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The Evaluation of the Sustainable Development Capacity of Bay Cities in China：Under the Background of Blue Bay Remediation Action
Get PDFIn response to the urgent need for sustainable development of the marine environment, the Chinese government initiated the Blue Bay Remediation Action (BBRA) in 2016, piloting efforts in 16 bay cities. Recognizing that these areas function as integrated ecosystems, it is clear that solely addressing issues within the bays will not completely resolve the ecological challenges. Guided by the principles of comprehensive treatment and sustainable development inherent in the BBRA policy, this paper incorporates ecological indicators of bays and the surrounding sea into a sustainable development framework for 52 bay cities. To identify a balanced approach for the development of the economy, ecology and society, a three-component evaluation system with 40 indicators is established to assess the sustainable development levels of bay cities from 2015 to 2019 in China. According to the result of the principal component and coupling coordination degree analysis, it indicates that after BBRA, the change of sustainable development levels of the pilot bay cities is not obvious. Significant disparities exist in the levels of sustainable development among the majority of pilot cities, with imbalances observed across economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Consequently, in researching the balanced sustainable development of bay cities, it is essential to consider the unique development characteristics of each city during the implementation process of the BBRA
Climate smart agriculture
No full textAgriculture faces unprecedented challenges from climate change, requiring innovative, sustainable solutions to maintain food security while enhancing environmental resilience. This report explores strategies to improve cropping systems that balance economic viability, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. Drawing on research and teaching experience in soil health, non-chemical weed control, and regenerative practices, the study investigates climate-smart adaptations in Western Australia—a region with diverse climatic conditions and severe climate impacts and Saskatchewan in Canada. Key findings highlight the need for integrated approaches, including water management, resilient crop breeding, and reduced tillage systems to mitigate extreme weather effects and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers’ adoption of regenerative principles is driven by soil health concerns, climate resilience, and economic incentives, yet challenges remain in diversifying rotations and integrating systems. The report concludes that education, policy support, and practical innovations are essential to equip farmers and future professionals for a sustainable agricultural future
Agroforestry Through the Elements
No full textThis season explores agroforestry through a fresh lens, using the elements as a framework to deepen understanding and challenge assumptions around trees on farms. Grounding each episode around the themes of water, fire, earth, air, and people offers a dynamic and exciting way to explore individual topics in greater depth, while emphasising the fundamentally interconnected nature of agroforestry systems
Teaching and Research as a ‘Trans-world activity’: A Decolonial Approach to Development Studies and Research
No full textThis paper contributes to decolonial horizons that challenge development studies and research within the neoliberal academy. It relies on autoethnographic positioning analysis, and a reflective reading of Freire’s critical pedagogy, and Lugones’s theory of active subjectivity and multiple selves, to explore Hull’s proposition of teaching and research as a trans-world activity. This involves reflexivity and analytical methods that incorporate questions of self and subjectivity in teaching and research. It offers trans-world teaching and research as a (1) a playful and loving way of being in the ‘world’, (2) an inversion of research and knowledge encounters and (3) a means to facilitate a sense of becoming
Assessment of soil cover chemical pollution using satellite data: A case study of Kharkiv region, Ukraine
No full textChemical contamination of soils due to military activity has become an urgent global concern, particularly in conflict-affected regions such as Ukraine. This study presents a methodology for the rapid identification and assessment of contaminated agricultural land using an integrated approach that combines open-source intelligence, geographic information systems (GIS), and remote sensing. The authors focused on military debris as a primary vector of soil contamination (by Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and utilized publicly available digital resources to geolocate fragments of destroyed equipment across farmlands in Kharkiv Oblast.
To compensate for the limited availability of high-resolution, time-specific satellite imagery, the study employed free datasets from the European Space Agency. The emergence of soil tracks and field roads was used as a proxy indicator of ground disturbance and potential chemical impact. These signals guided field sampling campaigns, during which soil samples were collected in proximity to identified debris and analyzed in laboratory conditions for chemical pollutants. Analytical studies revealed that heavy metals at the impact site exceed maximum permissible concentrations and exhibit an increasing trend, particularly for cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc, with exceedances reaching up to 62 times the regulatory limits.
