The relationship between humans and the environment at the urban-rural interface:research progress and prospects

Abstract

The relationship between human and environmental systems at the urban鄄rural interface faces many challenges from urbanization. Since the 1980s, the environmental effects caused by urbanization at the urban鄄rural interface have been studied intensively. In recent years research has focused on the detection of changes in land鄄cover and land鄄use, projections and driving force analysis, natural and agricultural ecosystem evolution and conservation, as well as environmental pollution at the urban鄄rural interface. Many researchers have proved that the environmental system at the urban鄄rural interface is vulnerable to disturbance by human activities and urbanization, and usually shows serious degradation and pollution. The feedback effects of the changes in the environmental systems on human, social and economic systems have also been the subject of research. Some research has proved that the loss of natural and agricultural ecosystems at the urban鄄rural interface not only affects the local residents忆 livelihoods, but also affects the local social capital, and can even cause social conflict. At present, researchers of the human鄄environment relationship at the urban鄄rural interface often take single鄄disciplinary approaches, which are inadequate to meet the demands of a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interaction between the human system and the environmental system at the urban鄄rural interface. A great deal of attention has been

Decision-Making of Green Space Utilization and Protection in Urban Fringe Based on Biodiversity Trade-Off

“…From 2000 to 2030, the area of the global urban built-up areas will triple [1], mainly occupying the green space at the urban fringe [2,3]. According to the data of China's Land Planning Outline (2016-2030), from 2000 to 2015, the built-up areas in cities and towns in China increased by about 113%, and the erosion of green space in fringe areas caused biodiversity decline [4]. With the implementation of the strategy of building a new socialist countryside and revitalizing the countryside in the 21st century, the expectation of providing other goods and services in the green space in the suburbs of cities is getting higher and higher [5,6].The development and construction activities of green space, represented by the leisure and entertainment functions, cultural landscape functions, and health protection functions of rural land use, have been continuously strengthened [7,8], promoting the continuous transformation, development, and utilization of various functions of green space land use in urban fringe areas [9].…”