Research

20 pages, 11319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Landscape Pattern and Succession of Chinese Fir Plantations in Jiangle County, China

by Zhihui Zhang, Yongde Zhong, Lingfan Yang, Dali Li, Hui Tang and Jianghua He

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12497; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912497 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1292

Since the early 1980s, in southern China, evergreen broad-leaved forests have been replaced by Chinese fir plantations on a large scale. By analyzing the dynamic change characteristics of the landscape pattern of Chinese fir plantations in the case study, the paper explored the [...] Read more.

Since the early 1980s, in southern China, evergreen broad-leaved forests have been replaced by Chinese fir plantations on a large scale. By analyzing the dynamic change characteristics of the landscape pattern of Chinese fir plantations in the case study, the paper explored the current status and development trend of the landscape pattern of Chinese fir plantations after 40 years of manual intervention and natural succession. The paper, based on the three-period survey data on forest resources in 2010, 2015, and 2020, analyzed the dynamic changes of the landscape pattern of Chinese fir plantations from 2010 to 2020 and, by using a transition matrix and landscape index, simulated and predicted the landscape pattern of Chinese fir plantations in Jiangle County in 2025 by constructing a CA–Markov model with Jiangle County, Fujian Province, China, as the study area. The results showed that the landscape of Chinese fir plantations is the main component of the forest landscape in southern China, accounting for 12%. The landscape quality of Chinese fir plantations degraded, mainly shown in the facts that the Chinese fir plantations were juvenile from 2010 to 2020, and that the young and middle-aged forests became the main part of the landscape of Chinese fir plantations, accounting for 54.8%. The landscape area of Chinese fir plantations showed an increasing trend, which mainly came from other coniferous forests, other woodlands, non-woodlands and non-wood forests, and the replaced Chinese fir plantations were mainly eroded by bamboo forests. The evergreen broad-leaved forests, a kind of zonal vegetation, have been effectively protected in the past 10 years. In the future, the total area of Chinese fir plantations will continue to expand, and a small part of them will continue to be eroded by bamboo forests. In order to improve the landscape quality of Chinese fir plantations, it is necessary to adjust the age group structure of Chinese fir plantations, expand the proportion of mature forests, and, meanwhile, continue to protect evergreen broad-leaved forests and curb the expansion of bamboo forests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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22 pages, 23669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Marine Construction Waste Recycling Mechanism Considering Public Participation and Carbon Trading: A Study on Dynamic Modeling and Simulation Based on Sustainability Policy

by Junwu Wang, Yinghui Song, Wei Wang, Suikuan Wang, Feng Guo and Jiequn Lu

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10027; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141610027 - 13 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

The classification and recycling of construction waste is important for reducing waste emissions, preventing marine pollution, and protecting the natural environment, which can promote carbon trading and carbon sink cycles. Based on the evolutionary game theory, this paper investigated the evolutionary decision-making process [...] Read more.

The classification and recycling of construction waste is important for reducing waste emissions, preventing marine pollution, and protecting the natural environment, which can promote carbon trading and carbon sink cycles. Based on the evolutionary game theory, this paper investigated the evolutionary decision-making process and stable strategies of three stakeholders in the construction waste recycling system, namely, the Department of Environment Regulation (DER), the Construction Waste Recycler (CWR), and the Construction Project Contractor (CPC), and analyzed the main factors affecting the stakeholders’ strategies, the evolutionary stable strategies and stable conditions from the perspective of public participation and carbon trading. Then, a DER-CWR-CPC benefit matrix and a replicator dynamics equation representing strategy selection were constructed, in which parameters represent the interest relationship of the three parties, and evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) points were obtained by solving the Jacobian matrix. Finally, the validity of the model was verified by taking the actual values into the simulation. The results showed that DER needs to actively participate in the early stage of the development of the construction waste classification and recycling system, but with the increase of enterprises choosing to recycle construction waste, DER can gradually reduce its intervention in these enterprises. Setting reasonable incentives and penalties, mobilizing public participation, and developing cleaner construction waste sorting equipment to obtain more carbon emission trading targets can facilitate the development of construction waste recycling systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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19 pages, 8041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Variation and Influencing Factors of Vegetation Growth in Mining Areas: A Case Study in a Colliery in Northern China

by Zhi Yang, Wenping Li, Liangning Li, Shaogang Lei, Jiawei Tian, Gang Wang and Xuejia Sang

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9585; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14159585 - 04 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1193

Abstract

Based on MODIS EVI data of August collected from 2010 to 2021, and taking the Yingpanhao coal mine as an example, the spatiotemporal variation features of vegetation are analyzed using time series analysis, trend analysis and correlation analysis methods in the eco-geo-environment of [...] Read more.

