To explore the protection theory and method applicable to the ecological environment of the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin and to solve the contradictory problems of ecological environmental protection and socioeconomic development in the region, we selected evaluation factors suitable for the ecological sensitivity of the Gansu section of the Yellow River Basin. We used hierarchical analysis and GIS spatial analysis to quantitatively evaluate the ecological sensitivity of Guanghe County. We also selected six socioeconomic indexes, such as GDP, per capita GDP, and population density, combined with the coupling degree model and the coupling coordination degree model, to explore the ecological sensitivity of Guanghe County and its coupling coordination relationship. This study shows the following: (1) The distance from the water body, soil erodibility, vegetation coverage, and land use types have a strong impact on the ecological sensitivity of Guanghe County. (2) There is a strong spatial correlation and obvious interdependence between the ecological sensitivity subsystem and the social and economic indicator subsystems, with a high coupling degree. (3) In the study of coupling coordination degree, the ecological sensitivity subsystem is in a coordinated development state with the per capita GDP and mineral resource indicator subsystems, whereas it is in an antagonistic development state with the GDP, population density, industrial indicator, and aquaculture indicator subsystems. This study explores the correlation between ecological sensitivity and social and economic development, providing differentiated development and protection coordination paths for this region and offering a reference for similar regions.

A beautiful ecological environment is critical to the sustainable survival and development of humans and is a prerequisite for China’s ecological civilization. The sensitivity evaluation of the ecological environment in Altay City, Xinjiang, China was performed using GIS software. The results are as follows: (1) The degree of sensitivity impact on the ecological environment in Altay City is ranked from large to small: land-use type>vegetation coverage>river buffer zone>road buffer zone>elevation>slope>aspect. (2) The overall ecological sensitivity of Altay City is high. Areas with high sensitivity or above account for 42.45% of the total study area and are mainly distributed in the northern mountainous and central hilly areas and around the Ertix River. Areas with low sensitivity levels are mainly distributed in the central hills and mountainous alluvial plains. (3) Based on the ecological sensitivity evaluation results, Altay City is divided into three regions: ecological protection zone, ecological improvement zone, and ecological protection and governance zone. Ecological product value realization models should be proposed on the basis of the characteristics of each zone, such as improving ecological compensation, distinctive ecological tourism, ecological agriculture, and conducting ecological governance and restoration, providing practical reference for the realization of ecological product value in Altay City.

In this study, remote sensing ecological indices such as vegetation coverage, remote sensing ecological index, and human disturbance index were extracted from 1990 to 2020 to reflect the evolution trend of ecological status before and after the implementation of the ecological water conveyance project of Tarim River. Taking remote sensing ecological indices as driving factors, an improved ecosystem service value calculation algorithm was proposed to quantify the ecosystem service value of provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural functions and to analyze the dynamic evolution relationships between trade-offs and synergistic effects among the functions. Cumulative ecological benefits from 1990 to 2020 were estimated. The results showed that the ecological condition of approximately 1/3 of the mainstream of the Tarim River had improved because of the implementation of the ecological water conveyance project. The proportion of lower, medium, higher, and high vegetation coverage increased by 17%, 5%, 2%, and 2.9%, respectively. The results of the ecosystem service value calculation showed that the ecosystem service value of the upstream increased and then stabilized, whereas that of the midstream and downstream increased, decreased, and then increased again, indicating a period of lag in the midstream and downstream in response to the ecological water conveyance and was significantly affected by the amount of incoming water. There was a synergistic effect between the regulating and supporting functions and a trade-off effect between the provisioning function and the regulating and supporting functions. Cumulative ecological benefits after 2010 followed the “marginal benefit decreasing law”. Accordingly, for ecological restoration, the annual runoff should not exceed 42.5×10⁸ m³ upstream, 21.5×10⁸ m³ midstream, and 3.5×10⁸ m³ downstream. This study can provide scientific guidance for optimizing the allocation of ecological water quantity.

Land use patterns are important factors causing carbon stock changes in terrestrial ecosystems and play a critical role in maintaining the stability of carbon stock levels. This study uses the coupled PLUS-InVEST model to assess and predict land use and carbon stock changes in the Tarim River Basin, Xinjiang, China from 1980 to 2020. Four scenarios of natural development, ecological protection, arable land protection, and urban development were established. The land use and carbon stock trends in the study area in 2030 were predicted by scenarios, and the effects of land use changes on carbon stock were investigated. The results are as follows: (1) The area of cultivated land, construction land, and unutilized land in the Tarim River Basin increased significantly during the 40-a period, whereas the area of forest land, grassland, and water decreased. (2) Carbon stock exhibited an overall upward trend from 1980 to 2020, with an overall increase of 22.66×10⁶ t. The area of carbon stock increase was mainly distributed on the main stream of the Tarim River and its branches during the 40-a period. Unutilized land and grassland are the main carbon reservoirs in the Tarim River Basin, accounting for 24.77% and 19.37% of the total carbon stock, respectively. (3) The different scenarios showed that the loss of carbon stock after 2020 was larger and the rate of loss gradually accelerated, the carbon stock reduction area was mainly distributed in the middle and southwest parts of the study area, and the transfer of grassland to unutilized land and forest land to grassland in the future was the main reason for carbon stock loss. The carbon stock loss under the four scenarios was reduced by 0.0475×10⁸ t, 0.0051×10⁸ t, 0.0285×10⁸ t and 0.0473×10⁸ t, respectively. (4) The transfer of cropland to woodland, grassland to woodland, watershed to grassland and unutilized land, and unutilized land to cropland and grassland are conducive to carbon storage. Therefore, in future planning, we should combine arable land and ecological protection, control the expansion of construction land to the outside while ensuring the growth of the local economy, increase carbon storage, and build up the strength to achieve the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

