Geography and Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Associations between individuals’ daily carbon footprints and exposures to air pollution, noise, and greenspace in space and time","authors":"Jianwei Huang ,&nbsp;Mei-Po Kwan","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To mitigate the catastrophic impacts of climate change, many measures and strategies have been designed and implemented to encourage people to change their daily behaviors for a low-carbon society transition. However, most people generate carbon emissions through their daily activities in space and time. They are also exposed to multiple environmental factors (e.g., air pollution, noise, and greenspace). Changing people’s behaviors to reduce carbon emissions can also influence their multiple environmental exposures and further influence their health outcomes. Thus, this study seeks to examine the associations between individuals’ daily carbon footprints and their exposures to multiple environmental factors (i.e., air pollution, noise, and greenspace) across different spatial and temporal contexts using individual-level data collected by portable real-time sensors, an activity-travel diary, and a questionnaire from four communities in Hong Kong. The results first indicated that individuals’ carbon footprints of daily activities varied across different spatial and temporal contexts, with home and nighttime having the highest estimated carbon footprints. We also found that activity carbon footprints have a positive association with PM_2.5, which is particularly strong at home and from morning to nighttime, and mixed associations with noise (positive at home and nighttime, while negative in other places and during travel, from morning to afternoon). Besides, carbon footprints also have consistent negative associations with shrubland and woodland across different spatial and temporal contexts. The findings can provide essential insights into effective measures for promoting the transition to a low-carbon society .</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100260"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling human impacts on global Key Biodiversity Areas: Assessing disturbance and fragmentation to inform conservation strategies","authors":"Runjia Yang ,&nbsp;Xinyu Dong ,&nbsp;Suchen Xu ,&nbsp;Xiaoya Li ,&nbsp;Kechao Wang ,&nbsp;Yanmei Ye ,&nbsp;Wu Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective preservation of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) is crucial to address biodiversity loss. Human-induced disturbance in these vital sites can exacerbate species extinction and challenge the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). This study delves into the human disturbance and protection in terrestrial KBAs worldwide, focusing particularly on habitat fragmentation to devise tailored conservation strategies. Our results reveal widespread human disturbance across global KBAs, with an average Human Footprint Index of 12.3 and a disturbance rate of 62 %. Only one-fifth of KBAs are fully safeguarded by protected areas, and a significant portion remains unprotected, with even many highly protected sites under severe disturbance. Globally, human activities have led to substantial implicit habitat fragmentation in KBAs, resulting in a 70 % average decline in habitat size, with less than half of KBAs maintaining well-connected active habitats. These findings inform the classification of KBAs for priority conservation, with 80 % requiring both intensity regulation and spatial planning of human activities. Higher levels of human disturbance do not necessarily lead to more severe fragmentation, underscoring the potential for relocating or planning human activities to mitigate fragmentation. This research serves as a foundational assessment of human impacts on KBAs, providing a basis for KBA management and global conservation efforts to meet GBF goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100259"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing agricultural sustainability: Optimizing crop planting structures and spatial layouts within the water-land-energy-economy-environment-food nexus","authors":"Haowei Wu ,&nbsp;Zhihui Li ,&nbsp;Xiangzheng Deng ,&nbsp;Zhe Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100258","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100258","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the new phase of sustainable development, agriculture is seeking sustainable management of the water-land-energy-economy-environment-food nexus. At present, there are few studies on optimizing crop planting structure and analyzing its spatial layout with consideration of natural and socio-economic factors. Herein, we proposed a framework for addressing this issue. In this framework, the NSGA-II algorithm was used to construct the multi-objective optimization model of crop planting structures with consideration of water and energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, economic benefits, as well as food, land, and water security constraints, while the model for planting spatial layout optimization was established with consideration of crop suitability using the MaxEnt model and the improved Hungarian algorithm. This framework was further applied