Low efficiency of earth kilns used in the carbonising process of wood to make charcoal has been reported as one of the sources of increasing charcoal wastes in the global south. However, the potential link and approaches of converting charcoal wastes-to-valuable energy and for the environmental health is not well known in Africa. Promoting local community capacity engagement in the production and reutilisation of recycled charcoal wastes at the households’ level is one of important measures to maintain environmental services for sustainability since households make decisions on the type of energy used. This paper, presents an approach of converting charcoal wastes to fuel energy for rural households and environmental health in Kilosa District, Tanzania. To achieve the objective of this research, the primary data were collected through interviews held with 298 randomly selected households, Focus Group Discussions and observations. IBM SPSS statistics version 20 Cross tab tools were used in the data analysis. Results revealed that the conversion of charcoal wastes-to-fuel energy approach used in this research demonstrates the ability of recyclable briquettes made from the locally available charcoal pollutants collected at different stages from earth kilns, to selling centers, improves tree harvest behaviour, adds another fuel energy source through reutilisation, and ultimate reduces pollution at the local level. Thus, the study provides a basis for policymakers to adopt charcoal wastes recycling strategies to address matters related to energy and ultimately enhances environmental health for sustainable development in Tanzania and beyond.

Urban trees are valuable resources for urban areas as they have the capacity to reduce ambient temperatures, mitigate urban heat island effects and reduce runoff of rainwater playing an important role in mitigating the impacts of climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). It also helps to reduce aerial suspended particulate matter, add visual appeal to the urban landscape sequestrating a significant amount of carbon from ambient atmospheric CO2. Carbon storage by urban trees in the ring road area of the Kathmandu Valley was quantified to assess the magnitude and role of urban forests in relation to mitigate the impact of global climate change. A total of 40 sample plots were placed randomly for the detailed carbon assessment. Aboveground and belowground carbon pools were considered in the detailed assessment. Furthermore, quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) were maintained through regular monitoring and capacity building of the field crews while collecting the bio-physical data. The assessment recorded a total of 33 different species of plants in the avenue’s plantation sites in ring road. The mean seedling, sapling, and tree density was found to be 2149585 and 185 per hectare. The mean carbon stock per hectare in the avenue plantation of the ring road area was 24.03 tC ha1 and the existing total carbon stock was 7785.72 tC in 2021. Likewise, the total baseline carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in the avenue plantation was found to be 28573.60 tCO2e. The carbon dioxide emission from the transport sector in the ring road area in a full movement scenario was 312888.00 tCO2e per annum, while the net emissions was 42547 tCO2e. There was a deficit of carbon dioxide in terms of stock by avenue plantations of 14000.8 tCO2e.This study indicates that the existing urban forest plantation is unable to sequestrate or offset the carbon dioxide that is emitted through the transportation sector. Consequently, open spaces like riverbanks and any other public lands, in which urban forests could be developed has to be planned for the green infrastructure and plantation of the multipurpose trees. The distinct values of forests in and around urban areas have to be recognized in the specific policies and plans for the sustainable management of urban and peri-urban forests to meet the adverse impact of global climate change. In addition, this study provides insights for decision-makers to better understand the role of urban forests and make sustainable management plans for urban forests in the cities like in Kathmandu Valley.

Delimiting ecological space scientifically and making reasonable predictions of the spatial-temporal trend of changes in the dominant ecosystem service functions (ESFs) are the basis of constructing an ecological protection pattern of territorial space, which has important theoretical significance and application value. At present, most research on the identification, functional partitioning and pattern reconstruction of ecological space refers to the current ESFs and their structural information, which ignores the spatial-temporal dynamic nature of the comprehensive and dominant ESFs, and does not seriously consider the change simulation in the dominant ESFs of the future ecological space. This affects the rationality of constructing an ecological space protection pattern to some extent. In this study, we propose an ecological space delimitation method based on the dynamic change characteristics of the ESFs, realize the identification of the ecological space range in Qionglai city and solve the problem of ignoring the spatial-temporal changes of ESFs in current research. On this basis, we also apply the Markov-CA model to integrate the spatial-temporal change characteristics of the dominant ESFs, successfully realize the simulation of the spatial-temporal changes in the dominant ESFs in Qionglai city’s ecological space in 2025, find a suitable method for simulating ecological spatial-temporal changes and also provide a basis for constructing a reasonable ecological space protection pattern. This study finds that the comprehensive quantity of ESF and its annual rate of change in Qionglai city show obvious dynamics, which confirms the necessity of considering the dynamic characteristics of ESFs when identifying ecological space. The areas of ecological space in Qionglai city represent 98307 ha by using the ecological space identification method proposed in this study, which is consistent with the ecological spatial distribution in the local ecological civilization construction plan. This confirms the reliability of the ecological space identification method based on the dynamic characteristics of the ESFs. The results also show that the dominant ESFs in Qionglai city represented strong non-stationary characteristics during 2003-2019, which showed that we should fully consider the influence of the dynamics in the dominant ESFs on the future ESF pattern during the process of constructing the ecological spatial protection pattern. The Markov-CA model realized the simulation of spatial-temporal changes in the dominant ESFs with a high precision Kappa coefficient of above 0.95, which illustrated the feasibility of using this model to simulate the future dominant ESF spatial pattern. The simulation results showed that the dominant ESFs in Qionglai will still undergo mutual conversions during 2019-2025 due to the effect of the their non-stationary nature. The ecological space will still maintain the three dominant ESFs of primary product production, climate regulation and hydrological regulation in 2025, but their areas will change to 32793 ha, 52490 ha and 13024 ha, respectively. This study can serve as a scientific reference for the delimitation of the ecological conservation redline, ecological function regionalization and the construction of an ecological spatial protection pattern.

