOP) land cover simulations with a Carbon Neutrality Effect (CNE) matrix and a neighborhood proxy method. This framework provides a quantitative evaluation of vegetation carbon sink dynamics resulting from land cover transitions during 2020–2060 under four scenarios: economic development first (ED), carbon neutrality first (EC), sustainable development (EDC), and natural development (EN). Model validation achieved high accuracy (Kappa coefficient=0.77, Overall Accuracy (OA)=0.84). Projected land cover changes revealed distinct transition patterns. Specifically, under the ED and EN scenarios, land cover changes will dominate by the expansion of urban area at the losses of grassland and crop land; under the EC scenario, the new forested land is primarily from crop land and grassland; and under the EDC scenario, urban area and forested land will achieve simultaneous expansion. Moreover, this study found the net vegetation carbon losses of 51.43×10¹⁰ and 274.54×10¹⁰ g C under the ED and EN scenarios, respectively, undermining carbon neutrality. In contrast, there will be a significant net carbon gain (64.52×10¹⁰ g C) under the EC scenario. Crucially, the EDC scenario demonstrates a viable balance, minimizing vegetation carbon loss (7.00×10¹⁰ g C) while substantially enhancing both socioeconomic benefit (1.34×10¹² CNY/a) and vegetation carbon sink benefit (0.15×10¹² CNY/a). This study underscores the critical role of optimized land cover planning in fostering synergistic economic growth and carbon neutrality. The findings provide actionable insights for the implementation of ‘Dual Carbon’ strategy in the GBA and serve as a valuable reference for sustainable land management in climate-vulnerable coastal megacities worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100368"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal evolution and simulation optimization of rural settlements in Hotan Prefecture, China: A three-dimensional perspective","authors":"Jiaxin HAO,&nbsp;Liqiang SHEN,&nbsp;Yuejian WANG,&nbsp;Huanhuan CHEN","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100371","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100371","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The exploration of the evolutionary process and influence mechanism of rural settlements has significant implications for the promotion of sustainable rural development. However, existing research has yet to employ a three-dimensional perspective that organically combines scale, space, and morphology. In view of this, using Hotan Prefecture of China as the study area, we constructed a three-dimensional analysis framework to explore the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of rural settlements from 2000 to 2020 through landscape pattern indices, kernel density analysis, and GeoDetector. Furthermore, the Geographical Simulation and Optimization System–Future Land Use Simulation (GeoSOS–FLUS) model was utilized to predict various scenarios affecting rural settlements in 2030. This study reveals that scale dynamics followed a clear pattern: values dropped sharply and then stabilized alongside ongoing growth. Spatial patterns showed clustering along rivers and transport corridors, with density gradients radiating outward. Morphological evolution is marked by gradual patch regularization and stabilized spatial configuration. GeoDetector analysis identified hydrological accessibility and cropland proximity as primary spatial determinants of rural settlements, demonstrating significant synergistic effects (<em>q</em>-value=0.457). Scenario projections yielded divergent outcomes: under the natural development scenario, rural settlements are projected to expand by 5.490% relative to 2020, with this expansion mainly driven by cropland encroachment and unused land development. In contrast, the urban–rural integration development scenario reveals a significantly lower predicted growth rate. Rural settlements are expected to adopt a more compact and clustered spatial layout. Under the cropland production development scenario, conversions of cropland to built-up land are constrained, substantially curbing the expansion rate of rural settlements. In summary, this study intends to offer scientific support for optimizing the spatial layout of rural settlements in arid oasis regions and advancing rural revitalization strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 4","pages":"Article 100371"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oil palm land expansion and sustainable agriculture challenges in rural areas of Indonesia","authors":"Herdis HERDIANSYAH ,&nbsp;Randi MAMOLA","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2026.100347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The expansion of oil palm land in Indonesia has led to the increase of land connectivity, posing significant challenges due to substantial and heterogeneous land use changes, particularly in the rural areas of Jambi Province, Indonesia. Identifying the social, environmental, and economic drivers is critical for understanding how land use changes shape the spatial pattern of oil palm land expansion. Therefore, this study employed the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model to assess the spatiotemporal effects of staged and continuity indices on the oil palm land expansion in the six villages (Kumpeh, Kumpeh Ulu, Mujaro Sebo, Kota Madya, Jambi Luar, and Mestong) of Jambi Province during 2016–2022. The result revealed that the northern region—especially Mujaro Sebo, Kumpeh, and Kumpeh Ulu villages—contribute most significantly to gradual and continuous oil palm land movement. Staged index had positive influence on increasing oil palm land connectivity. Specifically, economic growth, oil palm agriculture, and medical and health infrastructure were the primary drivers with the positive influence on increasing oil palm land expansion during 2021–2022. Additionally, population flow and commodity land exhibited high connectivity with oil palm land expansion in the northern region, particularly in Kumpeh and Mujaro Sebo villages, collectively leading to 53.79% expansion of oil palm land. Moreover, continuity index reflected a transition from dual core to multi-core development. Oil palm land expansion was predominantly influenced by oil palm agriculture and investment development, though their impacts differed markedly. This empirical study confirms the spatial heterogeneous distribution of land connectivity drivers—represented by barycenter variation—across six villages in Jambi Province, offering essential insights for governmental policy prioritization to mitigate future conflicts arising from oil palm land shifts in the rural areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"7 3","pages":"Article 100347"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148183732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}