A scientific assessment of urban ecological resilience in China's Yellow River Basin is crucial for shaping the basin's high-quality development advantages and creating a resilient and livable environment. Based on the four-dimensional framework of “Pressure-State-Response-Innovation”, this study constructs an urban ecological resilience evaluation system and investigates the temporal evolution, spatial distribution, and spatial difference characteristics of urban ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2020 using kernel density estimation, Dagum Gini coefficient, and other methods. Moreover, it applies the spatial Durbin model to analyze its influencing factors. The results showed that: (1) The urban ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin was effectively improved, and the evolution process and polarization characteristics of the downstream, midstream, and upstream were different. (2) The spatial pattern of urban ecological resilience showed a “downstream-midstream-upstream”, gradient decline, with obvious characteristics of spatial agglomeration and regional differentiation. (3) The overall and intraregional differences in urban ecological resilience fluctuated, and inter-regional differences were the main source of spatial differences, with an annual contribution rate of 65.44%. (4) Precipitation, economic development level, and public security construction positively impacted the improvement of urban ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin, and the opening up level had a positive spillover effect. Infrastructure construction and government intervention also showed a positive spillover effect in improving local urban ecological resilience, whereas the intensity of land development and the degree of environmental pollution would hinder the enhancement of urban ecological resilience. The degree of environmental pollution also had a negative spillover effect. In addition, significant differences were observed in the effects of the influencing factors in the downstream, midstream, and upstream of the Yellow River.

Spatiotemporal changes in ecosystem service value are crucial for protecting the ecological environment and enhancing the ecosystem functionality within mining areas. Based on remote sensing and land-use data, ecosystem service value (ESV) was quantitatively analyzed in the Pingshuo mining area of the Loess Plateau of China from 1990 to 2020 using the 3S (GIS, RS, GPS) technique, a standard equivalent method, and ecological contribution rate. The results showed the following facts: (1) Shifts in land-use type from 1990 to 2020, notably the most substantial decrease occurring in farmland (1122.72 hm²) and a corresponding increase in built-up land (2044.23 hm²) to its highest. (2) A decline in total ESV from 19562.43×10⁴ Yuan in 1990 to 11265.40×10⁴ Yuan in 2010, primarily attributed to reduced ESV in built-up land and grassland. However, a subsequent increase to 15755.47×10³ Yuan in 2020 was observed, which was attributed to the implementation of ecological programs. (3) Varied decreases in individual ESV components, with water retention, purified environment, and biodiversity values decreased by 115.84%, 69.92%, and 18.29%, respectively, over 1990—2020, excluding soil retention, which remained constant. (4) ESV spatial distribution in the Pingshuo mining area, exhibiting higher values in the north/south and lower in the middle. (5) Ecological contribution rates of grassland, built-up land, and forestland in 1990—2020, standing at -41.52%, -34.49%, and -10.09%, respectively. These factors emerged as the main contributors and sensitive elements in the Pingshuo mining area.

To objectively evaluate the impact of driving factors on the ecological environment quality of Tumshuk City, Xinjiang, China, this study selects Landsat image data from three periods, 2000, 2011, and 2021. This data was coupled with normalized difference vegetation index, soil moisture, dryness index, and land surface temperature indicators. It analyzed principal components to construct a remote sensing ecology index (RSEI), combined natural and socioeconomic factors in the study area, and dynamically monitored and evaluated the ecological environment quality of Tumshuk City in the past 22 years. The results showed the following: (1) In the past 22 years, the average RSEI of Tumshuk City increased from 0.406 to 0.476, and the area with improved ecological environment quality was far greater in size than the area with deterioration. The improved areas were mainly distributed in the study area's central, southeast, and northwest regions, and their ecological environment quality has been effectively improved in the past 22 years. (2) By analyzing the driving factors of Tumshuk City, it was observed that the local ecological environment quality was influenced by factors such as population, gross domestic product, arable land area, and climate. Among the driving factors, socioeconomic factors had a notable impact on the local ecological environment quality. (3) By constructing RSEI and analyzing its driving factors on the impact of ecological environment quality, dynamic monitoring and objective evaluation of local ecological environment quality can be efficiently and accurately conducted.

Due to the insufficiency of aiming at the problem of the evolution of habitat quality under the long temporal land use change in the more sediments and coarse sediments region of northern Shaanxi of China, we evaluated habitat quality and degradation over four annual cycles based on InVEST by reviewing land use type change and transfer matrices for 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The results show that: (1) Land use in the region is mainly dry land, forested land, grassland, construction land, and bare land. (2) From 2000 to 2020, the area of bare land transferred out was the largest, with a total decrease of 57.11%, mainly converted to grassland and cultivated land. The total increase of construction land reached 272.69%, the area of grassland transfer out and transfer in was the same, mainly converted with cultivated land, and the comprehensive land use dynamic decreased from 1.32% to 0.61%. (3) The habitat quality index first showed an increasing then decreasing trend, with a peak of 0.43, which was low overall, and the expansion of cultivated land posed a threat to habitat restoration. The habitat quality was higher in the region's southwest, the middle zone was mainly medium- and low-grade, and the habitat quality in the northern Shenmu and Fugu mining areas was high. The average habitat degradation index in 2000 and 2020 were 0.41 and 0.43, respectively, and there was a trend of future habitat deterioration. Thus, subsequent ecological governance policies should mainly focus on the prevention and control of cultivated land, construction land expansion, and protection of forest and grassland. The study results can provide a data reference for ecological restoration in north Shaanxi's more sediments and coarse sediments regions.