Abstract: By studying the structural characteristics and carbon storage of the mangrove island ecosystem in the 
Beibu Gulf, this study provides a scientific basis for mangrove ecological compensation in the coastal areas of 
Guangxi, South China Sea. On the basis of the unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing images and a sample plot 
survey, the object-oriented multi-scale segmentation algorithm is used to extract the mangrove community type information, and one-way analysis of variance is conducted to analyse the structural characteristics of the mangrove 
community. The carbon storage and carbon density of different mangrove ecosystems were obtained based on the 
allometric growth equation of mangrove plants. The analysis yielded four main results. (1) The island group covers 
about 27.10 ha, 41.32% (11.20 ha) of which represents mangrove areas. The mangrove forest is widely distributed 
in the tidal flats around the islands. (2) The main mangrove types were Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia obovata + 
Aegiceras corniculatum, Avicennia marina + Aegiceras corniculatum and Avicennia marina communities. (3) 
Amongst the mangrove plants, Avicennia marina had the highest biomass (18.52 kg plant–1), followed by Kandelia 
obovata (7.84 kg plant–1) and Aegiceras corniculatum (3.85 kg plant–1). (4) The mangrove carbon density difference 
was significant. Kandelia obovata had the highest carbon density (148.03 t ha–1), followed by Avicennia marina
(104.79 t ha–1) and Aegiceras corniculatum (99.24 t ha–1). The carbon storage of the mangrove island ecosystem 
was 1194.70 t, which was higher than in other areas with the same latitude. The carbon sequestration capacity of 
the mangrove was relatively strong.

Urban informality is a common phenomenon in rapidly developing cities, and the "Three Olds" redevelopment is an important aspect of achieving high-quality urban development in the later stages of urbanization in China. Addressing the current lack of academic attention to the redevelopment of informal land use in the context of the "Three Olds" initiative, this paper, based on the theories of urban informality and scalar politics, selects a typical case of "Three Olds" redevelopment in Dongguan city. Using qualitative research methods such as document analysis and in-depth interviews, this study explores the processes and mechanisms involved. The research finds that Dongguan's "Three Olds" redevelopment policy has undergone a scalar political process consisting of three stages: policy application, policy piloting (including normalization), and policy revision. This process is accompanied by a shift in the roles of the main actors from "dominant" to "subordinate" and vice versa, as well as the interactive evolution of the land parcels from "informal-formal-informal" states. During the implementation of the "Three Olds" redevelopment, two pathways emerge: one where the interests of all actors align, leading to smooth redevelopment, and the other where, in cases of conflicting interests, local governments revise policies and redistribute benefits. These pathways cycle to achieve a new equilibrium. The study contributes to further enriching the theoretical understanding of urban informality and provides practical insights for the "Three Olds" redevelopment and urban renewal and governance.

This study clarifies the basic connotation of the value of natural resources under ecological security, constructs a theoretical analytical framework of "policy-technology-market-society", and systematically explores new models and pathways for enhancing the value of natural resources under ecological security, in order to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for promoting the high-quality management of natural resources in the New Era. The new models for enhancing the value of natural resources under ecological security mainly include the digital empowerment model, the combined supply model, the circular regeneration model and the resource ecology-oriented development model, so as to realize the digital management throughout the entire life cycle, optimized allocation, circular utilization, and efficient use of natural resources. The pathways for enhancing the value of natural resources under ecological security include the institutional innovation pathway, the technology-empowerment pathway, the market activation pathway, and the social co-governance pathway. These pathways are aimed at promoting development with a combination of rigidity and flexibility, enhancing efficiency through full-chain efforts, enlivening the market with diverse measures, and aggregating strength through collaborative cooperation, thereby propelling the construction of ecological civilization to a new level.

Main function zoning (MFZ) is the fundamental system of China's territorial development and protection. Through differentiated functional orientation, the core objectives of MFZ are to guide the orderly flow of resources across regions and optimize the spatial pattern of national development. This study evaluates the impacts, their heterogeneities among four types of zones, and underlying mechanisms of MFZ planning on China's population redistribution using county-level data from the three latest national population censuses and causal inference tests through difference-in-differences models. The results show that: The MFZ effects generally align with policy orientation. Post-implementation, optimized development zones, prioritized development zones, main agricultural zones and key ecological zones experienced declining population growth rates, accelerated population agglomeration, accelerated population decline, and growth-to-decline transition, respectively. Using main agricultural zones as reference, the planning reinforced the population concentration advantages of prioritized development zones. The policy effect exhibits dual heterogeneity across regions and hierarchical levels. Population changes in agricultural and ecological zones mostly complied with planning guidance, whereas only 40% of county-level units within prioritized development zones achieved the policy goal of accelerated agglomeration. National-level prioritized development zones demonstrated approximately twice the impact of provincial-level counterparts. Population migration from restricted development zones to urbanized areas predominantly occurred through cross-regional migration rather than intra-prefecture movements, making the policy goal of "concentrated equilibrium" within prefecture-level cities difficult to achieve. The planning promoted shifts in influencing factors of population redistribution within each type of MFZ. The diminished role of secondary industries and enhanced influence of tertiary sectors in optimized zones, along with weakened economic drivers in ecological zones, aligned with planning objectives. However, industrialization in prioritized development zones failed to significantly boost population agglomeration, while agricultural zones remained profoundly influenced by industrialization and economic development, both deviating from intended planning orientations. The findings suggest that the new-round planning could moderately concentrate urbanized area layouts, clarify development sequences for prioritized development zones, and implement more targeted differentiated governance requirements for restricted development zones.

