Design of Intelligent Environmental Management and Decision-Making Platform for Small- and Medium-Sized Hydropower-Intensive Watersheds

Watershed management includes the management of water resources, water environment, and water ecology. The use of intelligent management methods has become a new development trend. Facing the current situation of river basin management in China and the latest management requirements, the positioning of intellectualization in the top-level design of watershed management is clarified. Based on the vulnerability and complexity of ecosystem in small- and medium-sized hydropower-intensive watersheds, the overall framework of intelligent management and decision-making platform is designed, which covers water resource allocation, pollution source analysis, risk early warning, ecological monitoring, industrial access, ecological compensation, public participation, and other functional modules and forms a government–enterprise–society multi-management system

Efficiency and Driving Factors of Green Development of Tourist Cities Based on Ecological Footprint

For tourist cities, the ecological footprint not only affects tourism competitiveness but also affects green development. This paper adopted an improved ecological footprint accounting model, used a series of relevant indicators of ecological footprint to compare the green development efficiency, and explored the main driving factors of the per capita ecological footprint and city classification of 16 major tourist cities in China from 2000 to 2017. The results show that the green development efficiency of the studied tourist cities still needs to be improved. Secondly, the panel data analysis shows that the proportion of the primary industry in GDP, the proportion of the secondary industry in GDP, the per capita investment in fixed assets, and the length of highways per 10,000 people can increase the per capita ecological footprint. Then, the cluster analysis divides the selected tourist cities into four categories, and different types of cities need to be managed differently. Finally, this paper puts forward corresponding suggestions to improve the quality of the green development of selected tourist cities. The in-depth study of the ecological footprint in this paper will provide a scientific basis for tourist cities to promote green economic growth that considers ecological footprint and GDP and achieve sustainable development of tourism

Transformation Path of Ecological Product Value and Efficiency Evaluation: The Case of the Qilihai Wetland in Tianjin

In order to protect wetland resources, China has developed wetland conservation policies and has made significant conservation investments, but there is still a lack of pathways for the conversion to economic value, making it difficult to meet the demand for continuous investment. We have explored a sustainable ecological conservation mechanism using the Seven Mile Sea as a case study, so that ecological conservation costs can be transformed into economic development behaviors and ecological benefits and socio-economic development can be integrated. This paper assesses the ecological product value of the Qilihai Wetland based on the ecosystem service function value assessment method, which designs the realization path of ecological product value and predicts the value transformation efficiency. The results show the following: (1) The total value of ecological products in the study area is CNY 569.06 million (USD 78.36 million), and the main sources of value are plant products in the supply service and water purification functions in the regulation service, accounting for 54.05% and 26.10% of the total, respectively. (2) The predicted value realization of ecological products, ideally, is CNY 689.65 million (USD 94.96 million), with a value realization rate of 111.60%. Considering the management policy restrictions in different areas of the Qilihai Wetland, the actual value realization volume is CNY 391.94 million (USD 53.97 million), with a value realization rate of 63.42%. (3) Owing to the restriction of the development policy of supply services and cultural services, the value realization path mainly contains two types: one is to drive the development of supply services and cultural services in the surrounding areas, along with product premiums, to realize value transformation. This path is mainly aimed at the supply of local characteristic products and the development of tourism. The second is to realize the value of regulating services through ecological compensation and ecological equity trading. This path is mainly for the adjustment and support services in the core area and buffer area. According to the pre-accounting results, the contribution rates of the two paths are 62.25% and 37.75%, respectively. The second path should be further effectively developed to improve the contribution rate. This study helps assess the ecological value and important ecological elements of the Qilihai Wetland to ensure effective protection and development of important ecological resources and to achieve the sustainable development of wetland resources. It provides a reference for exploring feasible paths to realize the value of ecological goods