Water is essential for the formation of oases in arid areas. Water source districts maintain the existence of oases, facilitate sustainable development of the local economy, and ensure the stability of the ecological environment in the mountains of the northwest arid area. Forest ecosystems are important for water conservation and are called a “green reservoirs” in mountainous areas. Climate change is anticipated to alter the structure and composition of terrestrial ecosystems, affecting elements of the terrestrial water cycle and exacerbating water shortages, thereby posing a threat to arid oases. This study briefly reviews and summarizes the research progress and existing problems related to climate change and their impact on the stability and hydrological processes of mountain forest ecosystems in arid regions. In the future, it also suggests that the trend of climate change needs to be evaluated in arid mountains with an enhanced spatial resolution of 1 km. A comprehensive study of the impact of climate change on the stability of mountain forest ecosystems and hydrological processes in arid areas is recommended, considering multiple scales, interfaces, disciplines, and methods. This approach aims to promote the development of mountain ecology in arid areas and to lay the theoretical foundation for arid area management departments to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change. It further emphasizes the need to scientifically formulate management plans for climate change conditions and realize effective water resource management, thereby promoting sustainable environmental and socioeconomic development under climate change conditions in arid regions.

The Qilian Mountain area is an important ecological function area and one of the most fragile ecological areas in China. Our objective is to study the natural economic-social ecosystem resilience in the Qilian Mountain area to effectively manage ecological challenges. To achieve this, we constructed a three-dimensional spatial vector model, coupling coordination model, and obstacle degree model. These models were employed to measure complex ecosystem resilience and subsystem coupling coordination in the Qilian Mountain area from 2007 to 2021. Additionally, we aimed to reveal obstacles affecting the improvement of the complex ecosystem resilience and analyze the spatial evolution process of complex ecosystem resilience using geographic information system technology. The results show the following: (1) Complex ecosystem resilience in the Qilian Mountain area is increasing, following a spatial decrease trend from the east to the west. Natural subsystem resilience is declining, with a spatial trend of decreasing from the central east to northwest. The economic subsystem resilience is increasing rapidly, with high economic resilience concentrated in the east and north. Social subsystem resilience rises modestly, with high social resilience concentrated in the eastern part of the area. (2) The complex ecosystem resilience coupling in the Qilian Mountain area has considerably improved, reaching a high-level coupling degree, and the degree of coupling coordination shows a fluctuating increase, reaching an intermediate coordination level. (3) The natural subsystem greatly impacts the improvement of complex ecosystem resilience, and the obstacle degree of the indicators from the economic subsystem exhibits a notable increase.

Ordos City is an important steppe desert and agropastoral ecotone in the Yellow River Basin, China. Studying the changes in ecological quality in Ordos City is important for supporting the ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. Herein, the remote sensing imagery of a moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer was used as a data source to calculate the baseline remote sensing ecological index (B_RSEI) of Ordos City by improving the conventional normalization and principal component analysis. This study also analyzes the characteristics of ecological quality changes from 2001 to 2019. The results indicate the following: (1) B_RSEI exhibits stable directionality and integrity, offering an enhanced reflection of long-term changes in ecological quality. From 2001 to 2019, B_RSEI of Ordos City showed a fluctuating increase and a spatial differentiation of higher in the east and lower in the west. (2) The surface water content index (SWCI) is the primary factor promoting B_RSEI and serves as the main factor explaining the B_RSEI distribution. The land surface temperature (LST) is the main factor inhibiting B_RSEI, with its most substantial interaction. (3) The ecological quality of Ordos City has improved, covering 67.13% of the total area, with notable ecological management effects in the Jungar Banner, Kangbashen District, and Ejin Horo Banner areas. This study demonstrates an overall improvement in the ecological quality of Ordos City, emphasizing the usefulness of B_RSEI in analyzing interannual changes. This could provide a reference for the ecological governance of the Ordos City and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

Land cover variations can change regional carbon storage capacity, thereby affecting global climate change. Investigating the impact of land cover changes on carbon stocks and predicting the carbon stocks under different land cover scenarios are crucial in the future for achieving the regional strategic goal of “carbon neutrality”. However, ecologically fragile (such as land degradation and desertification) areas in western China remain to be explored. This study selected the Turpan-Hami Basin in Xinjiang as the study area based on the land cover product data, PLUS model, and InVEST model. Furthermore, this paper discusses the spatiotemporal relationship between land cover changes and regional carbon storage and predicts and evaluates their spatiotemporal dynamic characteristics under sustainable development scenarios, maintaining the status quo development scenario, and economic priority development scenarios in 2025 and 2030. The results showed that: (1) In the last 20 years, the Turpan-Hami Basin has the most significant increase in cultivated land and bare land areas among its various land use types, followed by construction land. Conversely, grasslands have exhibited the most notable decreasing trend. Additionally, the conversion of grassland to cultivated and construction lands was the main transfer type. (2) In 2000, 2010, and 2020, the average carbon storage in the Turpan-Hami Basin was 26.01 t·hm^-2, 25.68 t·hm^-2, and 25.73 t·hm^-2, respectively, indicating a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. The cumulative average carbon storage decreased by 0.28 t·hm^-2, of which the carbon storage of soil organic matter accounted for the highest proportion, approximately 94% of the total carbon storage. Bare land and grassland contributed the most to carbon storage. (3) Under the three scenarios in 2030, no noticeable change was observed in forests, shrubbery, and wetlands; moreover, bare land showed a decreasing trend, while construction land showed an increasing trend in land cover. (4) By 2030, the total carbon storage of Turpan-Hami Basin under the sustainable development scenario increased by 0.18×10⁶ t than that in 2020 and decreased by 0.30×10⁶ t and 1.01×10⁶ t under the status quo development and economic development scenarios, respectively. Among the three scenarios, the carbon storage loss was highest under the economic development scenario. These results provide a basis for land use optimization and sustainable ecosystem development measures in the Turpan-Hami Basin.