Based on MODIS EVI data of August collected from 2010 to 2021, and taking the Yingpanhao coal mine as an example, the spatiotemporal variation features of vegetation are analyzed using time series analysis, trend analysis and correlation analysis methods in the eco-geo-environment of the phreatic water desert shallows oasis. A significant increase trend is found for vegetation variation, and its development has improved generally in most areas. There is an obvious positive correlation between precipitation and vegetation growth, and a negative correlation between coal mining intensity and vegetation growth, but the influence of atmospheric precipitation on vegetation growth is stronger than that of coal mining intensity in the eco-geo-environment. The research results effectively reflect that atmospheric precipitation is the primary factor advancing the vegetation growth status in the coal mining regions. Vegetation development response to coal mining would be degraded first, then improved, and finally restored in areas with a deeply buried phreatic water level; that would promote the transformation of vegetation species from hydrophilous plants to xerophyte plants in areas with a shallowly buried phreatic water level. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out reasonable mine field planning according to the phreatic water level and the vegetation type distribution and to adopt different coal mining methods or corresponding engineering and technical measures to realize water conservation to avoid damaging the original hydrogeological conditions as far as possible. This information is helpful for promoting the eco-geo-environmental protection and further establishing the need for the dynamic monitoring of the eco-environment in the coal mining regions in the arid and semi-arid ecologically vulnerable areas of Northern China, which play a significant role in the long-term protection and rehabilitation of the eco-geo-environment and in the promotion of sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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22 pages, 6460 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Random Forest Estimation and Trend Analysis of PM_2.5 Concentration over the Huaihai Economic Zone, China (2000–2020)

by Xingyu Li, Long Li, Longgao Chen, Ting Zhang, Jianying Xiao and Longqian Chen

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8520; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148520 - 12 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1532

Abstract

Consisting of ten cities in four Chinese provinces, the Huaihai Economic Zone has suffered serious air pollution over the last two decades, particularly of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). In this study, we used multi-source data, namely MAIAC AOD (at a 1 [...] Read more.

Consisting of ten cities in four Chinese provinces, the Huaihai Economic Zone has suffered serious air pollution over the last two decades, particularly of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). In this study, we used multi-source data, namely MAIAC AOD (at a 1 km spatial resolution), meteorological, topographic, date, and location (latitude and longitude) data, to construct a regression model using random forest to estimate the daily PM_2.5 concentration over the Huaihai Economic Zone from 2000 to 2020. It was found that the variable expressing time (date) had the greatest characteristic importance when estimating PM_2.5. By averaging the modeled daily PM_2.5 concentration, we produced a yearly PM_2.5 concentration dataset, at a 1 km resolution, for the study area from 2000 to 2020. On comparing modeled daily PM_2.5 with observational data, the coefficient of determination (

R^{2}

) of the modeling was 0.85, the root means square error (

R M S E

) was 14.63 μg/m³, and the mean absolute error (

M A E

) was 10.03 μg/m³. The quality assessment of the synthesized yearly PM_2.5 concentration dataset shows that

R^{2}

= 0.77,

R M S E

= 6.92 μg/m³, and

M A E

= 5.42 μg/m³. Despite different trends from 2000–2010 and from 2010–2020, the trend of PM_2.5 concentration over the Huaihai Economic Zone during the 21 years was, overall, decreasing. The area of the significantly decreasing trend was small and mainly concentrated in the lake areas of the Zone. It is concluded that PM_2.5 can be well-estimated from the MAIAC AOD dataset, when incorporating spatiotemporal variability using random forest, and that the resultant PM_2.5 concentration data provide a basis for environmental monitoring over large geographic areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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18 pages, 4611 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Spatial Distribution and Optimization of Medical and Health Land from the Perspective of Public Service Equalization: A Case Study of Urumqi City

by Jing Xu, Zhiming Yan, Sai Hu and Chunling Pu

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7565; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14137565 - 21 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1645

Abstract

From the two aspects of land quantity and spatial distribution, this article studies the existing problems and ideas for optimizing the supply of medical and health (M&H) land for municipal units to promote an equal supply of urban public services. Method: The existing [...] Read more.

From the two aspects of land quantity and spatial distribution, this article studies the existing problems and ideas for optimizing the supply of medical and health (M&H) land for municipal units to promote an equal supply of urban public services. Method: The existing problems were explored with the help of the kernel density, the spatial gravity model and the buffer zone analysis method, and the key optimization areas of M&H land under the trends of population flow were explored by constructing a suitability evaluation system for the natural, social and ecological elements. Results: The total amount of M&H land in the study area was lower than the standard. The characteristics of land supply that support hospitals and primary medical care are different, which makes it difficult for the population in different regions to obtain services from the two types of medical facilities. The supply of both types of land has room for improvement. Conclusion: The effect of public M&H supply is greatly affected by the factors of land supply, which directly causes the problem of uneven medical services in different regions. The land-use layout should be scientifically planned according to the characteristics of different regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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18 pages, 7721 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Based on the Time-Spatial Power-Based Cryptocurrency Miner Driving Force Model, Establish a Global CO₂ Emission Prediction Framework after China Bans Cryptocurrency

by Xuejia Sang, Xiaopeng Leng, Linfu Xue and Xiangjin Ran

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5332; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095332 - 28 Apr 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2113

Abstract

The energy consumption and carbon footprint of cryptocurrencies have always been a popular topic. However, most of the existing studies only focus on one cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and there is a lack of long-term monitoring studies that summarize all cryptocurrencies. By constructing a time [...] Read more.

