How can an ecological compensation threshold be determined? A discriminant model integrating the minimum data approach and the most appropriate land use scenarios

Analysis of the Kuznets curve relationship between economic development and ecological environment in Aba Prefecture

BACKGROUND

The Yangtze and Yellow River basins play a critical role in China's economic and social development as well as ecological security. As a key ecological barrier in the upper reaches of these rivers, Aba Prefecture has faced questions about whether its economic development after the 2008 earthquake has impacted its ecological environment.

OBJECTIVE

This study uses the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) to analyze the relationship and characteristics between per capita GDP and the ecological environment in Aba Prefecture from 2010 to 2021. The aim is to provide scientific evidence for promoting the coordinated development of the economy and environment.

METHODS

The analysis employed the ADF test, Engle-Granger cointegration analysis, and correlation tests on the data. Finally, regression curve fitting was used to derive the relationship between per capita GDP and key environmental indicators in Aba Prefecture.

RESULTS

Per capita GDP in Aba Prefecture is highly negatively correlated with industrial wastewater discharge, highly positively correlated with domestic sewage discharge, positively correlated with industrial solid waste generation, and uncorrelated with industrial dust emissions. There exists a long-term equilibrium relationship between per capita GDP and both industrial wastewater discharge and industrial solid waste generation, indicating mutual influence and co-variation over time. The EKC curve in Aba Prefecture does not fully align with the traditional EKC model. Specifically, the relationship between per capita GDP and industrial wastewater discharge exhibits an "N" shape, while the relationships with industrial solid waste generation and domestic sewage discharge are linear and upward. There is no relationship between per capita GDP and industrial dust emissions.

CONCLUSION

The relationship between the economy and the environment in Aba Prefecture exhibits a certain level of complexity. To achieve a long-term win-win outcome of both economic growth and environmental protection, it is essential to further deepen the transformation of the industrial structure, strengthen environmental governance measures, and optimize policy implementation.

Ecological compensation mechanism controlled by both river ecological water demand and regional water rights

River ecological protection and rational utilization of water resources provide an important support for the sustainable development for human beings and nature. In view of the lack of ecological compensation research on river ecological water demand and socio-economic water demand, a mechanism and methodology for ecological compensation based on the synergistic control of river ecological water demand and river water rights allocation is proposed. The variable monthly flow method and the improved dynamic calculation method are applied to obtain the river basic and suitable ecological water demands as the river protection threshold. A two-layer decision model for water rights allocation is established, which realizes the cascading allocation of initial water rights from city to counties to sectors, and the socio-economic water usage threshold for each level is obtained based on the model. Developing compensation discrimination guidelines under the dual-threshold synergistic control and using the unilateral water resources value by sub-sector as the compensation standard, realize the quantification and sharing of compensation funds. The Nanyang section of the Bai River basin in China is used as an example. The ecological compensation value for wet year (2011), normal year (2012), and dry years (2014-2013) are 0, 15.09 × 108 and 12.04 × 108 (average value for dry years) RMB. The adoption of suitable ecological water demand thresholds in 2012 increases the ecological protection requirements thus leading to an internal compensation situation between Nanyang County and Xinye County. From 2014 to 2016, river runoff continued to be low, and excessive water intake from upstream lead to a chain of compensation situations in the midstream and downstream. It is essential to establish a basin and regionally nested ecological compensation mechanism. The research results are conducive to improving the eco-compensation theory and provide scientific references for water resources management and high-quality development in the basin.