Ecological resilience refers to an urban agglomeration's ability to resist, adapt, and recover from external disturbances. Enhancing ecological resilience is crucial for promoting high-quality development in the modern era. However, few studies have evaluated the ecological resilience of urban agglomerations from the perspective of human-land interactions or explored its evolutionary mechanism. This study assesses the interannual variation of ecological resilience in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration, focusing on resistance, adaptation, and recovery. The Least Squares Structural Equation Model is employed to analyze the impact degree and pathways through which human-land interactions affect ecological resilience. The results indicate that from 2000 to 2020, resistance, adaptability, and recoverability exhibited fluctuating trends over time and an unbalanced spatial distribution. Ecological resilience initially decreased but later improved, with significant spatial heterogeneity, forming a "higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest" pattern. Natural environment improvement (coefficient: 0.42) and regional policies (coefficient: 0.18) had significant positive direct effects on ecological resilience, while urbanization exerted a significant negative effect (coefficient: -0.26). Although green innovation had no significant direct effect, it exhibited significant indirect influence, with the most significant pathway being green innovation→regional policy→natural environment→ecological resilience (coefficient: 0.18). This study enhances our understanding of how the natural environment, green innovation, and regional policies shape ecological resilience, providing a scientific reference for urban agglomeration development that fosters harmony between humans and nature.

At present, global and regional security issues are complicated and volatile, and as a frontier field of strategic games between major powers, geopolitical competition in the Asia-Pacific region has shown a multidimensional trend, and the construction of a new security pattern has become a strategic cornerstone of China's modernization and development. As the core carrying area of the "five major securities" (national defense, food, ecological, energy, and industrial securities), the Northeast region's strategic barrier function and geopolitical pivot role are irreplaceable for the country's overall security. However, there are three limitations in the existing research on the spatial practice of security governance: first, the cross-scale transmission mechanism of security elements has not yet been deconstructed, resulting in the disconnection of the governance chain of "national strategy-regional function-local practice"; second, the analysis of the coupling effect of multiple security elements is insufficient, and there is a lack of spatial interaction models based on geographic embeddedness; third, the lack of spatial and temporal refinements in risk simulation makes it difficult to support the dynamic optimization of the resilience system. In view of these, this study attempted to break through the obstacles and address deficiencies of existing studies from a geospatial perspective based on the disciplinary characteristics of geography and the geographic embeddedness of the "five major securities". On the basis of summarizing and analyzing the existing studies, this study constructed an exploratory analysis framework mainly based on core structure identification-regional dominant security function division-multiscenario and security risk simulation, and suggested that the Northeast region should comprehensively evaluate the security function system and leading role of each regional unit based on the core structure of "one side, one corridor, one network, one zone, three belts, three bases, and four channels", and simulate the security geographic spatial pattern of the Northeast region under different development scenarios and security risks from a dynamic perspective, in order to discover the dynamic changes in security service value. Finally, this study proposed optimized governance strategies focusing on the three aspects of giving full play to the regional advantages, coordinating regional development, and integrating policy objectives, so as to provide useful references for the concrete implementation of the "five major securities" in the Northeast region.

Agricultural ecosystem accounting is an important support for understanding the sustainability of agricultural production, the health of the ecological environment, and the quality and safety of agricultural products. Currently, there are three international standards for agricultural ecosystem accounting: the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (SEEA-AFF), the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting-Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA2021), and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture & Food (TEEB-AgriFood). Based on these three international standards, some countries have carried out agricultural ecosystem accounting. This article first reviews the development process of the three international standards, and compares them from six aspects: theoretical basis, accounting perspective, accounting object, accounting scope, classification standard, and account expression. Secondly, the international practices of agricultural ecosystem accounting are summarized from the overall situation and practical experience. Finally, combined with the current situation of agricultural ecosystem accounting in China, policy recommendations for agricultural ecosystem accounting in China are proposed.

The institution of territorial spatial governance for 'integrated mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grassland and deserts' is a direction for exploring ecological civilisation and is crucial for China to modernise its governance systems and capacity. This paper analyses the core concepts and theoretical logic of territorial spatial governance and analyses its governance problems and realisation bases. It explores the appropriate ways forward for the specific institutional construction. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The current governance problems are that the ecological feedback of the governance object needs to be taken seriously, the coordination and linkage of the governance subject is still a problem, along with the fact the synergy and empowerment of the governance system is not yet in place. (2) It is necessary to respond to the demand for modernisation of the national governance system and capacity in the context of China's natural ecology, taking into account fairness and efficiency, and integrating security and development, yet to define the basis of the realisation of the governance subject and the governance system. (3) We should carry out the construction of territorial spatial governance institutions for 'integrated mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasses' in three aspects, namely, the governance object, governance subject and governance system.