The energy consumption and carbon footprint of cryptocurrencies have always been a popular topic. However, most of the existing studies only focus on one cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and there is a lack of long-term monitoring studies that summarize all cryptocurrencies. By constructing a time series hash rate/power model, this research obtained the 10-year time series data on energy consumption dataset of global top-25 cryptocurrencies for the first time. Both the temporal coverage and the spatiotemporal resolution of the data exceed previous studies. The results show that Bitcoin’s power consumption only accounts for 58% of the top-25 cryptocurrencies. After China bans cryptocurrencies, the conservative change in global CO₂ emissions from 2020 will be between −0.4% and 4.4%, and Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan are likely to become areas of rapid growth in carbon emissions from cryptocurrencies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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25 pages, 6766 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Construction of an Ecological Security Pattern and the Evaluation of Corridor Priority Based on ESV and the “Importance–Connectivity” Index: A Case Study of Sichuan Province, China

by Ziyi Liu, Xiaoyu Gan, Weining Dai and Ying Huang

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3985; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14073985 - 28 Mar 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2197

Abstract

Constructing an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an important means to describe, manage, and control ecological security. However, there are few related studies on functional analyses and evaluations of landscape elements, and the distribution of identified elements cannot fully reflect reality. To accurately [...] Read more.

Constructing an ecological security pattern (ESP) is an important means to describe, manage, and control ecological security. However, there are few related studies on functional analyses and evaluations of landscape elements, and the distribution of identified elements cannot fully reflect reality. To accurately depict ecological security and strengthen the role of landscape planning for policy formulation, we used the spatial distribution patterns of ecosystem services to adjust the ecosystem service value to accurately identify the distribution of ecological sources. The gravity model and Centrality Mapper tool are used to build an “importance–connectivity” index that evaluates the importance of ecological corridors in linking the sources and the contribution to maintaining the overall connectivity of ecological networks. The results show that (1) spatial heterogeneity exists in seven kinds of ecosystem services in Sichuan Province, China, and the high-level areas are concentrated in the central region. Moreover, (2) a total of 179 ecological sources and 445 ecological corridors with woodland and grassland as the main land use types are identified, and (3) a total of 153, 49, 78, and 165 corridors are divided into high importance–high connectivity, low importance–high connectivity, high importance–low connectivity, and low importance–low connectivity ecological corridors, respectively. The study provides a new framework for the construction of an ESP and for the priority evaluation of ecological corridors. To achieve balance between economic development and environmental protection, priority should be given to the protection of high-priority corridors when maintaining ecological security. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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18 pages, 4819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment and Spatial-Temporal Evolution Analysis of Land Use Conflict within Urban Spatial Zoning: Case of the Su-Xi-Chang Region

by Guoqiang Qiu, Yinghong Wang, Shanshan Guo, Qian Niu, Lin Qin, Di Zhu and Yunlong Gong

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2286; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14042286 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1685

Abstract

As China rapidly urbanizes, land resources tend to deplete. This paper aims to identify and propose a resolution of land use conflicts to promote sustainable land use and coordinate the interaction between humans and the environment in urban areas. The methodology of land [...] Read more.

As China rapidly urbanizes, land resources tend to deplete. This paper aims to identify and propose a resolution of land use conflicts to promote sustainable land use and coordinate the interaction between humans and the environment in urban areas. The methodology of land use conflict assessment within spatial zoning of the Su–Xi–Chang region was evaluated. Taking into consideration the intensity of human activities and the background condition of the natural environment, we divided the study area into a few regions. Furthermore, we developed a methodology by calculating landscape complexity, fragility, and stability based on spatial zoning so as to derive the spatio-temporal characteristics of the land use conflict index (LUCI) in the Su–Xi–Chang region. The results indicate the following: (1) According to the urban spatial attribute index (USAI) statistics, we delineate the core, fringe, and suburban zones of the Su–Xi–Chang region, which accounted for 9.61%, 11.06%, and 79.33% of urban agglomerations respectively; (2) from 1990 to 2018, the fragility index (FI) and LUCI showed S-shaped curves, while the complexity (CI) and the stability indices (SI) exhibited minor fluctuations in the fringe and suburb zones; and (3) intensive and severe conflict is concentrated in core areas due to quite intense human activities and in fringe areas due to an increased interaction between humans and land, while moderate conflict is mainly found in rural and suburban areas that pose as a natural environmental space. The results can serve as a theoretical framework for an effective identification of the LUCI in an urban agglomeration and coordination of the optimal allocation of regional land resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Development and Sustainability: Monitoring, Assessment, and Adaptation)

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