The scientific measurement of the development status and convergence trend of urban ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin urban agglomeration is of great significance for the ecological protection and high-quality development of Yellow River Basin. This study selects the panel data of 61 prefecture-level cities in the seven major urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2020, takes evolutionary resilience as the research perspective, constructs an urban ecological resilience evaluation index system from the dimensions of resistance-response-innovation, examines the spatial differentiation of urban ecological resilience using kernel density estimation and the natural break method, and analyzes the urban ecological resilience using different types of convergence models. This study shows the following: (1) The overall mean value of urban ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin is 0.093, and the trend is slow. (2) The urban ecological resilience exhibits a spatial pattern of “strong downstream city clusters and weak upstream and midstream city clusters”, and a decreasing spatial distribution of “core and provincial capital cities-peripheral and marginal cities” within the city clusters. (3) Absolute β convergence exists in the Yellow River Basin and city clusters, among which the Jinzhong City cluster converges the fastest. After adding control variables, the Yellow River Basin and city clusters exhibit a significant conditional β convergence trend, and the speed of convergence increases. In addition, the effects of economic development level, population density, and other variables on the convergence of urban ecological resilience are significantly heterogeneous.

Habitat quality is critical for ecosystem service function and overall health. Accurate prediction of its evolution is essential for fostering high-quality regional ecosystem development. This study employed the system dynamic patch-generating land use simulation (SD-PLUS) model and the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) model to forecast land pattern changes, and evaluate the spatial-temporal evolution of habitat quality in the Ili River Valley under diverse 2035 climate scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, SSP5-8.5). The findings are as follows: (1) From 1980 to 2020, Ili River Valley land use exhibited a “four increase and two decrease” trend. In 2035, under the four climate scenarios, forest and grassland areas in the Ili River Valley will decrease, with a noticeable trend of construction land expansion, leading to the displacement of high-quality arable land in the suburbs. (2) Habitat quality in the Ili River Valley correlates closely with land use/cover type. High- and higher-value habitat areas are primarily scattered in rugged forest and grassland cover areas. Low- and lower-value areas are mainly concentrated in areas with concentrated human activities and unused land cover areas in the north and south Tianshan Mountains. (3) From 1980 to 2020, the habitat quality in the Ili River Valley exhibited a declining trend, particularly in areas near the Ili-Kunes River and Tekes River Basins. (4) The habitat index of the Ili River Valley is projected to decrease under the four climate scenarios in 2035, with the mean value following the order: SSP1-2.6>SSP2-4.5>SSP3-7.0>SSP5-8.5. Notably, habitat quality in Yining City, border ports, and agricultural and livestock bases is at risk of degradation. In conclusion, the results of this study provide valuable insights for developing ecological restoration policies in the Ili River Valley region and offer innovative ideas for predicting habitat quality in arid and semi-arid areas.

The assessment of ecological security in tourism destinations is intricately linked to the sustainable development of tourism, and the careful selection of evaluation methods plays a critical role in mitigating uncertainties surrounding the results of such assessments. On the basis of analysis, this study focuses on the tourism ecological safety situations in five prefecture-level cities in the Hexi Corridor region of Gansu Province, China from 2011 to 2020. It constructs a comprehensive index system for evaluating tourism ecological safety and uses the entropy weight TOPSIS method and the fuzzy matter-element model to quantitatively assess the results. (1) The results of both methods suggest that there is a general upward trend in tourism ecological security in the Hexi Corridor region. (2) The trend of change in the driving force and pressure composite indices in the Hexi Corridor region is coordinated, the trend of change in the impact and state composite indices is similar, and the response composite index better reflects the results of regional government initiatives. (3) The evaluation results obtained using the fuzzy matter-element model method have higher credibility. These findings can offer valuable insights for the selection of models to evaluate the ecological safety of tourism systems.

Water, energy, and carbon exert significant influence on the intricate interconnected systems of economy, society, and ecology. Alterations in any one of these factors can instigate a cascading effect, transferring ecological pressures and impacting the sustainable development of both regions and industries. Focusing on Xinjiang, China, and utilizing input and output data from 2007, 2012, and 2017, this paper employed the environmental input-output model to calculate implicit water consumption, implicit energy consumption, and implicit carbon emissions across 18 industrial sectors in Xinjiang. Additionally, an ecological network analysis model was employed to elucidate system circulation rates, robustness, and control dependencies. The findings revealed the following insights: (1) Mixed water was predominantly allocated to domestic outflow and household consumption, whereas mixed energy and mixed carbon were primarily utilized for domestic outflow and total capital formation. (2) The circulatory rates of water networks remained below 42%, while those of energy networks and carbon networks were below 25%, indicating an overall declining trend in the network system. (3) The system robustness of water networks, energy networks, and carbon networks signified a development stagnation, portraying an unsustainable overall developmental state. (4) A weak correlation was observed among the water system, energy system, and carbon system in various departments within the “water-energy-carbon” coupling system in Xinjiang. Control and dependence relationships are currently in an incidental state, lacking the formation of a synergistic “water-energy-carbon” relationship between industries. This study elucidated the governing principles of the “water-energy-carbon” coupling system in Xinjiang, providing valuable data to support the realization of a low-carbon and efficiently integrated resource management model.

This study employs the entropy weight method to determine index weights, utilizing the comprehensive evaluation method and kernel density to assess the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of pressure-state-response resilience in 14 prefectures within the Xinjiang arid zone of China. In addition, geographic detectors are used to analyze the main influencing factors and factor interactions affecting the economic and ecological resilience of water. The findings reveal the following trends: (1) Stress resilience evaluation indices for Xinjiang prefectures generally decline from 2010 to 2020. Specifically, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture experiences a shift from high resilience to moderate resilience. Conversely, state resilience, response resilience, and comprehensive resilience exhibit an increasing trend, reflecting an overall improvement in resilience levels. (2) The spatial distribution of pressure-state-response resilience kernel density across all Xinjiang prefectures from 2010 to 2020 displays a staggered pattern, with higher values concentrated in the southwest compared to the northeast. Analyzing the three dimensions reveals a concentrated distribution of high-pressure resilience kernel density moving from the southwest to the central region. Meanwhile, high state resilience and response resilience kernel densities progress from the northeast to the southwest, displaying a more dispersed distribution. Toward the end of the study period, comprehensive resilience, state resilience, and response resilience kernel densities exhibit a decreasing trend, while spatial differences in pressure resilience kernel densities become more pronounced. (3) The influence of industrial structure, GDP per capita, and ecological self-purification capacity on water resources’ economic and ecological resilience has intensified, while the impact of man-made disasters and other factors has weakened. Interactions among industrial structure, ecological self-cleaning capacity, and retail sales of social consumer goods are more influential than individual factors in shaping system resilience. Notably, the number of nonlinear enhancement relationships in factor pairs surpasses the number of two-factor enhancements.