All findings were systematically documented using a custom-designed GIS database, allowing the classification of contamination severity and spatial distribution. The resulting maps aim to support local authorities and farmers in decision-making and prioritising remediation measures. This approach provides a replicable framework for post-conflict environmental assessment and contributes to strengthening soil resilience in war-affected agricultural zones
Long-term recovery of aggregate-associated organic carbon in reclaimed mine soil
No full textAbstract: The restoration of agricultural soil quality and soil carbon stocks in compacted reclaimed mine soil (RMS) relies on the recovery of soil aggregates. This study explored the factors and mechanisms influencing aggregate-associated organic carbon (AOC) and other soil properties in RMS. A total of 28 soil samples were collected from post-reclamation farmland at various stages (ranging from 0 to 22 years post-reclamation) at a depth of 0-20 cm. Complex network theory and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to analyse complex network relationships and pathway connections. The results indicate that mechanical compaction during landform reshaping disrupted the structure, stability, and carbon storage capacity of soil aggregates, leading to enhanced mineralization of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen, nutrient loss, and reduced microbial activity. After re-cultivation, continuous agricultural management interventions—such as fertilization, straw return, and crop cultivation—significantly improved soil structure and carbon storage. For instance, compared to samples collected in the first year post-reclamation, samples gathered 22 years post-reclamation exhibited significant increases in small macroaggregates (+25.9%), mean weight diameter (+34.4%), AOC in large macroaggregates (+121.0%), and AOC contribution of small macroaggregates (+35.6%) (p < 0.05). The variation of SOC in RMS is primarily driven by AOC associated with aggregate structure. During the geomorphic reshaping stage, the chemical protection of inorganic cementing substances played a significant role in the process of AOC storage. After re-cultivation, active organic carbon components and iron-aluminum oxides synergistically promote macroaggregate formation to enhance AOC storage. The enhancement of microbial activity is crucial for AOC storage. The microbial-mediated AOC storage process exhibits a positive response to improvements in soil moisture and nitrogen supply conditions. For reclaimed farmland, maintaining suitable moisture conditions, nitrogen levels, microbial activity, and active iron-aluminium oxide supply can effectively promote the formation of macroaggregates and their AOC storage after re-cultivation
Legal geography, estuarine landscapes and the Anthropocene
No full textPurpose
This paper aims to examine how law, shaped by historical and cultural contexts, impacts particular landscapes and explores the use of landscape concepts within the discipline of legal geography.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a “sequent legal occupance” approach as a framework to historically analyse how legal interventions have influenced the formation of contemporary landscapes. The analysis of the legal, cultural and environmental dimensions of landscapes are explored in relation to three UK estuaries.
Findings
By examining the “impress” left by law over time on tidal estuaries, sequent legal occupance highlights some of the ways in which law shapes past, present and future landscapes. A legal geography of landscapes can provide a more holistic understanding of the relationship between law and the environment and can uncover the layering of legal practices and the dynamic interplay between legal and spatial processes to challenge the anthropocentric bias inherent in traditional legal frameworks.
Research limitations/implications
This research offers an opportunity to explore the disciplinary concepts of landscape within legal geography scholarship and as such is a working method for further investigations.
Originality/value
This paper provides a framework for understanding the historical and ongoing influence of law on estuarine landscapes. A key issue is the tension between private property rights and the need to manage and protect estuarine ecosystems. The originality of this paper lies in the examination of cross disciplinary concepts of landscape to offer new perspectives for legal geographical scholarship to address the Anthropocene using both spatial and temporal analysis
A Simulation Study of How Chinese Farmer Cooperatives Can Drive Effective Low-Carbon Production Systems Through a Carbon Transaction Incentive
Get PDFThis article aims to investigate the mechanisms of farmer professional cooperative (FPC) operations and to understand their role in promoting low-carbon production among small-scale farmers in China. Agricultural carbon emissions account for 17% of the total carbon emission in China; therefore, reducing agricultural carbon emissions is important for China to achieve carbon neutrality. Small-scale farmers face many obstacles in achieving the low-carbon transition of agriculture, which therefore makes them a priority target for the implementation of low-carbon production systems in China. Participating in FPCs is an effective support mechanism for them to conduct low-carbon production. In this paper, a system dynamics model is used to simulate the methods of how FPCs assist small-scale farmers to adopt low-carbon production practices within the framework of China’s carbon trading system, through the year 2030. After attending the carbon transaction system, the agricultural carbon emissions are anticipated to decline by 10.21%, and FPCs’ net income could increase by 11.85%. In a scenario where the price of their agricultural products increases, the reduction of carbon emissions and the increase of FPCs’ net income will be beneficial. Under the operation of FPCs, the greatest profits will be generated from trading, and these will be distributed to small-scale farmers, thereby creating a positive feedback loop between carbon transactions and FPC operations. This article seeks determine the potential outcomes that can serve as a basis for informed decision-making within relevant policy-making agencies regarding agricultural carbon transactions by simulating the potential benefits to both small-scale farmers and FPCs from the integration of a carbon trading system