in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China (BSRNC) for analyzing optimized crop planting structures and spatial layouts of three main crops (rice, maize, and soybean) under various scenarios. This study showed that the sown area of rice in the BSRNC decreased by up to 40.73 % and 35.30 % in the environmental priority scenario and economic-environmental balance scenario, respectively, whereas that of soybean increased by up to 112.44 % and 63.31 %, respectively. In the economic priority scenario, the sown area of rice increased by up to 93.98 %. Expanding the sown area of soybean was effective in reducing GHG emissions. On the contrary, rice production led to greater environmental costs though it provided higher economic returns. Among the three crops, maize exhibited an advantage in balancing environmental and economic benefits. Hegang-Jixi area in the northeast of the BSRNC was identified as the key area with the most intense crop planting transfer among different scenarios. Overall, this framework provides a new methodology for optimizing crop planting structures and spatial layouts with consideration of the nexus of various factors. Moreover, the case study demonstrates the applicability and expansion potential of the framework in the fields of sustainable agricultural development and food security assurance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100258"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143767919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the evolution and trade-off within a socio-ecological system in karst regions: A case study of Huanjiang County, China","authors":"Jing Tan ,&nbsp;Li Peng ,&nbsp;Wenxin Wu ,&nbsp;Huijuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Chao Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100256","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Economic development, food security, and ecological preservation are important issues encountered by karst regions. Faced with complex natural and social dynamics, we attempted to explore how interdependence within socio-ecological system (SES) shaped sustainability in this region. A SES framework was constructed and three scenarios were predesigned: economic priority scenario, food security scenario, and ecological protection scenario. The System Dynamics model was used to simulate and forecast the evolution across various scenarios within the SES from 2005 to 2035. Through the Production-Possibility Frontiers in combined scenarios, trade-off potential was identified and quantified. The results showed that the decoupling between social and ecological subsystems can be weaken in economic priority scenario, while coupling between them can be strengthen in food security scenario and ecological protection scenario. Within the SES, combined scenario analyses further suggest that the rocky desertification rate and the urban-rural income ratio exhibit the least trade-off potential and intensity in combined economic priority scenario and ecological protection scenario, and the Soil Conservation and Food Supply demonstrate the least trade-off potential and intensity in combined economic priority scenario and food security scenario. We can conclude the ecological engineering plays a significant role in alleviating trade-offs within the SES, but the effectiveness is limited. In light of intertwined socio-ecological challenges, combining ecological engineering with adaptive adjustments is a crucial strategy to enhance SES resilience and promote sustainable development in the South China Karst.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100256"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dissecting the natural and human drivers of urban thermal resilience across climates","authors":"Renlu Qiao ,&nbsp;Tao Wu ,&nbsp;Zexu Zhao ,&nbsp;Shuo Gao ,&nbsp;Ting Yang ,&nbsp;Chenyang Duan ,&nbsp;Shiqi Zhou ,&nbsp;Xiaochang Liu ,&nbsp;Li Xia ,&nbsp;Xi Meng ,&nbsp;Lei Jin ,&nbsp;Zhiyu Liu ,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100255","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of current global warming, understanding urban thermal resilience (UTR) dynamics across different climatic zones is crucial. This study aims to examine the complex interactions among urban morphology, green-blue infrastructure, and climate factors affecting UTR. Moving beyond traditional methods that compare urban and rural thermal differences, our research innovatively measures UTR by evaluating urban disturbances caused by extreme thermal events. To improve accuracy and reliability, we utilize an AI-powered Monte Carlo Simulation framework. Our findings emphasize the critical role of blue-green spaces in boosting UTR, whereas urban morphology often has a suppressive impact. Additionally, atmospheric humidity is identified as a critical factor affecting UTR. The study interestingly finds varied climatic responses: dense urban areas enhance resilience in arid and cold regions but reduce it in tropical and temperate zones. These findings highlight the need for a balance between sustainable urban living and infrastructure development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100255"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How does urbanization evolve heterogeneously in