Xinjiang plays a crucial role as a significant grain production area and a key reservoir of arable land resources in China. Evaluating the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of grain in Xinjiang within the context of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals holds substantial importance for advancing the green transformation of agriculture and ensuring food security in the region. This study incorporates carbon emissions from nondesired output in grain production into a framework for measuring grain GTFP. Using the SBM-GML model, we assessed the grain GTFP for 14 prefectures and municipalities in Xinjiang spanning the years 2000 to 2020. The analysis includes an examination of the spatial and temporal evolution of grain GTFP in each Xinjiang region (the North Xinjiang, East Xinjiang and South Xinjiang) using the kernel density estimation method and Dagum’s Gini coefficient decomposition. Moreover, we employ a fixed effects model to identify the impacts on the total factor productivity of Xinjiang’s agriculture. Subsequently, the fixed effects model is used to pinpoint the driving factors influencing grain GTFP in Xinjiang. The findings reveal several key insights: (1) Xinjiang’s grain GTFP exhibits an upward trajectory from 2000 to 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 0.7%. This growth is primarily attributed to advancements in grain green technology efficiency (GEC), while progress in grain green technology (GTC) acts as a constraining factor. (2) Notable regional heterogeneity characterizes the growth of Xinjiang’s grain GTFP, with the North Xinjiang region surpassing East Xinjiang and South Xinjiang in this regard. (3) Temporal regional disparities demonstrate a pattern of initial narrowing followed by an expansion, with intra-regional distinctions being the primary source of spatial differences. In addition, changes in the structure of grain cultivation significantly contribute to the growth of grain GTFP in Xinjiang, whereas urbanization levels and rural electricity consumption exert a notable dampening effect.

This study utilizes panel data spanning 2010 to 2021 from seven counties and districts within the Xining section of the Huangshui Basin. Employing the Super-Undesirable SBM model and an extended coupling coordination model, we assess the levels of industrial structure upgrading and ecological efficiency enhancement. Additionally, we evaluate the coupling coordination between these two systems, identifying optimal paths through the coordinate classification method. The findings reveal: (1) Substantial regional variations exist in both industrial structure upgrading and ecological efficiency enhancement across the sample area. The spatial distribution exhibits a pattern of prominence in the center and weakness on the sides. (2) The overall coupling and coordination levels among the counties and districts demonstrate a lack of high coherence, marked by significant regional disparities. Most areas fall into the transitional coupling stage with weak elasticity. (3) The solidification of industrial structure upgrading emerges as the primary impediment to achieving a higher level of coupling coordination in the region. Developing coupling paths should prioritize regions characterized by the “double-low” type, steering clear of the pitfalls associated with “low-level coordination”. In conclusion, this study recommends internal breakthroughs to address resource constraints and external strategies to achieve a balanced distribution within the systems.

Land use changes considerably influence carbon emissions and carbon storage, rendering an investigation into the spatial and temporal patterns of carbon emissions from land use transformations is essential. Such a study holds great importance to the rational allocation of land resources, the improvement of land use efficiency, and the realization of energy saving and emission reduction. Herein, based on land use and energy data from 1990—2020 in 22 county units in Ningxia Province, China, we comprehensively applied the carbon emission risk index and carbon footprint pressure index to analyze land use changes, spatial differentiation of carbon emissions, and carbon emission risk associated with land use of counties in Ningxia. The results are as follows: (1) Land use change in Ningxia has been substantially strong from 1990 to 2020. Notably, the dynamic degree of construction land was the largest, with an increase of 1578.48 km². (2) During this period, the net carbon emissions of land use in Ningxia increased by 4969.25×10⁴ t. Notably, net carbon emissions exhibited an average annual growth rate of 15.71% from 2000 to 2020, nearly doubling every decade. Meanwhile, the carbon emissions of construction land account for >86% of the total carbon emissions. The amount of carbon absorptions in Ningxia increased by 23.76×10⁴ t, mainly forest carbon absorptions, accounting for >75% of the total carbon absorptions, showing a pattern of local agglomeration and overall dispersion. (3) The land use carbon emissions of each county showed an increasing trend but with a profound difference. Northern counties experienced the most pronounced growth rate of carbon emissions, and the spatial distribution pattern of carbon emissions of the counties along the Yellow River was higher than that in the central and southern counties. (4) Each country suffers from high risk and pressure of land use carbon emissions, where carbon emissions and carbon absorption are highly uncoordinated, leading to an imbalance in the ecosystem carbon balance.

