Regional Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Climatic and non-climatic factors driving the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District, Ghana","authors":"Frank Baffour-Ata ,&nbsp;Louisa Boakye ,&nbsp;Moses Tilatob Gado ,&nbsp;Ellen Boakye-Yiadom ,&nbsp;Sylvia Cecilia Mensah ,&nbsp;Senyo Michael Kwaku Kumfo ,&nbsp;Kofi Prempeh Osei Owusu ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Carr ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Dzikunu ,&nbsp;Patrick Davies","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Smallholder farmers in Ahafo Ano North District, Ghana, face multiple climatic and non-climatic issues. This study assessed the factors contributing to the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in this district by household surveys with 200 respondents and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 10 respondents. The Mann–Kendall trend test was used to assess mean annual rainfall and temperature trends from 2002 to 2022. The relative importance index (RII) value was used to rank the climatic and non-climatic factors perceived by respondents. The socioeconomic characteristics affecting smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were evaluated by the binary logistic regression model. Results showed that mean annual rainfall decreased (<em>P</em>&gt;0.05) but mean annual temperature significantly increased (<em>P</em>&lt;0.05) from 2002 to 2022 in the district. The key climatic factors perceived by smallholder farmers were extreme heat or increasing temperature (RII=0.498), erratic rainfall (RII=0.485), and increased windstorms (RII=0.475). The critical non-climatic factors were high cost of farm inputs (RII=0.485), high cost of healthcare (RII=0.435), and poor condition of roads to farms (RII=0.415). Smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climatic and non-climatic factors were significantly affected by their socioeconomic characteristics (<em>P</em>&lt;0.05). This study concluded that these factors negatively impact the livelihoods and well-being of smallholder farmers and socioeconomic characteristics influence their perceptions of these factors. Therefore, to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change, it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive and context-specific approach that accounts for climatic and non-climatic factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 3","pages":"Article 100157"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357708","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":"Assessing the impact of climate change on agricultural production in central Afghanistan","authors":"Homayoon Raoufi ,&nbsp;Hamidreza Jafari ,&nbsp;Wakil Ahmad Sarhadi ,&nbsp;Esmail Salehi","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100156","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Afghanistan has faced extreme climatic crises such as drought, rising temperature, and scarce precipitation, and these crises will likely worsen in the future. Reduction in crop yield can affect food security in Afghanistan, where the majority of population and economy are completely dependent on agriculture. This study assessed the interaction between climate change and crop yield in Kabul of Afghanistan during the reference (1990–2020) and future (2025–2100) periods. Climate data (1990–2020) were collected from four meteorological stations and three local organizations, and wheat yield data (1990–2020) were acquired from the United States Agriculture Department. Data during the reference period (1990–2020) were used for the validation and calibration of the statistical downscaling models such as the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) and Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG). Furthermore, the auto-regression model was used for trend analysis. The results showed that an increase in the average annual temperature of 2.15°C, 2.89°C, and 4.13°C will lead to a reduction in the wheat yield of 9.14%, 10.20%, and 12.00% under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 during the future period (2025–2100), respectively. Moreover, an increase in the annual maximum temperature of 1.79°C, 2.48°C, and 3.74°C also causes a significant reduction in the wheat yield of 2.60%, 3.60%, and 10.50% under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5, respectively. Furthermore, an increase in the annual minimum temperature of 2.98°C, 2.23°C, and 4.30°C can result in an increase in the wheat yield of 6.50%, 4.80%, and 9.30% under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5, respectively. According to the SDSM, the decrease of the average monthly precipitation of 4.34%, 4.10%, and 5.13% results in a decrease in the wheat yield of 2.60%, 2.36%, and 3.18% under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5, respectively. This study suggests that adaptation strategies can be applied to minimize the consequences of climate change on agricultural production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 3","pages":"Article 100156"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357717","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":"Employment and development levels in rural areas of the Russian Federation","authors":"Guzel Salimova ,&nbsp;Gulnara Nigmatullina ,&nbsp;Gamir Habirov ,&nbsp;Alisa Ableeva ,&nbsp;Rasul Gusmanov","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100164","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100164","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of agro-industrial complex is important for ensuring national food security and national health. The development of rural areas is subject to the development of agriculture and local infrastructure, as well as the availability of various services. This study selected 15 indicators in 2021 to analyze the employment and development levels in rural areas of 71 regions of the Russian Federation using the analytical grouping method. The results indicated that 20 regions (Group 1) had the highest percentage of rural population (33.10%). The percentage of population engaged in agriculture had the highest value (12.40%) in 31 regions (Group 2). Moreover, 20 regions (Group 3) had the highest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget (11.80 USD/person). Increasing the investments in fixed assets carried out from the budget of the municipality can improve the employment level in rural areas. Then, we used cluster analysis to divide 14 regions of the Volga Federal District in the Russian Federation into 3 clusters. Cluster 1 covered Kirov Region and Republic of Mari El; Cluster 2 included Ulyanovsk Region, Saratov Region, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Perm Territory, Orenburg Region, Chuvash Region, and Republic of Mordovia; and Cluster 3 contained Republic of Tatarstan, Samara Region, Udmurtian Republic, Penza Region, and Republic of Bashkortostan. Results indicated that the 2 regions of Cluster 1 need to increase the availability of resources and natural gas and improve the investment attractiveness of rural areas. The 7 regions of Cluster 2 needed to develop infrastructure, public services, and agricultural production. We found the highest employment level in rural areas, the largest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget, the largest residential building area per 10,000 persons, and the largest individual residential building area in the 5 regions of Cluster 3. This study makes it possible to draw up a comprehensive regional development program and proves the need for the development of rural areas, which is especially important for the sustainable development of the Russian Federation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 3","pages":"Article 100164"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357623","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":"Green transformation paths of resource-based cities in China from the configuration perspective","authors":"Qunxi Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100158","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100158","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green transformation is an unavoidable choice for resource-based cities (RBCs) that face resource depletion and environmental pollution. Existing research has focused primarily on specific RBCs, making it challenging to apply green transformation strategies universally across cities. The fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is a combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses that can handle multiple concurrent causality problems and determine how different conditions combine into configurations and generate an outcome. Thus, to address this gap, in this study, we established a research framework for green transformation and utilized the fsQCA to examine the configurations of 113 RBCs in China. By incorporating the element of time, this study explored the dynamic evolution of solutions in 2013, 2016, and 2019. The main findings indicate that individual elements do not constitute the necessary conditions for improving the green transformation efficiency (GTE), and the systematic combination of multiple conditions is an effective path for realizing the improvement of the GTE in RBCs. Green transformation paths of RBCs exhibit the same destination through different paths. Additionally, the combination of system environment elements and system structure elements is both complementary and alternative. Differences in RBCs have led to various factor combinations and development paths, but there are some similarities in the key elements of the factor combinations at different stages. Economic environment, government support, and technological innovation are key factors that universally enhance the GTE in RBCs. These insights can assist city managers in formulating policies to drive green transformation and contribute to a better theoretical understanding of green transformation paths in RBCs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 3","pages":"Article 100158"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357709","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":"What are the underlying causes and dynamics of land use conflicts in metropolitan junction areas? A case study of the central Chengdu– Chongqing region in China","authors":"Tian Junfeng ,&nbsp;Wang Binyan ,&nbsp;Qiu Cheng ,&nbsp;Wang Shijun","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100161","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100161","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land use conflicts (LUCs), as a spatial manifestation of the conflicts in the human-land relationships, have a profound impact on regional sustainable development. For China’s metropolitan junction areas (MJAs), the existence of “administrative district economies” has made the issue of LUCs more prominent. Based on a case study of the central Chengdu–Chongqing region, we conducted an exploratory spatial data analysis of the evolutionary process of regional LUCs. Furthermore, structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the dynamic mechanism of LUCs in MJAs, with a particular emphasis on exploring the influences of administrative boundary. The results showed that from 2010 to 2020, LUCs in the central Chengdu–Chongqing region continued to worsen, and the spatial process conflict and spatial structure conflict indices increased by more than 30.0%. The intensification of LUCs in the central Chengdu–Chongqing region from 2010 to 2020 was mainly the result of the deterioration of conflicts in evaluation units with low conflict levels. LUCs in China’s metropolitan areas generally presented a circular gradient distribution, weakening from the core to the periphery, but there were some strong isolated conflict zones in the outer regions. LUCs in China’s MJAs were the result of interactions among multiple factors, e.g., natural environment, socio-economic development, policy and institutional processes, and administrative boundary effects. Administrative boundary affected the flow of socio-economic elements, changing the supply-and-demand competition of stakeholders for land resources, consequently exerting an indirect influence on LUCs. This study advances the theory of the dynamic mechanism of LUCs, and provides theoretical support for the governance of these conflicts in transboundary areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 3","pages":"Article 