Coupled Relationship between Rural Livelihoods and the Environment at a Village Scale: A Case Study in the Mongolian Plateau

Abstract

Rural livelihoods, which are basic human activities, have long interacted with the environment. In light of the complexity of the human–environment system, more interdisciplinary analyses from geographical, environmental, and social sciences are needed. Using qualitative and quantitative methods from social, environmental, and geographical sciences, this study conducted a geographical regionalization and a comparative analysis of rural livelihoods in different zones in the Loess Plateau to explore the relationship between rural livelihoods and the environment. The results indicated that rural livelihoods are tightly coupled with the environment on a village scale, showing significant geographical regularity and spatial disparity. A combination of geographical location, resource endowment, and environmental sanitation affects rural livelihoods in terms of spatial patterns, development capacity, and quality of life in the context of the public ownership system, the utilization policy of land resources, and limited technical conditions. Coupling the relationship between rural livelihoods and a given environment on a village scale tends to lead to one of four types of relationships: “homeostatic”, “intense”, “transferred”, or “optimized”. Accordingly, governments and policymakers need to consider that countryside revitalization must be locally tailored and implemented through the four aspects of “rights revitalization”, “labor revitalization”, “industrial revitalization”, and “environmental revitalization”.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, can the development of coastal ecological resources create a safe leisure and tourism environment, maintain ecology, and promote economic development in villages?

“…Although the development of the environmental resources of the Maluan Bay seashore can expand opportunities for local culture, leisure, sports and tourism activities, and promote economic development (Li 2014; Dongshan County People's Government 2021b; Qi and Liu 2021), related decisions may be ineffective because the effects of local community, tourism and industry factors (Lin H-H et al 2021a) on current economic, social and environmental development (Ap and Crompton 1998) decision-making, and public facilities and services (Ngan et al 2019;Shen et al 2020), which can affect the culture, safety and visibility of neighbouring villages (Farahani and Bayazidi 2018;Hsu et al 2020a). Such development can also affect the community and the surrounding environment in terms of transportation, sanitation, development scale, natural resources and local ecology (Wu et al 2020;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021). These factors may indirectly affect tourists' willingness to visit and reduce residents' support and trust in local government development, which may lead to development being pursued outside the region (Ap and Crompton 1998;Farahani and Bayazidi 2018;Ngan et al 2019;Hsu et al 2020a;Shen et al 2020;Wu et al 2020;Kadagi et al 2021;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021).…”

“…Such development can also affect the community and the surrounding environment in terms of transportation, sanitation, development scale, natural resources and local ecology (Wu et al 2020;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021). These factors may indirectly affect tourists' willingness to visit and reduce residents' support and trust in local government development, which may lead to development being pursued outside the region (Ap and Crompton 1998;Farahani and Bayazidi 2018;Ngan et al 2019;Hsu et al 2020a;Shen et al 2020;Wu et al 2020;Kadagi et al 2021;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021). In this manner, the actual and expected results of environmental development strategies in seashore areas may not match.…”

“…In this manner, the actual and expected results of environmental development strategies in seashore areas may not match. The use of environmental resources in seashore areas to improve local development has been a trend in island nations or offshore areas (Ap and Crompton 1998;Farahani and Bayazidi 2018;Ngan et al 2019;Hsu et al 2020a;Shen et al 2020;Wu et al 2020;Kadagi et al 2021;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021). The main goal of related policy formulation is to mitigate difficulties in local development, generate economic opportunities, and improve the living environment and residents' quality of life (Ap and Crompton 1998;Farahani and Bayazidi 2018;Ngan et al 2019;Hsu et al 2020a;Schröder et al 2020;Shen et al 2020;Wu et al 2020;Kadagi et al 2021;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021).…”

“…The use of environmental resources in seashore areas to improve local development has been a trend in island nations or offshore areas (Ap and Crompton 1998;Farahani and Bayazidi 2018;Ngan et al 2019;Hsu et al 2020a;Shen et al 2020;Wu et al 2020;Kadagi et al 2021;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021). The main goal of related policy formulation is to mitigate difficulties in local development, generate economic opportunities, and improve the living environment and residents' quality of life (Ap and Crompton 1998;Farahani and Bayazidi 2018;Ngan et al 2019;Hsu et al 2020a;Schröder et al 2020;Shen et al 2020;Wu et al 2020;Kadagi et al 2021;Lin H-H et al 2021b;Wu 2021). These changes can often be realised only over time (Lin H-H et al 2020(Lin H-H et al , 2021a(Lin H-H et al , 2021bWu 2021) and must be measured by including the viewpoints of affected B www.publish.csiro.au/mf individuals (Tan et al 2021) and the perceptions of long-term local residents (Yu et al 2021a).…”

Scenario Analysis of Livestock Carrying Capacity Risk in Farmland from the Perspective of Planting and Breeding Balance in Northeast China

“…In recent years, governments at all levels have successively issued a series of measures to promote the resource utilization of livestock breeding waste, emphasizing the important role of livestock manure in the high-quality development of agriculture. Thus, relocating the production activities of husbandry to the agricultural ecosystem, reconstructing the combination mode and ecological link between agriculture and husbandry, and ensuring that the breeding waste is digested in the ecological cycle system of agriculture and husbandry will undoubtedly effectively increase soil organic matter content [20,21]. The combination of planting and breeding and the cycle of farming and grazing are considered to be the most effective solutions at present [22].…”