Dynamic pollution management strategies and coordination in aquatic product supply chain under eco-compensation: Perspective of extreme weather crisis

The ecological compensation mechanism emerges as a solution to reduce pollution for aquatic product supply chain. To comprehend the dynamic pollution management strategies and coordination under the ecological compensation mechanism, this study develops a stochastic differential game between farmers and firms from the perspective of extreme weather crisis. The subjects' optimal decisions are explored in three cases including cooperative case, noncooperative case, and land transfer-cost sharing contract case. Then we simulate theoretical results and illustrate a case study to demonstrate the applicability of ecological compensation collaboration. The results indicate that the extreme weather crisis changes the evolutionary trend and steady state of pollution accumulation. Moreover, the land transfer-cost sharing contract could realize the Pareto improvement in high-risk environment especially after the crisis. But its coordination relies on the ecological compensation coefficient, which gets larger with the interval of [4.9,6.3] after the crisis, compared to the range of [4,5.4] before the crisis. Notably, the contract and ecological compensation mechanism exhibit a complementary relationship in response to the crisis. The findings could provide new inspirations for aquatic product supply chain to balance production and environmental protection.

Quantification and sensitivity assessment of Chinese provincial ecological compensation in the perspective of carbon deficit redistribution

The ecological compensation mechanism is a tool for managing regional development and promoting the green economy. This paper proposes a revised model for carbon emissions and absorption based on IPCC, then analyses the spatial and temporal variations of carbon emissions, absorption, and deficit in 31 provinces of China from 2001 to 2019. A model was developed to redistribute carbon deficits and compensate for ecological imbalances, with the aim of eliminating background differences between regions. The concept of ecological compensation sensitivity was proposed, and a redundancy analysis (RDA) was conducted to detect possible influencing factors. Results indicate that: (1) The carbon deficits were relatively substantial in the centre and developed coastal regions, which were the subject regions of China's ecological compensation. Meanwhile, the northwest and southwest regions were the object regions of ecological compensation, and the compensated object regions tended to extend towards the southeast. The majority of compensated subject areas are generally less sensitive than compensated object regions. (2) The graph of carbon deficit volume over time shows that China's two carbon targets are closely aligned. The distribution of China's ecological compensation amounts follows the pattern of provincial economic development levels, with higher compensation amounts concentrated in the central and coastal regions. There is a positive correlation between GDP, year, and population size with carbon emission and carbon deficit. Additionally, there is a positive correlation between year, region, and carbon absorption. (3) This compensation model can strongly incentivise the compensation subject area to proactively adjust its economic development model to cope with the significant compensation pressure. Additionally, it can fully encourage the compensation recipient area to continue adhering to the green economic development model. The conclusions of the study hold significant reference value for promoting the development of a green, low-carbon economy.

Understanding ecological civilization in China: From political context to science

China's concept of "ecological civilization" can be understood as a new system of development and governance based on the perspective of political decision-making. Environmental management, ecological restoration, and green development are its primary principles-distinctly different from industrial and agricultural-oriented civilizations. In this paper, we evaluate the evolution of political connotations of the ecological civilization concept in China over the past 15 years through a textual analysis approach. Additionally, we systematically outline an ecological civilization indicator system and analyze its evolutionary process, applicable scales, and role in guiding the implementation of the ecological civilization concept. Eco-civilization demonstration sites and experiences are also discussed, followed by a review of academic research and policy-making responses. Finally, we propose different perspectives on the outlook for the future of ecological civilization development in China.

Multifunctional trade-off and compensation mechanism of arable land under the background of rural revitalization: a case study in the West Mountain Regions of Hubei Province