100161"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357719","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 influencing factors of urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin, China","authors":"Xiaomei Ji ,&nbsp;Zhilei Nie ,&nbsp;Kaiyong Wang ,&nbsp;Mingxian Xu ,&nbsp;Yuhao Fang","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100159","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Yellow River Basin of China is a key region that contains myriad interactions between human activities and natural environment. Industrialization and urbanization promote social-economic development, but they also have generated a series of environmental and ecological issues in this basin. Previous researches have evaluated urban resilience at the national, regional, urban agglomeration, city, and prefecture levels, but not at the watershed level. To address this research gap and elevate the Yellow River Basin’s urban resilience level, we constructed an urban resilience evaluation index system from five dimensions: industrial resilience, social resilience, environmental resilience, technological resilience, and organizational resilience. The entropy weight method was used to comprehensively evaluate urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin. The exploratory spatial data analysis method was employed to study the spatiotemporal differences in urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin in 2010, 2015, and 2020. Furthermore, the grey correlation analysis method was utilized to explore the influencing factors of these differences. The results of this study are as follows: (1) the overall level of urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin was relatively low but showed an increasing trend during 2010–2015, and significant spatial distribution differences were observed, with a higher resilience level in the eastern region and a low-medium resilience level in the western region; (2) the differences in urban resilience were noticeable, with industrial resilience and social resilience being relatively highly developed, whereas organizational resilience and environmental resilience were relatively weak; and (3) the correlation ranking of resilience influencing factors was as follows: science and technology level&gt;administrative power&gt;openness&gt;market forces. This research can provide a basis for improving the resilience level of cities in the Yellow River Basin and contribute to the high-quality development of the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 3","pages":"Article 100159"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357687","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":"Preserving environmental quality of ecotourism sites through community participation in Purulia District of West Bengal, India","authors":"Piyall Chatterjee,&nbsp;Soumyendra Kishore Datta","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The importance of valuing environmental resources, especially in ecotourism sites, has become increasingly important over the last two decades. Ecotourism is now considered as an important source of livelihood of local stakeholders in backward regions. Therefore, the preservation of ecotourism sites through community participation seems very important to maintain continued flow of tourists. This study aimed at recognizing the importance of community participation for the preservation of ecotourism sites. For this, this study executed a survey based on non-probability sampling in two ecotourism sites (Garpanchkot and Baranti) covering 100 respondents in Purulia District, West Bengal of India. The central issue of this study was to assess the tendency of community participation for the conservation of ecotourism sites and find the optimum condition for offering participatory labour time. This study showed that the participation of young people is high, and the majority of respondents are aware of the importance in protecting ecotourism sites. Because respondents were too poor to offer money, the contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to elicit their willingness to pay (WTP) participatory labour time for the conservation of ecotourism sites. Respondents’ age, income, education level, caste, and their perceived environmental quality had significant relationship with their WTP participatory labour time by applying the ordinary least square (OLS) model. It was found that the mean WTP participatory labour time of each respondent in a month is approximately 3.64 h. The significance of this study is that community participation can improve the sense of belonging, trust, and credibility of ecotourism sites, making them more appreciative of the value and protection of these sites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 3","pages":"Article 100163"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142357721","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":"A systematic review of climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, and policy development in West Africa","authors":"Camillus Abawiera Wongnaa ,&nbsp;Alex Amoah Seyram ,&nbsp;Suresh Babu","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100137","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100137","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Climate change studies are diverse with no single study giving a comprehensive review of climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, and policy development in West Africa. The unavailability of an all-inclusive study to serve as a guide for practitioners affects the effectiveness of climate change adaptation strategies proposed and adopted in the West African sub-region. The purpose of this study was to review the impacts of climate change risks on the crop, fishery, and livestock sectors, as well as the climate change adaptation strategies and climate-related policies aimed at helping to build resilient agricultural production systems in West Africa. The review process followed a series of rigorous stages until the final selection of 56 articles published from 2009 to 2023. Generally, the results highlighted the adverse effects of climate change risks on food security. We found a continuous decline in food crop production. Additionally, the livestock sector experienced morbidity and mortality, as well as reduction in meat