The greater food approach sets forth elevated requisites and novel benchmarks for the advancement of conceptualization, expansion of connotations, transformation of objectives, and evolution of strategies in the governance of non-grain conversion of cultivated land. A reevaluation of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance through the greater food approach not only aids in rectifying the imbalance in food supply and demand, but also establishes a fundamental underpinning for national security assurance. Findings reveal that: (1) The crux of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land under the greater food approach lies not in the dichotomy of "grain" versus "non-grain" but rather in the judicious allocation of diverse food categories within the framework of the greater food approach. (2) The greater food approach and "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance in the theoretical logic of the fundamental goal and value orientation consistency, theoretical origin and practice to follow the same origin, determines the two in the practical logic of interaction and linkage, embracing the greater food approach serves as the guiding ethos for "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance, constituting the bedrock and avenue for enacting the greater food approach. (3) Governance of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land under the greater food approach encounters challenges such as lagging adjustments in planting structures, an inverted significance of grain and income gradients, simultaneous existence of production bottlenecks and wastage, as well as incongruences between universally applicable rectification measures and localized idiosyncrasies. (4) Proposals encompass five overarching strategies for systematized governance of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land oriented towards the greater food approach, focusing on the preservation of grain within land, crops, techniques, losses, and policies. Grounded in the multifaceted demands and holistic outlook of the greater food approach, the optimization of governance strategies proffers invaluable insights for the theoretical refinement and practical exploration of "Non-grain Conversion" of cultivated land governance amidst the backdrop of a multidimensional transformation in the agricultural and food system.

Comprehensive scientific expeditions rely on scientific instruments, paradigms, and technological methods to conduct multidisciplinary analyses of surface conditions, resource endowments, and their dynamic changes and mechanisms, serving major national (regional) strategic needs. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, successive comprehensive scientific expeditions have played a significant role in frontier development, ecological environment governance, and national economic development. In the new era, comprehensive scientific expeditions must clarify regional resource and environmental conditions and their changes, fill knowledge gaps in related fields, and support national and regional development and strategic requirements. The development of new technologies and equipment, such as low-orbit satellite constellations, artificial intelligence, and unmanned monitoring, provides important opportunities for comprehensive scientific expeditions in the new era. To advance comprehensive scientific expeditions in the new era, it is essential to fully utilize new technologies, equipment, and methods for innovate expedition paradigms. Guided by national strategic needs, expedition tasks should be organized, which can achieve large-scale, high-frequency, and high-precision investigations of geographical resource elements, filling knowledge gaps in border areas, underground spaces, and deep-sea zones. Based on the regional differentiation of China's natural and human geographical environments, comprehensive scientific expeditions should be conducted in key domestic regions. Focusing on the six major economic corridors of the Belt and Road Initiative and key maritime areas, global comprehensive scientific expeditions should be carried out to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

This study utilizes emerging hotspot analysis to explore the spatio-temporal trends of vegetation optical depth (VOD) observed in Ku, X, and C microwave bands over China from 2002 to 2017. Furthermore, it analyzes the impacts of anthropogenic activities, represented by land use change, on the spatial and temporal changes in VOD, and employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model to quantitatively assess the climatic effects on VOD changes. Overall, VOD exhibits a southeast-to-northwest gradient over China, with central and southern regions identified as VOD hotspots, while Xinjiang and the central Inner Mongolia Plateau are identified as VOD cold spots. Regions with consistent emerging hotspot analysis results across the three bands demonstrate a "greening" phenomenon in sparsely-vegetated regions nationwide. Additionally, the association between land use change and emerging hotspots reveals strong impacts of human activities on VOD variations. Specifically, persistent and intensified VOD hotspots predominantly correspond to scenarios where grassland is converted to forest. Attribution of VOD changes using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling indicates that, in the humid zone, where hydrothermal conditions are favorable and soil moisture is abundant, further increases in temperature and precipitation may inhibit vegetation growth. In contrast, in the arid zone, the inhibitory effect of temperature is less prominent. In the Tibetan Plateau, increases in both temperature and precipitation will promote vegetation growth. The insights from this study are expected to provide scientific support for monitoring ecosystem changes, uncovering their driving forces, and assessing the effectiveness of ecological measures.

With the ongoing advancement of digital technology and its application in rural areas, "digital village" has become one of the focal points in the field of geography. This study provided a definition and connotation of "digital village" based on a summary and analysis of existing literature. It reviewed the frontiers of research in China and internationally and offered a comparison from the perspective of knowledge production. The findings include: 1) In China, research predominantly focuses on normative studies aimed at addressing real-world issues in rural development and promoting policy optimization. The construction of digital village is seen as a means to facilitate high-quality rural development, with a concentration on how to leverage digital village initiatives to support rural revitalization and the rural restructuring resulting from the development of digital village. 2) The international studies are primarily empirical and tend to explain micro social phenomena. By examining specific issues such as the digital divide between urban and rural areas, these studies highlight various dimensions of digitization in the rural transformation process, particularly focusing on the formation of the urban-rural digital divide and its impact on coordinated urban-rural development. From a geographical perspective, future research could further address the following aspects: Re-thinking of the concept of digital village from the perspective of human-environment relationship, quantitative measurement of the urban-rural digital divide from a multi-spatial scale perspective, examination of digital village from the micro-actor perspective, and investigation of the positive and negative externalities of digital village construction based on a comprehensive research paradigm in geography.