urbanized, urbanizing, and rural areas of China? Insights from ecosystem service value","authors":"Yikun Zhang ,&nbsp;Yongsheng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100254","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100254","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid population and land urbanization not only promoted economic development but also affected the ecosystem service value (ESV). In the context of new-type urbanization and green development, it’s essential to investigate the impacts of urbanization on ESV in China. However, a comprehensive and dynamic framework to reveal the relationship between ESV and urbanization processes is lacking. This study adopted multi-source datasets to portray China’s urbanization process by integrating population, land, and economic urbanization, evaluated the ESV changes of 10 categories by gross ecosystem product (GEP) methods, and explored ESV changes within different urbanization scales and speeds. The results showed rapid urbanization in the population, land, and economic dimensions in China, with a faster process of economic urbanization. The ESV also exhibited an increasing trend, with higher levels in the southeastern coastal regions and lower levels in the northwestern regions. Urbanization had positive impacts on ESV across various research units, but the ESV exhibited heterogeneous changes across different urbanization scales, speeds, and their interactive effects. The response of ESV to dynamic urbanization processes was influenced by socio-economic, ecological, and policy factors; it is essential to combine targeted measures with general ecological product value realization methods in each unit to maximize social-economic-ecological benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100254"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial mismatch between in-situ conservation and diversity hotspots of Chinese native useful vascular plants","authors":"Siqing Zhao ,&nbsp;Yinkun Guo ,&nbsp;Xiang Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100252","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.100252","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China boasts over 10,000 native useful vascular plants (NUVPs), spanning eight families and serving twelve distinct uses. Given the importance of NUVPs, widely-confirmed in-situ conservation policies, such as establishing nature reserves, have been broadly implemented to protect them. However, the effectiveness of in-situ conservation efforts for NUVPs in China remains uncertain. Highlighting the importance of multi-family and multi-use plants, this research identified the spatial distribution pattern and diversity hotspots of NUVPs, evaluated the in-situ conservation effectiveness and provided the future conservation priority scheme. The results revealed that the spatial concentration of NUVPs is predominantly in the southwestern lowlands of China (&lt; 3,000 m), peaking around 109°E and 25°N. Importantly, diversity hotspots exhibited a significant spatial mismatch (over 80 %) with the National Nature Reserve (NNR) network. Only about 17.7 % and 13.3 % of these hotspots are protected by NNR initiatives for endemic and nonendemic species, respectively. Additionally, the proposed Plants Conservation Effectiveness Index (PCEI) proved more representative in addressing the two main crises faced by the studied species—species loss and human pressure, and found a decline in conservation effectiveness as the number of uses increased. Finally, future conservation priorities based on the PCEI highlight the Nanling Mountains, Hengduan Mountains, Jiuwandashan, and Qilian Mountains as highly prioritized regions requiring focused efforts to address the impacts of climate change. Conversely, in sparsely distributed regions experiencing increasing human pressure, it is imperative to mitigate the expanding human footprint.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100252"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global meta-analysis reveals different grazing management strategies change greenhouse gas emissions and global warming potential in grasslands","authors":"Lingfan Wan ,&nbsp;Guohua Liu ,&nbsp;Xukun Su","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.09.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.09.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grazing management significantly influences greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the global warming potential (GWP) in grasslands. Yet, a limited understanding of the impact of grazing and grazing exclusion on GHG emissions and GWP in grasslands hinders progress towards grassland ecosystem sustainability and GHG mitigation. We conducted a global meta-analysis of 75 published studies to investigate the effects of grazing and grazing exclusion on methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and GWP. Our results revealed that grazing and grazing exclusion significantly increased the CO₂ and CH₄ emissions, respectively. The responses of GHG emissions and GWP to grazing were regulated by grazing intensity and elevation. We also found that light grazing significantly decreased GWP but heavy grazing increased GWP. Reducing grazing intensity was a simple and effective method