and milk production. The fishery sector recorded loss of fingerlings, reduction in fish stocks, and destruction of mariculture and aquaculture. In West Africa, climate-smart agriculture technologies, physical protection of fishing, and inclusion of gender perspectives in programs appear to be the major adaptation strategies. The study therefore recommends the inclusion of ecosystem and biodiversity restoration, weather insurance, replacement of unsafe vessels, and strengthening gender equality in all climate change mitigation programs, as these will help to secure enough food for present and future generations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666660X24000367/pdfft?md5=36b01c936c61e1af99f8b0d8016206f8&pid=1-s2.0-S2666660X24000367-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141961681","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":"A cross-cultural study of sustainable nutrition and its environmental impact in Asia and Europe: A comparison of China and Germany","authors":"Birgit Anika Rumpold ,&nbsp;Lingxiao Sun ,&nbsp;Nina Langen ,&nbsp;Ruide Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and health crises necessitate a shift towards sustainable diets. Incorporating sustainability into food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) is essential for this shift, and cultural considerations also play a vital role, as food culture significantly influences dietary habits. Considering that Asia and Europe exhibit distinct food cultures, tailored approaches are necessary. Additionally, countries face diverse nutritional challenges, ranging from malnutrition to diet-related diseases, and regional variation in environmental impact necessitates context-specific strategies. Achieving sustainable nutrition depends on understanding cultural influences and regional dynamics. This paper compares China’s and Germany’s dietary guidelines and dietary patterns and their impact on sustainability. It shows that Chinese and German FBDGs only slightly differ, despite the different eating cultures and habits of each country. Alone the recommended amounts for eggs and fish are considerably higher in China than in Germany. However, in both China and Germany, actual dietary patterns deviate from the dietary guidelines. In China, concomitant with economic growth and urbanization, a dietary shift towards increased consumption of animal products and decreased consumption of vegetables and cereals has been observed in the last decades, which has led to a decline in nutritional deficiencies but an increase in obesity and overweight. Obesity and overweight are also on the rise in Germany. A dietary shift could therefore also be beneficial for public health. While following the respective national guidelines would benefit the environment, alternative diets such as a plant-based diet offer even lower environmental footprint. Revising guidelines to prioritize sustainability in addition to health aspects while considering regional contexts and cultural preferences is recommended to foster sustainable eating habits globally. This approach is pivotal for promoting dietary shift towards sustainability on a global scale.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100136"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666660X24000355/pdfft?md5=2b8403a023150ddb8448435e41d2b14a&pid=1-s2.0-S2666660X24000355-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141961776","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":"Assessing the role of forest resources in improving rural livelihoods in West Bengal of India","authors":"Soumen Bisui ,&nbsp;Pravat Kumar Shit","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100141","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100141","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Forest resources play a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of rural communities residing in forest-rich areas. In India, a forest-rich country, a significant proportion of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is consumed locally, supporting numerous rural communities relying on forests for essential resources, such as firewood, timber, and NTFPs. This study focuses on two forest-dominant districts in West Bengal of India, namely, Jhargram District and Paschim Medinipur District. Furthermore, this study aims to enhance the understanding of forest-dependent communities by comparing the standard of living among different village classes. Thus, we categorized villages into three classes based on the distance from home to forests, including inner villages, fringe villages, and outer villages. Through focus group discussions and household surveys, we explored the sources of local economy, income sources of household, and reasons for economic diversification in different village classes. The study findings confirm that substantial variations existed in the income sources and the standard of living in these villages. Forest income varied dramatically among the three village classes, with inner villages having greater forest income than fringe villages and outer villages. Meanwhile, households in outer villages depended on forests and engaged in diverse economic activities for their livelihoods. Compared with inner and fringe villages, households in outer villages derived a significant portion of their income from livestock. This discrepancy can be attributed to challenges, such as inadequate transportation, communication, and underdeveloped market chains in inner villages. Moreover, these findings emphasize the need to develop sustainable forest management practices, create alternative income-generation opportunities, and improve infrastructure and market access in inner villages, as well as promote economic diversification in outer villages. Through targeted policy measures, these forest-rich regions can achieve improved livelihoods, enhanced standard of living, and increased resilience for their communities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"5 2","pages":"Article 100141"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666660X24000409/pdfft?md5=651ba0ccbc27b77afb6df4fa8ab4bf96&pid=1-s2.0-S2666660X24000409-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141961781","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}