Research progress of annular flume technology

The background and principle of the annular flume technology were introduced. A complete literature review of the research progress by using the annular flume in China and other countries was presented including annular flume numerical simulation, experiments on the scene etc. On the basis of the existing progress, the potential application prospects of annular flume technology in the study of cohesive sediment characteristics are summarized briefly. There are lots of rivers in China with many different types. A huge amount sediments was carried into the sea every year, for example, the actual sediment carried into the sea from Yangtze river has the maximum amount of 0.678 billion tons,of whichthe cohesive fine sediments accounts for the majority, part of which settles down in the estuary area[1]. The research on the deposition, erosion and some other movement principles of the cohesive fine sediment is the important part of the study of fine sediment and pollutant transport and diffusion. Fine sediment movement not only subjects to the control of flow condition, bioturbation, but also depends largely on the sediment itself geometric, physical and chemical properties(such as particle size, shape, pore water, mineral components, etc.), these result a big difference of motion compared to non-viscous coarse sediment. Partheniades and his partner designed the annular flume. After that, annular flume is widely used in the study of sediment erosion, deposition, transport, and other aspects by researchers, and the researchers have made a series of progress, bring an important impact on estuary development and evolution, channel regulation and coastal engineering construction

Evaluation of Sustainable Development of Tourism Cities Based on SDGs and Tourism Competitiveness Index: Analysis of 221 Prefecture-Level Cities in China

Based on the Sustainable Development Goals and competitiveness index, an evaluation index system for sustainable development of tourism cities was established. The sustainable development level of 221 outstanding tourism cities in 2018 was evaluated, and their sustainable development paths were designed accordingly. The results show the following: (1) There is a large gap in sustainable development scores. In general, no city has achieved a strong sustainable development model. Natural and cultural resources and protection systems are the shortcomings of the systems. (2) The weights of natural and cultural resources and protection systems are the largest, and the weights of natural and cultural resources endowment, degree of tourism infrastructure construction, and economic support for natural and cultural resources are larger. Nature reserve coverage index, network popularity, and other indicators have greater weight. (3) There is a gap in the sustainable development level of tourism cities in the eight comprehensive economic zones. The economic zones in the eastern and southern coastal areas are better than those in the northwest and the middle reaches of the Yellow River. (4) The driving factors of the eight types of tourism cities distinguished by their characteristics are basically the same, but the obstacles are different

Evolution and Efficiency Assessment of Pesticide and Fertiliser Inputs to Cultivated Land in China

Excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers has been a key issue limiting sustainable agricultural development. China is a typical pesticide- and chemical-fertiliser-dependent agricultural production area. We have matched the target indicators related to sustainable agricultural development (SDG1 and SDG2) and analysed the gap between China and four developed countries in terms of fertiliser and pesticide use intensity and efficiency from 2002 to 2016. We have used an improved Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model and cluster analysis to identify the factors and effects driving increased pesticide and fertiliser inputs in China, and we discuss the exploratory effects of different provinces in reducing pesticide and fertiliser application and increasing efficiency. The findings reveal that (1) China is a typical pesticide- and fertiliser-dependent agricultural production area. The average combined fertiliser application efficiency in China from 2002 to 2016 was only 28% of that of the Netherlands, and the country’s average combined pesticide application efficiency was only 35% of that of the USA. (2) The most important of the three main drivers of the increase in pesticide and fertiliser inputs in China is the value added of the primary industry, contributing 56% for the period 2007–2016. (3) Further analysis at the provincial level according to four types—high-intensity high-yield type, high-intensity low-yield type, low-intensity high-yield type, and low-intensity low-yield type—clarified the provinces that should be focused on at the national level in terms of pesticide and fertiliser application reduction and efficiency increase in the future

Development Trend and Driving Factors of Agricultural Chemical Fertilizer Efficiency in China

In China, a high input of chemical fertilizers is currently required for a relatively low increase in agricultural production, and this has resulted in prominent nonpoint source pollution and problems related to the quality of agricultural products. These phenomena threaten China’s implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG-2). To explore agricultural chemical fertilizer efficiency and the factors driving the growth in chemical fertilizer use in China, as based on an international comparative analysis of China’s chemical fertilizer input, the development trend in the application level and the efficiency in the use of chemical fertilizer in China were subject to time series analysis, and the factors influencing change were identified and analyzed using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI). The results show that: (1) The gap in agricultural chemical fertilizer efficiency is still large when comparing China with modern agricultural countries, and excessive fertilizer input is still a major problem. (2) The continuous growth in the total amount of chemical fertilizer applied in China during the past 18 years has contributed to the increase in chemical fertilizer application intensity, which provided a cumulative contribution of 85.52%, with smaller contributions from the planting structure and crop sown area. Based on the analysis of fertilizer application, the chemical fertilizer application intensity of the main grain crops was the most significant factor, accounting for about a 40.00% cumulative contribution. (3) Since 2015, the total amount of chemical fertilizers has been reduced through gradually improving the utilization rate of chemical fertilizers, reducing the application intensity of chemical fertilizers, and implementing the fallow rotation system and other measures. Of these, the reduction in application intensity was the most effective at reducing the overall amount of applied fertilizer. To meet the target for achieving sustainable agricultural development, China must still reduce its use of chemical fertilizers by at least 21.80 million tons. Based on the results of current measures and international experience, some suggestions for reducing fertilizer usage are provided