Rural areal system is a multidimensional object of rural revitalization in the new era, and its complexity and dynamics require a breakthrough in single-domain thinking. Through the in-depth fusion of system science theories, multi-source data-driven technical methods and sustainable transformation paths, the full-chain governance of system diagnosis-scenario simulation-precise policy implementation should be carried out. Based on the scientific theory of human-land system and the multi-scale analysis paradigm of geography, this paper explores the "element-structure-function" cascade analysis system of rural areal system, analyzes the scientific connotation of rural areal system and rural revitalization, clarifies the multi-scale evolution law and transformation mechanism of rural areal system, develops rural areal system development status assessment and scenario simulation technology, and sorts out and proposes a "three-device" (diagnostic device, detector, simulator) platform framework for the transformation mechanism and simulation of rural areal system. By innovating multimodal spatiotemporal data fusion and intelligent interpretation methods, it can break through the technical bottleneck of quantitative inversion of rural areal system elements, establish a multi-factor collaborative observation indicator system and a data sharing application platform, reveal the spatial pattern of rural transformation under different development paths, and explore and create "three major systems", including a theoretical system of rural areal system with multi-dimensional interaction of nature-society-technology, a technical system of cross-platform coordinated observation of rural areal system, and a system of standards and norms for the scientific path of rural revitalization and its management. The findings will help to achieve the systematization of coordinated observation and scenario simulation of multi-source heterogeneous data in rural areal system, and provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the scientific formulation of rural revitalization plans and the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization strategic decisions. Additionally, focusing on the current trend of technological progress, modern geography should connect with the international scientific frontier and national strategic needs, and take the system integration of geographic science-technology-engineering-practice (Geo-STEP) as the core to promote the transition of rural areal system research from "problem explanation" to "future design" and "scientific governance".

Foreign aid is a tool of U.S. foreign policy and provides a window into U.S. national strategy. In the era marked by frequent local conflicts and global turmoil, delving the motives of U.S. aid can enhance our comprehension of U.S. national strategic objectives. Utilizing U.S. aid data from 2000 to 2019, this paper examines the spatial evolution patterns in U.S. aid and its driving paths, considering altruistic, egoistic, and utilitarian motives. This analysis is conducted using GIS spatial analysis and Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The results show that: (1) Total U.S. aid exhibits a basic trend of initial growth followed by stabilization, with military security aid and economic development aid as the primary categories of U.S. aid. (2) There are significant spatial and temporal differences in the distribution of U.S. aid. The Middle East and North Africa region has been a long-standing aid priority but is trending downwards, with an emphasis on military security aid, economic development aid, and humanitarian assistance. Sub-Saharan African countries have emerged as new hubs for U.S. aid, with primary focuses on social sector aid, economic development aid, and humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, other regions have seen diminishing amounts of U.S. aid. (3) The key drivers of U.S. aid have expanded from the level of economic development and U.S. exports to geostrategic, political relations and institutional quality factors, with an overall trend of a gradual shift from being driven by economic interests to geopolitical interests. This may be related to the eastward shift of the U.S. strategic centre of gravity. In terms of specific types of aid, economic development aid, social sector aid and humanitarian aid are economic interest-driven, military security aid is geopolitical interest-driven, and democratic political aid is democratic value-driven. The different types of aid serve different foreign policy objectives and together constitute a tool for the U.S. to pursue its political and economic interests. This paper can provide some reference for China's foreign policy making.

To promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement and achieve the "Dual Carbon Goals", China aims to develop sustainability transitions in production, lifestyle, and consumption, shifting away from its current socio-technical system reliant on the petrochemical energy. Sustainability transitions involve replacing outdated technological systems with new ones. However, this process inevitably triggers negative social consequences, potentially exacerbating social injustice and inequalities. Therefore, the challenge of achieving a "spatially just transition" has become a key issue in economic geography. This study examines international (English-speaking) studies on sustainability transitions and particularly explores the background, themes, and characteristics of related geographical research through bibliometric analysis. The study found the following. (1) Research on transitions is characterized by a strong geographical emphasis. It originated in the early 21st Century from Western old industrial cities and resource-based regions, where the adoption of green technologies as a key mean for industrial transformation. While green technologies did alleviate environmental problems while it also brought about new social problems (such as, unemployment and poverty among traditional workers) and widened social injustices. (2) The concept of just transition currently lacks a unified definition, theoretical framework, and empirical viewpoints. Due to its late entry into the field, related research in geography remains on the periphery of mainstream academic discourse on just transition. In spite of that, geographical perspectives and concepts such as "place," "scale," and "spatiotemporal context" are gradually gaining recognition. (3) The theoretical discourse of just transition has been constructed and dominated by Western developed countries, with insufficient consideration and theoretical reflection on the practical experiences and contextual characteristics of developing countries and regions. However, as China is currently the world's largest driver of transition and a leading promoter of urban/regional pilot initiatives, the geography of just transition holds significant potential for empirical exploration and theoretical reconfiguration. This paper argues that Chinese geographers should seize the historical opportunity to focus on localized transition practices under national policy frameworks such as the Common Prosperity Strategy and the Ecological Civilization Construction. Particular attention should be paid to the transformation of peripheral and less-favored regions or "left-behind places"—such as old industrial areas, resource-dependent cities, and ecologically fragile regions—and their associated social justice challenges during green transitions. Moreover, just transition research should be positioned as a critical topic in current and future studies addressing regional uneven development.