through stocking rate adjustment, which promised a large GHG mitigation potential. Our results demonstrated that GHG emissions increased with elevation under grassland grazing, implying that irrational grazing in high-elevation grasslands promoted GHG emissions. In comparison with grazing, only long-term grazing exclusion reduced the GWP, and CH₄ emissions enhanced with grazing exclusion duration. However, long-term grazing exclusion may shift economic demand and grazing burden to other areas. Overall, we suggested that regulating the grazing intensity, rather than grazing exclusion, was an effective way to reduce GHG emissions. Our study contributed to the enhancement of sustainable grazing management practices for GHG balance and GWP in global grasslands, and offered a global picture for understanding the changes in GHG emissions and GWP under different grazing management regimes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100251"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping human footprint changes over Qingzang Plateau","authors":"Jia Zhou ,&nbsp;Ning Wu ,&nbsp;Tao Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.09.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mapping human footprint (HF) is crucial for understanding the cumulative anthropogenic pressures on the environment. However, its effectiveness is often hampered by the absence of fine-scale, high-quality spatio-temporal datasets. Addressing this gap, we present the first annual HF maps for the Qingzang Plateau (QP) from 1990 to 2020, at a 100 m × 100 m resolution, boasting an accuracy exceeding 80 %. Our findings reveal that the QP’s human-induced modifications were relatively low, with a median HF of 3.39 in 2020, significantly lower than the global average of 7.56. The northeast and mid-south regions of the QP emerged as hotspots for anthropogenic impact. Notably, over two-thirds (68.2 %) of the QP registered an HF score below 4, classifying them as largely intact. However, the QP’s average HF score has escalated more swiftly than the global mean (0.0348/yr vs. 0.0186/yr), particularly in the last decade, indicating escalating human pressures. In terms of stability, montane grasslands and shrublands comprised 75.1 % of moderately or highly altered biomes in 2020. In contrast, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests witnessed the most substantial HF increases. Encouragingly, 26.29 % of the QP experienced HF reductions over the past thirty years, highlighting potential conservation opportunities. Conversely, a significant HF increase across 36.59 % of the QP underscores the pressing need to mitigate the adverse effects of intensified human activities. Our HF maps will be conducive to improve understanding the profound impacts wrought by human activities on the QP, and support the conservation planning and resource management needs, as well as decision-making related to restoration objectives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100249"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated outcomes of large-scale ecological restoration projects on biodiversity–eco-environment–society in China","authors":"Yi Wang ,&nbsp;Changning Liu ,&nbsp;Biying Liu ,&nbsp;Tien Ming Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.09.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2024.09.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China has executed large-scale ecological restoration projects (ERPs) to meet the goals of environmental protection and economic development. Yet, the integrated outcomes of these projects on the biodiversity–eco-environment–society dimensions remain unclear, but when available could be insightful for adaptation and adjustments, particularly in this United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). Based on multi-source data, we identified the categories and quantities of large-scale ERP implementation in the county-level. By comparing the time-series multiple factors of implemented vs unimplemented counties, we quantify the contributions and compare the relative effects of up to six different ERPs. Combining random forest, spatial autocorrelation, and network analysis, we explore the key factors that affect the contributions of ERPs. Here, we show that the triple dimensions in the low ERP group (regions implementing 0–2 projects) produced better outcomes than the high ERP group (regions implementing 3–5 projects) in relatively developed regions, while the high ERP group has more gains than the low ERP group in relatively less-developed regions. Notably, regional characteristics and different social assets mediate the ERP contributions, while human capital and financial capital have important roles. Overall, the ERPs generated positive contributions and could increase the network stability of multi-dimensions in relatively less-developed regions, but it may lead to imbalances in some factors (i.e., mammal species conservation, and human capital). To continue to minimize the negative effects from past, and to improve the returns of ERP policy and investments, more timely and adaptive management of ERPs are needed, especially in relatively less-developed regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100243"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}