Studying spatiotemporal changes in ecological vulnerability in the Loess Plateau region of northern Shaanxi before and after the implementation of an ecological restoration project helps to understand the impact of the project implementation on regional ecological vulnerability and provides a scientific reference for the sustainable restoration of regional ecology. This study aims to provide a scientific foundation for the sustainable restoration of the ecology in this region by leveraging multisource data and an evaluation index system built around the sensitivity-resilience-stress model. The analysis encompasses the spatiotemporal variation of ecological vulnerability in different administrative regions, diverse ecological function areas, and varying slopes in the region before and after the implementation of the project (1997 and 2021) is analyzed with the driving mechanism. The results show the following key insights: (1) The ecological vulnerability in the Loess Plateau, China, was improved substantially. The mean regional ecological vulnerability index decreases from 41.74 to 32.96, a decrease of 21.0%. This shift transforms from medium and low vulnerability to a predominantly low vulnerability pattern. (2) Ecological vulnerability in the study area exhibits a zonal distribution, and the ecological vulnerability in the south is better than that in the north. From 1997 to 2021, 51.2% of the regional ecological vulnerability in the study area was improved, mainly from medium to low vulnerability, accounting for 75.3% of the total area improved, predominantly concentrated in farmland to forest and sandstorm areas. The second notable improvement involves the shift from low to general vulnerability, accounting for 16.9% of the improved areas, mainly within the Huangqiao forest area. Conversely, 4.6% of the regional ecological vulnerability increases in the study area, with general vulnerability rising to low and low vulnerability rising to medium, accounting for 52.9% and 45.6% of the increased area of ecological vulnerability, respectively. These increases are scattered in the sandstorm areas and Huangqiao forest areas. Among the administrative units, Tongchuan City is the lowest ecologically fragile, while Yulin City is the highest, with the most vulnerable areas concentrated in Yulin City. However, the ecological vulnerability index and grade declined in the three municipal districts. Similarly, the ecological vulnerability index and grade of the three ecofunctional areas considerably decreased, with the largest decrease in the area of returning farmland to forest, followed by the wind-sand areas, and finally, the Huangqiao forest area. (3) In designated cropland-to-forest conversion zones, high-grade vulnerability largely transforms into low-grade vulnerability, leading to noticeable regional ecological improvement. (4) Analysis of the driving mechanism reveals that the driving forces of human and natural factors account for 83.1% and 16.9%, respectively. This result shows that ecological restoration projects are the main driving force for the profound improvement of regional ecological vulnerability.

Establishing a benign, healthy, and high-quality territorial space through systematic, all-regions, all-elements, and whole-process ecological restoration is crucial from the perspective of the life community of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grass, and sand. However, identification and zoning of ecological conservation and restoration areas are prerequisites for adopting differentiated ecological restoration and constructing a high-quality ecological security pattern for the territorial space, which in turn ensures a stable and healthy development of the regional ecosystem. Currently, guidance and method support for territorial spatial zoning are urgent needs for implementing systematic ecological conservation and restoration in Ningxia, China. The Liupan Mountain area in Ningxia, with its key ecological position and rich ecological resources, plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining regional ecological security. In this study, taking the Liupan Mountain area as the research region, we construct a comprehensive indicator system that views ecosystems from a two-dimensional perspective of “service-problem”. This system optimizes and streamlines the dimensions, scales, and indicators previously used, addressing past simplifications. Based on this framework, we employ mainstream ecological restoration zoning methods, such as the InVEST model, spatial overlay mapping, and comprehensive index weighting. We apply a grid-based unit scale to quantitatively evaluate the importance and sensitivity of ecological services, ultimately completing ecological conservation and restoration zones and clarifying ecological restoration strategies. The key results of this study include the following: (1) The highly important areas of ecological services account for 33.4%, presenting a “south-north” corridor extending from Liupan Mountain to Nanhua Mountain, along with a centralized distribution within the “Yuanzhou-Pengyang” county territory. They serve as the main suppliers of ecological functions and present opportunities for optimization and upgrading within the region. (2) The highly sensitive area of the ecosystem accounts for 32.0%, which is concentrated in the “Haiyuan-Xiji” county territory and the eastern region of Yuanzhou County. They represent the main areas of ecological function demand and are the focus of conservation and restoration efforts in the region. (3) The proportion of ecological reserve zones is 15.7%, which requires strict ecological protection and monitoring management to promote structural optimization and functional upgrading within the ecosystem. Meanwhile, the proportion of ecological restoration zones and conservation zones accounted for 17.7% and 26.1%, respectively. They require comprehensive efforts to improve ecological benefits and control the risk of ecological degradation, which are guided by soil erosion control and land desertification prevention. The proportion of ecological regulation zones is 40.5%, exploring a transformation path for comprehensive optimization and coordination of the development and conservation pattern of the territorial space, particularly in the context of the “two mountains” initiative. The results of this study provide important spatial guidance for systematic and differentiated ecological conservation and restoration, as well as for the formulation of policies and project layout within the territorial space of the Liupan Mountain area.

Habitat quality is an important index for measuring the quality of the regional ecological environment. Its study in arid and semi-arid watershed areas holds both theoretical and practical importance. Based on multisource data such as natural geography and remote sensing images, this study uses research methods such as the center of gravity migration and the InVEST model. This study aims to reveal the temporal and spatial evolution law of habitat quality in the Bosten Lake Basin of Xinjiang, China, from 1980 to 2020. This study also uses the FLUS model to simulate the temporal and spatial evolution of land use in 2025 and 2030, shedding light on the corresponding habitat quality shifts under different land use change prospects. The results can be summarized as follows: (1) From 1980 to 2020, the average habitat quality in the Bosten Lake Basin decreased from 0.546 to 0.521. High-quality habitat areas were greatly reduced, with the regional center of gravity shifting northward. Conversely, low-quality habitat areas expanded and their center of gravity moved northeastward. Notably, the overall intensity of habitat degradation in the watershed weakened during this period. (2) Under the natural development scenario, industrial production land and other ecological land have increased substantially in the Bosten Lake Basin. Meanwhile, in the ecological priority development scenario, the development trend of water ecological land shifted from decline to growth and moved to grassland ecological land and other ecological lands in the Bosten Lake Basin. In the economic development priority scenario, the boundary between urban living land and industrial production land in the Yanqi Basin and oasis plain expanded. This study provides a scientific basis for land use planning and habitat quality improvement in arid and semi-arid basin areas.