With the rapid development of tourism, conflicts between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations have become increasingly prominent. The effective promotion of sustainable development of tourist destinations has become an important issue in academic circles. The essence of the conflict between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations is the disharmony and imbalance between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations. The root cause of this conflict is the restriction of the policy system and the difference in the interest demands of multiple subjects in the protection and utilization of tourist space resources, which leads to various disputes, contradictions, or opposites. Based on a review of relevant research at home and abroad, this study systematically reviews and summarizes the conceptual connotation, basic theory, identification and classification, feature analysis, occurrence mechanism, and adaptive governance of the conflict between tourism destination protection and utilization. The results show the following: 1) Based on a multidisciplinary perspective, scholars have enriched and refined the conceptual connotation and basic theory of the conflict between tourism destination protection and utilization, have gradually paid attention to the specific demand conflict between different stakeholders in tourism destination protection and utilization, and have attempted to reveal its intrinsic nature and development trends; 2) In terms of identification and classification, owing to the significant differences in research areas and perspectives, the types of conflict between the protection and utilization of tourist destinations also show a diversified trend; 3) Researchers mainly analyze features from the perspectives of subject, time, and space, and the conflicts between tourism destination protection and utilization are characterized by diverse interest subjects, complex spaces, and stages; 4) In terms of the occurrence mechanism, the research mainly explored the driving factors from the macro perspectives of policy system, environment, economy, and social culture, and micro perspectives of subjects' cognition, attitude, and behavior. The macro policy system and micro-subject perceptions were the focus of this study; 5) In terms of adaptive governance, research countermeasures mainly promote the organic combination of macrospatial governance and microsubject regulation to achieve the effect of adaptive governance. Macro-spatial governance provides an overall framework and directional guidance for the development of tourism destinations, while micro-subject regulation ensures that all stakeholders can act reasonably within this framework and jointly promote the sustainable development of tourism destinations. And finally, this research proposes that future research should include supplementing and improving the theoretical system of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict in the context of social change, expanding and deepening the research content of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict in the context of sustainable development, strengthening the research method innovation of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict with the support of geospatial information technology, and promoting the integration of tourism destination protection and utilization conflict in the perspective of multidisciplinary integration, combined analysis and application of results.

In recent years, the integration of red culture into rural areas has led to a remarkable upsurge in red tourism in the revolutionary old areas. The residents of these tourist destinations play a crucial role as carriers and stakeholders in tourism development. However, the role of residents' red culture-inspired awe in tourism development and its underlying mechanisms have not yet been thoroughly explored. Against this backdrop, this study aimed to fill this research gap. This study is firmly grounded in the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. To achieve the research objectives, a quasi-experimental design and a field survey method were employed. In the quasi-experimental study, materials related to the red culture of Jinggangshan were carefully selected to induce awe. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups and a series of measurements were conducted, including assessments of red culture-inspired awe, red cultural identity, and support for tourism development. For the field survey, the Jinxiang Coastal Red Tourism Area in Lufeng City, Guangdong Province, was chosen as the research site. Questionnaires were designed and distributed to collect data on the relevant variables after conducting reliability and validity tests. Our study revealed several significant findings. First, awe inspired by red culture has a direct and positive impact on residents' support for tourism development. This indicates that in the context of red tourism, residents' awe towards local red culture can effectively stimulate their prosocial behaviors. Second, red cultural identity mediates the relationship between red culture-inspired awe and support for tourism development. It was found that when residents experienced a higher level of red culture-inspired awe, their identification with red culture became stronger, which in turn led to a greater inclination to support tourism development. Third, trust in the government also serves as a mediator. Red culture-inspired awe can enhance residents' trust in the government, and this trust significantly influences their attitude towards tourism development policies and their willingness to support tourism. Finally, there exists a serial mediating effect of red cultural identity and trust in the government in this process. This study made several important contributions. Theoretically, this broadens the application scope of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions in the field of red tourism, providing a new perspective for understanding resident attitudes towards tourism development. It also deepens our understanding of the role of emotions in promoting cultural identity and trust in the government. This study offers valuable suggestions for sustainable development of red tourism. For example, it emphasizes the importance of protecting and inheriting red cultural resources to enhance residents' feelings of awe, promote residents' in-depth identification with red culture through various means, and establish a transparent policy communication mechanism to strengthen residents' trust in the government. Future research should expand the sample range and explore the dynamic changes and long-term effects of red culture-inspired awe to provide more comprehensive theoretical support and practical guidance for the development of red tourism.

Against the background of rapid urbanization, China's districts and counties are characterized by unbalanced, inadequate, and asynchronous development, accompanied by different degrees of population loss. It is of theoretical and practical significance to explore the spatial distribution, evolution, and influencing factors of population shrinkage in county and district units in order to adapt to population shrinkage and formulate locally adapted development plans. Taking Guangdong Province as an example, this study analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of population shrinkage during 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 based on resident population data at the district and county scales from 2000 to 2020. The study also constructed a socioeconomic-natural-demographic indicator system, explored the factors influencing its formation and evolution from the perspective of non-linear influence with the help of a multi-classification logit regression model and a random forest model, and put forward relevant suggestions. This study has the following results: (1) In the spatial dimension, the population shrinkage areas in Guangdong Province are primarily distributed in the periphery of the Pearl River Delta, with a spatial core-periphery imbalance, as well as differences between counties (including counties and county-level cities) and municipal districts. Among these, counties and county-level cities are the main areas of population shrinkage, characterized by a wide range of shrinkage, a more profound degree, and a more extended period; (2) In the temporal dimension, in the two stages of 2000–2010 and 2010–2020, Guangdong Province has seen an increase in the intensity of population shrinkage, with a trend towards slower, more sustained, wider, and more widespread population shrinkage and a deepening of the shrinkage in the areas adjacent to the nine cities in the Pearl River Delta. The degree of population shrinkage deepened in the eastern part of the northern mountainous region of Guangdong, mainly Meizhou. In contrast, the northern mountainous region of Guangdong, mainly Shaoguan, has gradually recovered from shrinkage; and (3) In the context of globalization, regionalization, and aging, the formation of population shrinkage areas in Guangdong Province is affected by the interaction of multiple factors in the four dimensions of demographic structure, production, life, and nature, with complex mechanisms and different impacts on different types of population shrinkage. Persistent population shrinkage is mainly affected by the demographic structure, especially the increasing aging problem, which leads to a long-term stable population decline. At the same time, economic and social factors also impact the continuous population shrinkage. Additionally, the policy regulation of ecological reserves, which has a direct impact on population distribution and mobility, cannot be ignored. However, in addition to the endogenous factors of the population, intermittent shrinkage is also affected by social and economic aspects such as industrial adjustment and fiscal expenditure, which may lead to fluctuations in economic activities in the short term and thus affect the population distribution.

