Indicators of marine ecosystem integrity for Canada's Pacific: An expert-based hierarchical approach

Comprehensive partitions and optimisation strategies based on tourism urbanisation and resources environment carrying capacity in the Yellow River Basin, China

A better understanding of the spatial coordination relationship between tourism urbanisation and resources environment carrying capacity (RECC) is vital for the regional selection of key eco-liveable tourist cities in the Yellow River Basin. This study addressed this research issue by evaluating and partitioning tourism urbanisation level and RECC of the Yellow River Basin in 2005, 2011, and 2018 using a geographic information system (GIS) technology, spatial autocorrelation model, and partition method. Empirical results suggest that the tourism urbanisation level of Shaanxi Province maintains its leading position, while Shanxi Province has great development potential. The high-value areas of RECC are concentrated in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong provinces. The degree of spatial agglomeration of the tourism urbanisation level and RECC has been improved. The RECC exhibits a greater restrictive effect on the current high-level areas of tourism urbanisation, and the spatial correspondence between them is weak. Based on the findings of this study, a series of optimisation strategies have been proposed to promote the sustainable development of tourism urbanisation in the Yellow River Basin.

A common typology for ecosystem characteristics and ecosystem condition variables

The UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EEA) aims at regular and standardised stocktaking on the extent of ecosystems, their condition and the services they provide to society. Recording the condition of ecosystems is one of the most complex pieces in this exercise, needing to be supported by robust and consistent guidelines. SEEA EEA defines the condition of an ecosystem as its overall quality, measured in terms of quantitative metrics describing both abiotic and biotic characteristics. The main objective of this paper is to propose a simple universal classification (typology) for these ecosystem condition characteristics and metrics, based on long standing ecological concepts and traditions.

The proposed SEEA EEA Ecosystem Condition Typology (SEEA ECT) is a hierarchical classification consisting of six classes grouped into three main groups (abiotic, biotic and landscape-level ecosystem characteristics). In order to facilitate practical applications, SEEA ECT is cross-linked to the most relevant existing typologies for ecosystem characteristics currently used for other purposes. To ensure clarity and practicality, we identified potential overlaps between classes and also identified the most important groups of ‘ancillary data’ that should not be considered as ecosystem condition characteristics. We consider that this new typology for ecosystem condition will create a meaningful reporting structure for ecosystem condition accounts, thus facilitating its standardisation and broad application.

Beauty and the reef: Evaluating the use of non-expert ratings for monitoring aesthetic values of coral reefs

Aesthetic values are a key driver of tourist and recreational visitation to natural areas and are listed among the selection criteria for World Heritage properties. However, assessment and monitoring of aesthetic values in natural areas, and coral reefs in particular, have proven to be challenging. In our study we explored the value and limitations of a rapid assessment approach involving non-expert ratings of aesthetic beauty as a potential tool for long-term monitoring of aesthetic values in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia. We investigated the sensitivity of a rating scale for detecting change and sampling requirements for monitoring, as well as observer biases, using an online survey of 1417 Australians in which respondents rated the aesthetic beauty of 181 coral reef images on a ten-point scale. Our results show average aesthetic rating scores ranged from 4.35 to 8.34 on a scale from 1 (ugly) to 10 (beautiful), with potential to detect differences of statistical significance within one point, indicating sufficient sensitivity to change for monitoring purposes. We found that a sample size of c.100 ratings per image provided a reasonable balance between cost (i.e. sample size) and accuracy (i.e. error). Older respondents (>65 years) with higher levels of coral reef visitation, experience and interest were more likely to give extreme ratings, however, there was no apparent predictor for this bias to be positive or negative (high or low ratings). Based on these results we provide recommendations to assist coral reef managers in their use and interpretation of non-expert aesthetic ratings in coral reef monitoring.

Evaluation of resources and environmental carrying capacity of 36 large cities in China based on a support-pressure coupling mechanism

Resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is an important foundation for the long-term development of cities. The accurate evaluation of the RECC of cities is of great significance to China, which is rapidly urbanizing. This paper constructs a support index and pressure index to calculate the level of support resources and the level of environmental pressure that human activities induce in 36 municipalities, provincial capitals and subprovincial cities in China from 2010 to 2016; in addition, this paper analyzes the factors affecting RECC. The results show that (1) the support index of most cities (32) is greater than the pressure index, demonstrating that the resource and environmental carrying capacity of most cities is stronger than the pressure of human social activities. (2) The RECC of first-line, super large cities is of concern; the RECCs of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have already been exceeded. (3) The resources, the environmental services and the pressure of human activities on those services in most cities are average, while the resource, the environmental services and the pressure of human activities on those services are greater in a few developed cities (such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, etc.). (4) The ability of resources and the environment to support human activities in China's large cities exhibited a downward trend. The pressure of human social activities on urban resources and the environment is increasing, but the growth rate of that pressure has slowed. (5) Area of land used for urban construction, the area of urban green space and length of city sewage pipes and other resource indicators are common obstacles to the improvement of most cities' pressure indexes. Water shortage is a common problem faced by first-tier cities in China. This study supports a comprehensive understanding of China's large-scale RECC status and provides a reference for the formulation of a scientific and pragmatic urban development strategy.