This paper constructs an index system for evaluating land ecological quality in the Yellow River Basin in terms of ecological basis, ecological structures, ecological benefits, ecological stresses, and evaluates the land ecological quality of the basin from 2000 to 2020 by using the ideal point method. On this basis, we combined the Slope trend prediction model and F significance test model to predict the change trends of land ecological quality in the basin in 2025, and analyzed the clustering characteristics of the predicted change trends. The results show that: (1) The land ecological quality in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the Yellow River Basin is higher than that in the northeastern and northwestern parts. (2) The overall land ecological quality of the Yellow River Basin is low from 2000 to 2020, but shows a gradual improvement from the southeast to the northwest. (3) The quality of the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin, where the background land ecological quality is poor, has much room for improvement. (4) Land ecological quality in the Yellow River Basin may rise in 2025 is mainly concentrated in the eastern and central part of the Gansu section and the southern part of the Ningxia section of the basin, located in the Loess Plateau ecological function protection zone. The cases where the ecological quality of land is likely to decline are partly clustered in the southwestern part of the Qinghai section of the basin in the Yellow River source ecological function reserve, and partly in the northwestern part of the Inner Mongolia section of the basin. The northwestern part of the Yellow River Basin should continue to promote ecological treatment, laying the ecological foundation for regional high-quality development, and the southeastern part of the basin should continue to promote economic development while strengthening ecological protection and monitoring, so as to achieve the benign development of mutual promotion of economy and ecology.

The southern margin of the Gurbantunggut Desert is located in the intersection area of wind-water forces with a unique sedimentary environment and sensitive response to climatic change. This makes the area ideal to study the Holocene environmental evolution of the northwest desert of China.Three aeolian-alluvial interactive stratigraphic profiles in the desert-oasis transitional zone of the southern margin of the Gurbantunggut Desert were selected. Based on field observation of the lithological characteristics and sedimentary sequences, the age scale was established using optically stimulated luminescence dating. Herein, combined with the comparative analysis of particle size parameters, magnetic parameters, and surface micromorphology characteristics of quartz particles, the sedimentary environmental evolution process since the Holocene in the study area was comprehensively discriminated. The result showed that the stratigraphic sequences in the study area mainly reflect the prevalence and recession of river and wind-sand processes, exhibiting obvious characteristics of contemporaneous heterogeneity. Moreover, alluvial deposits were dominant in the northern piedmont of the Tianshan Mountains from 11.8 ka to 10.2 ka, and braided rivers penetrated the desert with local fluvial deposits. From 10.2 ka to 6.0 ka, the study area entered into the Holocene optimum, and the desert retreated northward with widespread lakes and wetlands. Furthermore, the study area has experienced weak alluvial deposits and frequent wind-sand activities from 6 ka to the present, and the desert environment alternated with the river environment. In the past millennium, the sedimentary environment of the study area has exhibited the characteristics of increased wind-sand activity and river alluvial atrophy, along with the Gurbantunggut Desert showing an overall trend of southward invasion and expansion. The change of strength and position of westerly circulation mainly controlled the emergence of the Holocene humid environment in the study area. Additionally, the coupling between the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation and the Tianshan Glacier and the climatic fluctuation caused by the Northern Atlantic ice-rafted debris event were crucial factors affecting the sedimentary environment of the study area in the Holocene.

The Yuli-Qiemo Desert Highway, through the Taklimakan Desert hinterland, can provide strong support to realize social stability and long-term security in Xinjiang, China. Wind and sand hazards are the main obstacles to the construction and opening of the Yuli-Qiemo Desert Highway, hence preventive and control measures are urgently needed to protect the highway. Based on ERA5 wind data, this study analyzed the wind energy environment along the Yuli-Qiemo Desert Highway, combined with remote sensing images to analyze the dune movement characteristics along the highway. In addition, the wind and sand hazards along the highway were systematically elaborated based on which the targeted wind and sand prevention and control measures were proposed for the highway. The following results were observed. (1) The annual average wind speed of sand ranged from 6.03 m·s^-1 to 6.64 m·s^-1, and the annual wind frequency ranged from 14.73% to 30.44%. (2) Sandy winds occurred mainly in spring and summer. The main direction of sandy wind is dominated by ENE and E. (3) The annual sand transport potential along the line ranges from 106.48 VU to 293.70 VU, with two types of wind environments, i.e., low and medium. The annual directional variability index ranges from 0.49 to 0.74, indicating a medium ratio, and the annual synthetic sand transport direction ranges between 213.48° and 255.94°. The seasonal sand transport potential in each direction is consistent with the frequency change of seasonal sand winds, and the directional variability index shows obvious seasonal change characteristics. The spatial and temporal variability of the wind energy environment causes the spatial variability of the dune movement rate. Under the action of sand-driving winds, different degrees of wind and sand hazards are suffered along the route. Therefore, targeted engineering and biological control measures are set up along the route according to the blocking-fixing principle. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the environmental characteristics and hazards of wind and sand along the Yuli-Qiemo Desert Highway and provides a theoretical basis for the setup and subsequent improvement and optimization of the control measures along the highway.