Hypothermia is a type of safety accident that is often neglected in field activities. Its occurrence is not only a medical problem but also a thermodynamic problem and involves a specific geographical environment. An effective way to improve public awareness of hypothermia risk is to analyze hypothermia accidents from the perspective of heat transfer and heat balance between the human body and the environment. However, few reports have been written on relevant research. Therefore, this study uses the heat balance theory to build a calculation model of the clothing thermal resistance required by the human body to maintain a normal body temperature. The two most serious hypothermia death events in Shilin, Yellow River, Baiyin, Gansu province, and Ailao Mountain, Yunnan province, in 2021 are used as cases for analysis. The theoretical clothing thermal resistance has been calculated according to the external ambient temperature and human activity conditions (including metabolic rate and consumption coefficient) at the time of the event. By comparing the actual clothing thermal resistance value of the human body with the model, the theoretical clothing thermal resistance value has been calculated to study the hypothermia risk of the human body in the incident environment. The results show that, in the death incident of the Shilin Marathon on the Yellow River in Gansu Province, the theoretical thermal resistance of clothing required by the human body to maintain a normal body temperature was between 0.72 and 4.45 clo under different temperature conditions (resting, walking, and long-distance running), while the actual thermal resistance of the clothing worn by the accident personnel was 0.32 clo. The theoretical thermal resistance of the clothing is higher than that of the actual clothing, resulting in a high risk of temperature loss. Regarding the death event in the Ailao Mountain geological survey, the theoretical clothing thermal resistances required for the human body to maintain a normal body temperature under different temperatures while camping (sleeping), conducting field work, and mountaineering were 2.70-6.52 clo, 1.06-2.27 clo, and 0.55-1.75 clo, respectively. The actual thermal resistance of the clothing worn by the accident personnel was 1.86clo. During the accident, as long as the human body was in a climbing or working state, the difference between the theoretical and actual clothing thermal resistance was small, and the risk of hypothermia was low. However, while camping (sleeping), the theoretical clothing thermal resistance was higher than the actual clothing thermal resistance, and the lower the temperature, the greater the difference―especially at night when the temperature drops to its lowest point. At that point, the theoretical clothing thermal resistance could have been more than 3.5 times higher than the actual clothing thermal resistance, posing a serious risk of hypothermia. The results show the inevitability of hypothermia deaths in Shilin of the Yellow River in Gansu Province and Ailao Mountain in Yunnan Province. The insufficient prediction of hypothermia risk was the main cause of the hypothermia accidents. The calculation model constructed in this study can predict and evaluate the hypothermic risk of a certain outdoor activity in the future, provide a theoretical basis and research paradigm of thermodynamics and environmental science for improving public awareness about hypothermic risk, and is an effective means to prevent hypothermic accidents. Some measures and suggestions are provided for geographers engaged in long-term field investigation to avoid field hypothermia.

As an important aspect of the notion that "spatial is special", spatial heterogeneity has been a central topic of geospatial analytics. It is also closely related to the methodological tradition of geography and replicability of geographic research. The emergence of fine-grained big geospatial data and the development of Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) have brought new opportunities and challenges to spatial heterogeneity modeling. Spatial heterogeneity may refer to (1) values of geographic variables; and (2) associations, or the generation process of geographic variables, which correspond to data and process heterogeneity, respectively. Moreover, the specification of spatial heterogeneity may be categorized as continuous and discrete. Based on the dichotomies above, we summarize the main scenarios of spatial heterogeneity modeling and review corresponding methods: (1) homogeneity-based regionalization; (2) local spatial regression; and (3) spatial regime regression. In particular, we discuss approaches to delineate spatial regimes in an endogenous manner. We also review related methodological advances in GeoAI, where the principle of spatial heterogeneity is reflected in the design of neural network models. Finally, we point out several potential directions for future research. As emerging directions in spatial heterogeneity modeling, spatial regime regression and GeoAI methods need more attention from researchers.

Alluvial fans are common fan-shaped depositional landforms that develop at the outlets of mountain rivers or gullies. Mature and stable alluvial fans are important areas for both human habitation and production in mountainous regions, but they also pose potential hazards associated with flash floods and debris flows. Research on alluvial fans enhances our understanding of regional environmental dynamics and geomorphic evolution, as well as contributes to the mitigation of flood and debris-flow hazards. Therefore, it holds significant scientific value and practical importance. Although considerable research has been conducted on alluvial fans, both domestically and internationally, in recent decades, much of it has focused on geomorphology (morphometry), sedimentary history and characteristics, and historical environmental reconstruction (or inversion). Investigations into the mechanisms of fan development and their geomorphic effects remain relatively underexplored. This review systematically summarizes the key advancements in the research on the dynamic processes, mechanisms, and morphodynamics of alluvial fan development. We first provide an overview of current technical approaches applied in the study of alluvial fans, including field investigations and model experiments. Then, we summarize four critical aspects of fan dynamics processes and development mechanisms: primary and secondary processes; mechanisms of flow channel avulsion; interactions between tributary and main rivers; and the impact of alluvial fan development on sediment production, transport, and geomorphic processes. Finally, we discuss several areas that require further attention in future research. Currently, field observations and monitoring of the dynamic processes of alluvial fan development are inadequate. As an essential complement to post-event field surveys and experimental model research, there is an urgent need to enhance field observations in order to expand and deepen our understanding of alluvial fan development mechanisms. This will promote scientific insights into sediment dynamics and geomorphic processes within regional river systems.

