Effective production, living, and ecological space allocation is essential for advancing territorial policy optimization and improving the sustainability of land resource use. Based on the theory of the “production-living-ecological” space (PLES), the present study uses the spatial transfer matrix model, the coupling degree model, and ecosystem service value measurement to analyze the changes in the number and structural characteristics of the PLES and the evolution pattern of development in 336 cities in China from 2000 to 2020 and to evaluate the resulting ecological effects. The results are as follows: the living space is growing; the agricultural production space is decreasing; and the ecological space has been decreasing and then increasing. The evolution of the city space structure has five distinct patterns of development. Cities in the southeast with high urbanization rates have shifted from the pure economic expansion development pattern to the coordinated diversified development pattern. In contrast, the cities in the northeast and northwest, where ecological space accounts for an absolute proportion, still prefer the economic expansion development pattern. There is still a struggle between the “impulse of local development” and the “objective of central coordination”. The development patterns of ecological protection and the coordinated diversified development patterns have higher ecological effects among the five development approaches, confirming the effectiveness of the territorial spatial planning policy under the coordinated development objective. Meanwhile, the optimization of future spatial planning policies should consider not only the rational allocation of space but also the quality development of space.
This paper presents novel empirical evidence on the welfare impacts of forest protection programs, focusing on both income and material welfare at the household level. Specifically, we conduct a household survey of 1271 households in forestry communities that participate in the Natural Forest Protection Program (NFPP) in China. The survey data are collected from 56 state forest enterprises (SFEs) across three provinces in China. We employ the Alkire–Foster method to calculate and decompose the material deprivation index based on household income levels. Our analysis reveals that forestry communities exhibit a significant proportion of households in low-income welfare states, comprising nearly one-fourth (25.41%) of the sample. Furthermore, we observe that the percentage of households in a low-material welfare state is nearly one-fifth (21.70%), with 7.79% of households experiencing both low-income and low-material welfare. Importantly, we find that welfare disparities persist across population subgroups based on occupation and geography. In addition, we assess the impact of the NFPP on household welfare outcomes and identify an elite group of technicians residing in urban communities down the hill who experience positive welfare effects from the program. These findings provide critical insights beyond a single welfare dimension and contribute to the growing literature on evaluating forest protection policies. Furthermore, the results offer valuable lessons for designing and implementing forest protection programs in other developing countries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.