Study of the Spatio-Temporal Variation of Agricultural Sustainability at National and Provincial Levels in China

As an important pillar of human civilization, the development of agriculture has gradually become the focus of the international community to solve the development dilemma and promote the implementation of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Agricultural sustainability issues are widely addressed in scientific literature and various reports by international organizations. However, there are some problems in the existing studies, such as the design of agricultural sustainable development evaluation indicators does not consider the differences in development stages and data statistical capacity of various countries, and the research depth of spatial and temporal change of agricultural sustainable development is insufficient. Agriculture has become a bottleneck for the world and China to achieve the SDGs. Based on the global indicator framework of the Sustainable Development Goals and comprehensive consideration of agricultural development common problems and regional characteristics, this work has established a basic index library consisting of 86 indicators to evaluate the agricultural sustainable development in China and provide the basis for the assessment in different regions. In the indicator optimization process, having considered the development stage of China, the basic characteristics of agriculture, data availability, and reliability, we determined an evaluation index system of China’s agricultural sustainable development that includes 25 specific indicators. The constant elasticity of substitution (CES) model was used to assess the temporal and spatial changes in agricultural sustainability in China at the national, regional, and provincial levels. The results showed that China’s Agricultural Sustainable Development Index (ASDI) score increased from 44.76 in 2011 to 59.22 in 2021, and the ASDI scores of all agricultural regions and provinces also increased to varying degrees. In terms of goal scores, SDG2, SDG6, SDG7, SDG8, SDG9, and SDG12 all exhibited an overall upward trend, in which SDG6 performed the best, and SDG2 performed the worst, scoring 84.76 and 43.05 in 2021, respectively. This paper will provide a basis for systematically evaluating the progress of agricultural sustainable development goals and accurately identifying unsustainable problems in agricultural development to help China implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Development and Application of a New Grey Dynamic Hierarchy Analysis System (GDHAS) for Evaluating Urban Ecological Security

Selecting indicators based on the characteristics and development trends of a given study area is essential for building a framework for assessing urban ecological security. However, few studies have focused on how to select the representative indicators systematically, and quantitative research is lacking. We developed an innovative quantitative modeling approach called the grey dynamic hierarchy analytic system (GDHAS) for both the procedures of indicator selection and quantitative assessment of urban ecological security. Next, a systematic methodology based on the GDHAS is developed to assess urban ecological security comprehensively and dynamically. This assessment includes indicator selection, driving force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework building, and quantitative evaluation. We applied this systematic methodology to assess the urban ecological security of Tianjin, which is a typical coastal super megalopolis and the industry base in China. This case study highlights the key features of our approach. First, 39 representative indicators are selected for the evaluation index system from 62 alternative ones available through the GDHAS. Second, the DPSIR framework is established based on the indicators selected, and the quantitative assessment of the eco-security of Tianjin is conducted. The results illustrate the following: urban ecological security of Tianjin in 2008 was in alert level but not very stable; the driving force and pressure subsystems were in good condition, but the eco-security levels of the remainder of the subsystems were relatively low; the pressure subsystem was the key to urban ecological security; and 10 indicators are defined as the key indicators for five subsystems. These results can be used as the basis for urban eco-environmental management

Light-Driven Synthetic Biology: Progress in Research and Industrialization of Cyanobacterial Cell Factory

Light-driven synthetic biology refers to an autotrophic microorganisms-based research platform that remodels microbial metabolism through synthetic biology and directly converts light energy into bio-based chemicals. This technology can help achieve the goal of carbon neutrality while promoting green production. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms that use light and CO2 for growth and production. They thus possess unique advantages as “autotrophic cell factories”. Various fuels and chemicals have been synthesized by cyanobacteria, indicating their important roles in research and industrial application. This review summarized the progresses and remaining challenges in light-driven cyanobacterial cell factory. The choice of chassis cells, strategies used in metabolic engineering, and the methods for high-value CO2 utilization will be discussed