Continental chemical weathering is one of the key processes shaping the Earth's surface morphology, influencing the global material cycle and regulating the global climate. Effectively tracing surface weathering processes has consistently been a focal point within geosciences. Lithium and its isotopes, distinguished by their unique chemical properties, exhibit great potential in tracing continental silicate weathering. This article systematically reviewed the literature and analyzed the fractionation behavior and patterns of lithium isotopes during chemical weathering processes in experimental simulations, weathering profiles, and at the watershed scales. Based on this analysis, the following insights are obtained: 1) The continental weathering process in surface environments is complex, exhibiting a nonlinear relationship between chemical weathering intensity and the δ⁷Li value. 2) Integrative studies of published data indicate that the relationship between the δ⁷Li values of weathered materials and lithium content in highly weathered regions exhibits two patterns (The variation in Li content is limited, yet the δ⁷Li values exhibit significant differentiation; conversely, there is a certain degree of variation in Li content when the differentiation of δ⁷Li values is limited), with the underlying causes requiring further investigation. 3) The red earth region in southern China is an ideal area for weathering research, showing potential in exploring the mechanisms and patterns of lithium isotope fractionation. This article argues that there are still issues in using lithium isotopes as a tracer for chemical weathering, such as insufficient quantitative studies of complex processes, limited multi-scale integrated research, unclear mechanisms of lithium isotopes in highly weathered products, and the lack of a global weathering estimation model. Future efforts should focus on enhancing laboratory simulations, empirical studies, and multi-scale integrated research to further explore the potential of lithium isotope mechanisms in underexplored areas and validate the effectiveness of lithium isotope tracing in chemical weathering through the combined use of multi-isotope systems.

Lake sediments contain rich information on climatic and environmental changes, making them ideal archives for studying the climate and environmental changes since the last deglaciation. Lakes are widespread on the Tibetan Plateau. Scientists have conducted paleolimnological studies in hundreds of these lakes. Using various proxy indicators in sediment cores, numerous records have been acquired on past changes in climate, environment, ecosystems, and human activities at different timescales on the plateau. This has promoted a deeper understanding of the processes and mechanisms of climate and environmental changes on the plateau. However, some problems have emerged with rapid increase in paleolimnological records in past decades. For instance, contradictions between different records have caused interference in further integrated studies. This article suggests that this may be due to neglecting some fundamental scientific issues in limnology, such as unclear lake types (lake water stratification and mixing and lake classification), ambiguous implication of proxy indicators, and unknown histories of lake status changes (e.g., open and closed lakes). Using paleolimnological records from typical lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, this paper illustrates how these issues affect the interpretation of different proxy records. A deeper understanding of fundamental scientific issues in limnology not only helps in reasonably interpreting proxy records and accurately reconstructing past lake processes and climate and environmental changes but also contributes significantly to a better understanding of the processes and mechanisms of climate and environmental changes. This paper attempts to discuss the impact of the thermodynamic characteristics of lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, the implications of climate environment change proxies, and the lake status on the interpretation of lake sediment records. The thermodynamic characteristics of the lake determine the ecological niche of proxy producers and implications of the proxies; the change in lake status (taking the conversion between open and closed states as an example in this paper) directly affects the lake sediment system, thereby influencing the sediment records. If there is no in-depth understanding of the basic information of the lake, it may lead to unreasonable interpretations of the lake sediment records. Therefore, in paleolake studies, full attention should be given to the basic information of the lake. This is not only applicable to paleolake studies on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau but also relevant to related studies in other regions.

Changes in cropland are affected or restricted by natural resource endowment, economy, society, technology and other factors, and are a comprehensive index reflecting the change of human-land relationship. With the rapid development of society and economy, the changes of cropland in China present significant regional differentiation characteristics. Studying the characteristics is very important for grasping the future development trend of cropland, formulating cropland protection policies according to local conditions, and improving the implementation effect of policies. Based on land use maps interpreted by remote sensing images and national land survey data, this paper analyzes the spatial changes of cropland in China in the past 30 years, and proposes the geographical dividing line of cropland increase and decrease in China: 40°N. In the north and south sides of this line, the changes of cropland showed an opposite trend. According to the national Land survey, from 2009 to 2019, cropland in the south decreased by 14.5% and increased by14.0% in the north. And the proportion of cropland in the north of the total cropland area in the whole country increased from 31.5% in 2009 to 38.1% in 2019, which significantly increased its importance in China’s agricultural production. The fastest reduction of cropland in the south is mainly distributed in the southeast coast and the southern section of the second stage, which is a “horseshoe” area. Finally, this paper systematically analyzes the causes of cropland change on both sides of the north and south, and puts forward the corresponding policy suggestions on cropland use. In arid and semi-arid areas of China with better irrigation conditions, drip irrigation technology should be widely adopted, and water-fertilizer integration should be implemented to tap the potential of existing cropland. In the “horseshoe” area, due to the occupation of construction land and the adjustment of agricultural structure, the speed of the reduction of cultivated land is fast, and the policy aim of balancing the total cropland in this area has been difficult to achieve, so the policy of protecting cropland should be adjusted correspondingly. In the south of the 40°N line, especially in the north China Plain and inside the “horseshoe” area, priority should be given to protecting high-quality, flat farmland suitable for large-scale operations for grain production, strictly controlling the expansion and occupation of construction land and non-grain agricultural land, and preventing the fragmentation of cropland.