This study aimed to investigate aspects of the plant production and animal husbandry by employing the emission factor method to estimate agricultural carbon emissions and analyze their temporal and spatial variation features in Gansu Province, China, from 2000 to 2020. The factors influencing agricultural carbon emissions were investigated based on the stochastic impacts by regression on PAT (STIRPAT) model. Subsequently, corresponding countermeasures were proposed in this study. The results indicated the following: (1) The CO₂-e emissions from the agricultural sector of Gansu Province from 2000 to 2020 showed an increasing-decreasing-increasing trend; the emissions reached a peak in 2015, which was estimated to be 2320.41×10⁴ t. Additionally, from 2018 onward, the emissions increased annually to 2290.69×10⁴ t in 2020. (2) In Gansu Province’s agricultural CO₂-e emission structure, the plant production accounted for 35% and animal husbandry accounted for 65% of the total emissions. Among the various carbon sources, livestock and poultry gastrointestinal fermentation contributed the most to total agricultural carbon emissions, followed by fertilizer and animal manure management. Among the major livestock and poultry, beef cattle farming contributed the most to agricultural carbon emissions. And then were sheep, goats, cows, and pigs farming, and poultry farming contributed the least to agricultural carbon emissions. (3) Rural population, per capita GDP, per capita disposable income of rural residents, total power of agricultural machinery, proportion of agricultural added value in the province’s GDP, investment in fixed assets of rural households, application of agricultural scientific and technological achievements, and investment in agricultural science and technology were the main factors affecting agricultural carbon emissions in Gansu Province. The influence indices of these factors for agricultural carbon emissions were -0.017, 0.026, 0.020, 0.038, -0.025, 0.031, -0.017, and 0.016, respectively. To effectively control agricultural carbon emissions, appropriate strategies regarding the following should be adopted: improving the resource utilization efficiency of the plant production and soil carbon sequestration capacity industriously; strengthening the source reduction, process control, and end treatment of animal husbandry; reducing the dependence of farm machinery on oil to the maximum possible extent; promoting the use of clean energy in rural areas effectively; and increasing the research, development, and application of low-carbon agricultural technologies.

Shannan Wide Valley Basin is one of the prime valleys of the Yarlung Zangbo River of China. The geographical environment of the basin makes it vulnerable to land desertification and ecological degradation, while also making it an important belt of economic development along the river. Ecological security patterns can provide a reference for future improvements in ecological functions and economic development. Based on the evaluation of ecosystem services and ecological sensitivity, the ecological source areas were identified. The minimum cumulative resistance value was used to determine ecological security zones and ecological corridors, and the ecological security pattern of the Shannan Wide Valley Basin was constructed for 2020. The results showed that: (1) The ecological source area of the basin was found to be 1089.68 km², with distribution mainly occurring in grassland and forest areas of Gonggar County, Zhanang County, and Nedong District. (2) Zones of maximum, high, medium, low, and minimum ecological security were established, accounting for 24.74%, 51.24%, 10.31%, 5.43%, and 8.28% of the total basin area, respectively. To ensure ecological security, different measures should be applied at each level of the ecological security zone. (3) The constructed ecological security pattern comprised 105 ecological corridors with a total length of 4720.08 km, together with various ecological source areas, ecological source points, and ecological security areas. (4) In addition to the current land use situation in Shannan Wide Valley, moderate industrial development should take place on the southern banks of the river, while ecological protection measures should be the focus for the northern banks. Further, the “one land, one field, two districts, and four parks” development pattern should be followed.

Improving urban ecological resilience and efficiency, and promoting coordinated development between these two systems are the primary objectives of ecological governance in the Yellow River Basin, China. Considering 57 cities in the Yellow River Basin as the research target, this study analyzed the spatial and temporal evolutionary characteristics of urban ecological resilience and efficiency based on the weighted summation method and the slacks-based measurement (SBM) model for the period from 2009 to 2018. Furthermore, a coupled coordination model was employed to analyze the coordinated development of urban ecological resilience and efficiency in cities along the Yellow River Basin. The study results showed the following: (1) During the study period, the urban ecological resilience of cities along the Yellow River Basin had a fluctuating declining trend overall, and these cities faced greater ecological threats and environmental pressures. Xi’an, Zhengzhou, and Jinan City are three provincial capitals that show high urban ecological resilience, whereas Guyuan, Dingxi, Haidong, and Lüliang City showed low urban ecological resilience. (2) The urban ecological efficiency of cities along the Yellow River Basin was generally characterized by a “U”-shaped evolution; in other words, the efficiency first decreased and subsequently increased. Dingxi, Longnan, Qingyang, Ordos, Guyuan, and Luoyang City showed a high level of urban ecological efficiency, while cities with low urban ecological efficiency were mainly located in Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. (3) The coordination relationship between ecological resilience and efficiency is similar to that of the ecological efficiency subsystem, which changed from a continuous decline to a gradual recovery. During the study period, the number of cities with good and moderate coordination between urban ecological resilience and efficiency increased, while the number of cities with poor coordination decreased. Furthermore, while the coordinated development momentum of ecological resilience and efficiency of cities in the basin is apparent, the contradiction between economic development and environmental protection continues to be prominent in the short term. Thus, results of this study contribute to the knowledge base regarding the formulation of ecological policies, improvement of urban ecological resilience, and promotion of urban ecological efficiency in cities in the Yellow River Basin.

The spatiotemporal differences and dynamic changes of total agricultural carbon emissions and intensity in Xinjiang, China, were investigated by analyzing agricultural materials, rice cultivation, livestock breeding, and straw burning. The convergence trends of agricultural carbon emissions intensity in 13 prefectures and cities were examined by performing spatial convergence analysis. The results revealed the following: (1) Although the total agricultural carbon emissions in Xinjiang from 2007 to 2019 increased steadily, the intensity of agricultural carbon emissions exhibited a decreasing trend. (2) In 2019, the total agricultural carbon emission was the highest in counties and cities of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture and lowest in Turpan City. A declining trend of total agricultural carbon emissions was observed only in the counties and cities of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture and Hotan region, whereas the rest of the regions exhibited an increasing trend. Generally, a “low in the north and high in the south” trend was observed in the intensity of agricultural carbon emissions in Xinjiang. (3) The dynamic evolutionary characteristics of agricultural carbon emission intensity varied widely across Xinjiang prefectures and cities. The kernel density curve showed an overall small leftward shift over time. Furthermore, the concentration of agricultural carbon emission intensity was increasing. (4) The agricultural carbon emission intensities of various prefectures and cities in Xinjiang exhibited significant β-convergence characteristics, which indicated that the gap in agricultural carbon emission intensities between prefectures and cities was narrowing. Moreover, the conditional β convergence rate was considerably higher than absolute β convergence, and the further incorporation of the spatial factor increased the convergence rate. The results of the study can be used for the development of low-carbon agriculture in Xinjiang to achieve “dual carbon” goals.