Exploring the spatial relationship and ecological compensation mechanism of each function of arable land in poor mountainous areas is important to promote rural revitalization and enhance arable land protection. Taking the mountainous region of Western Hubei (MRWH) as an example, this study quantified the "three living" functions of arable land and its secondary functions. Using the root mean square deviation method to calculate the trade-off index, a quantitative method can more scientifically reflect the trade-off relationship between arable land functions and measure the overall ecological compensation. Studies have shown that (1) the value of the production function exhibits a growing and subsequently a falling trend, whereas the value of living function and ecological function exhibits an increasing trend over time, with an average functional value of 5310, 220 and 6496 million yuan, respectively. The spatial pattern of the "three living" functional values decreases from west to east. Among them, water conservation and soil conservation function values show a high distribution in the south and low in the north, gas purification and agricultural pollution functional values show a scattered spatial pattern, and the value of other functions shows an increasing trend from southeast to northwest; (2) among the primary functions, the trade-off between production and ecological functions is the strongest, decreasing, and then increasing over time, with an average trade-off index of 0.89. Among the secondary functions, there is the most obvious trade-off between the food supply function and the five ecological functions, which requires coordination; (3) overall, the total amount of ecological compensation has shown an upward trend, with priority areas for level I ecological compensation increasing year by year. Optimized compensation zones and potential compensation zones are concentrated in the northwest, ecological balance zones are located in the central part, and optimized development compensation zones and key development compensation zones are located in the southeast. According to the research, MRWH is oriented to ecological function, followed by the production function, supplemented by the living function. Green agriculture should be vigorously developed and ecological function space should be compressed by strictly limiting the excessive expansion of production activities. Promoting the improvement of production function through ecological function, while exploring the potential value of living function. Ecological compensation in strict accordance with the priority of ecological compensation, zoning. Realizing cross-regional cooperation, low compensation areas drive high compensation areas to achieve sustainable development of arable land.

Analysis of spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors of soil erosion in the Jiangnan Hills red soil zone, China

Soil erosion is an important environmental problem in China. The hilly region of Jiangnan is characterized by severe soil erosion due to its unique climate and intensive human activities. Therefore, assessing soil erosion in this area is of great significance for achieving regional sustainable development. Based on the spatial zoning of natural resources and the spatial differences in precipitation, land cover, topographic features, and soil texture, we estimated soil erosion from 2000 to 2020 using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. The study showed that micro-erosion dominates spatially in the subtropical forest subzone of the eastern hills, accounting for more than 60% of the total erosion area. Intense erosion was found in woodlands and grasslands and the erosion intensity tended to be lower in the plains. Erosion occurred mainly in areas with slopes >8°. The areas with significantly lower erosion were mainly distributed at the boundaries between forests, arable land, and artificial land surfaces. The areas where soil erosion significantly increased over the study period were mainly found in farmland areas (31.70%). Soil erosion occurred because of a combination of factors, among which vegetation cover played a prominent role. Elevation and slope were correlated with soil erosion intensity. Severe erosion in different parts of the study area showed two trends of spatial aggregation and discrete distribution. This analysis of soil erosion in the study area by the RUSLE model provides reference data for the eastern subtropical forest subregion including the Jiangnan Hills.

Carbon sinks and carbon emissions balance of land use transition in Xinjiang, China: differences and compensation

With the continuous enhancement of human activities, the contradiction between regional development and ecological protection is prominent in the ecologically fragile arid areas. It is of great significance for regional sustainable development to understand the ecological supply and demand problems caused by transformation of land using and formulate ecological compensation scheme scientifically. This study takes Xinjiang in China as the research area. It explores the land use transition characteristics and the changes in carbon supply and demand of Xinjiang using methods such as GIS spatial analysis and modified comparative ecological radiation forcing. Finally, the ecological compensation scheme is studied based on the theory of ecological radiation. The research shows that (I) in the study chronology, most of the areas produced only one change in land use. Land use is gradually developing towards the direction of ecological protection. After 2000, grassland recovered well, and 14,298 km2 of other ecological land was transformed into grassland. (II) The change in the carbon sink of the Xinjiang ecosystem first decreased and then increased, and the ecological deficit area started to appear after 2010. The growth of grassland and cropland areas is essential to enhance the carbon sink capacity of arid zones. (III) The amount of ecological compensation in Xinjiang is 31.47 * 108 yuan, and the proportion of the amount received by ecological compensation areas is related to the distance between the supply and demand areas, the amount of carbon sequestration, and the area of the region. This study provides a reference for achieving the healthy development of sustainable land use ecosystems in arid zones.