Agroforestry has gained increasing attention as a sustainable land use mode to ensure food security, mitigate global climate change, and improve farmers’ livelihoods. Likewise, agroforestry plays a key role in alleviating poverty, mitigating climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in China. Lanxangia tsaoko, as a typical agroforestry species in Nujiang Prefecture, plays a vital role in improving farmers’ livelihoods. After years of development, the Lanxangia tsaoko industry (LTI) in Nujiang Prefecture has made remarkable achievements and accumulated useful experiences. Taking the development of LTI as an example, this paper analyzes the impact of agroforestry on farmers’ livelihoods and its mechanism through field survey and theoretical deduction. First, by investigating the willingness of households to choose LTI, we found that most farmers have a positive attitude toward LTI, and they actively participate in cooperative organizations. Then, by analyzing the development stage and mode of LTI in Nujiang Prefecture, we found that the industry has made significant progress under the external and internal effects. We also found that the mechanism by which agroforestry affects farmers’ livelihoods is a process in which various stakeholders, including government, enterprises, farmers, etc., participate in industrial development with their production components and advantages. Although agroforestry is an effective way to improve farmers’ livelihoods and promote sustainable agricultural development, it is also necessary to pay attention to risk prevention. This paper discusses the role of agroforestry in farmers’ livelihoods, which provides a reference for lower-income forest areas.
Considering the notion that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”, the effective exploitation of the economic value of forest resources is an important research topic, especially in forest-rich areas. The development of the non-timber forest products (NTFPs) industry has promoted both ecological and economic benefits and has effectively improved farmers’ incomes while protecting forest resources. In order to evaluate the effects of the NTFPs industry on sustaining farmers’ livelihoods and protecting ecological environments, we constructed a performance evaluation index system to determine the poverty alleviation performance of the NTFPs industry in Yunnan Province using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which covered three aspects: the achievement of poverty alleviation, the sustainability of poverty alleviation and satisfaction with poverty alleviation. Then, we selected Sanhe Village in Nujiang Prefecture, Yunnan Province, as an example to verify and rationalize the evaluation index system and comprehensively evaluate the poverty alleviation performance of the NTFPs industry. Based on data from questionnaires and field interviews, we found the following: (1) the overall poverty alleviation performance of the NTFPs industry in Sanhe Village was 79.33, which indicated that the effect was good; (2) the scores for the achievement of poverty alleviation, the sustainability of poverty alleviation and satisfaction with poverty alleviation were 50.56, 18.57 and 10.2, respectively; (3) there were some problems with the poverty alleviation performance of the NTFPs industry, such as limited capital investments, the weak roles of cooperatives and enterprises, the low enthusiasm of lower-income households and incomplete poverty alleviation projects. Finally, we devised some suggestions that could improve the poverty alleviation performance of the NTFPs industry. This paper presents the performance evaluation index system for the poverty alleviation performance of the NTFPs industry, which could provide a reference for evaluating the developmental effects of the NTFPs industry in other lower-income forest areas. Through our empirical analysis of the development effects of the NTFPs industry on farmers’ livelihoods and ecological environments in Sanhe Village, we found that the development of the NTFPs industry significantly improved the farmers’ livelihoods and ecological environments.
Abstract The high-quality development of national parks is an important way to protect biodiversity. Understanding public concern for and awareness of national parks is necessary to promote greater public participation in the management of national parks. A lack of participation by the Chinese public has limited the development of high-quality national parks in China. The present study provides insight into this problem by combining Weibo and questionnaire survey data and uses a combination of text mining, an Latent Dirichlet Allocation(LDA) theme model, and descriptive statistics to analyze the current state of public concern for and awareness of national parks. The results show that with the in-depth practice of ecological civilization construction, public concern of national parks is increasing year by year. Most Chinese residents are willing to actively pay attention to the construction of national parks, especially those in the more economically developed regions. Currently, public concern for national parks focuses on the construction of national parks in other countries and the institutional reform and ecotourism of national parks in China. However, the public is not yet fully aware of national parks in China. The number of national parks, their construction, and other issues are still not widely known. Similarly, awareness of the construction goals, functional positioning, and other issues are not generally understood. This study will help policy makers to understand the public concern and awareness of national parks and provide a reference for the establishment of targeted public participation mechanisms, which will be important for development of natural reserve system in China and global biodiversity protection.
Forests are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and their biomass serves as a key measure for assessing the biological productivity and carbon cycle of terrestrial forest ecosystems. Recognizing the factors that impact forest ecosystems is essential for assessing their health and developing effective conservation strategies to preserve species diversity and ecological equilibrium. This study considered forest biomass as the explained variable, economic density as the explanatory variable, and human activities, land use, and forestland protection as the control variables. Panel data encompassing 448 counties within the Yellow River Basin (YRB) for the years 2008, 2013, and 2018 were utilized as inputs for ArcGIS spatial analysis and two-way fixed-effects modeling. This approach aimed to evaluate the impact of socio-economic factors on forest biomass. The findings indicate that, (1) from both temporal and spatial viewpoints, the distribution of forest biomass in the upper reaches of the Yellow River demonstrated an improvement over the period from 2008 to 2018. Notably, in 2013, there was a significant reduction in the forest biomass distribution in the middle and lower sections, although the levels remained substantially above the average for those regions. Throughout the period from 2008 to 2018, the overall forest biomass within the YRB displayed a spatial distribution pattern, with elevated levels observed in the western areas and diminished levels in the eastern regions. (2) A one-unit increase in economic density led to a 1.002% increase in forest biomass. In the YRB, a positive correlation was observed between the economic density and forest biomass, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the river. (3) In the upstream region, forest biomass was strongly negatively correlated with cultivated land but significantly positively correlated with forest land protection. In the middle reaches, although population growth and arable land expansion led to a decrease in forest biomass, primary industry development and urbanization promoted forest biomass growth. The development of primary industries other than planting, such as the forestry industry, can contribute to the forest biomass. Moreover, in the downstream area, a strong negative correlation was observed between the number of permanent residents and forest biomass. We recommend modifications to human activities to enhance the forest biomass and the preserve forest ecosystem stability.
Vegetation, serving as the primary constituent of terrestrial ecosystems, plays a crucial role in regulating energy flow and material cycles and providing vital resources for human socio-economic activities. This study analyzes the spatio-temporal patterns of economic density and vegetation coverage in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) based on forest resource inventory and socio-economic data from 448 counties in 2008, 2013, and 2018. A three-tiered criterion layer is constructed using economic density as the core explanatory variable, encompassing social development factors, land use factors, and natural factors. A two-way fixed effects model is then utilized to analyze the impact of economic density on vegetation coverage. Results reveal that: (1) Spatially, economic density demonstrates a “low in the west and high in the east” pattern, with an overall upward trend in the YRB. Conversely, vegetation cover exhibits a “high in the west and low in the east” pattern, displaying a downward trend. (2) Over the 2008–2018 period, a significant negative correlation between economic density and vegetation cover is observed in each county of the YRB, with vegetation cover decreasing by 1.108% for every 1 unit increase in economic density. Notably, the upstream areas of the YRB experience a significant increase in vegetation coverage, while the middle and lower reaches witness a decrease. (3) Considering control variables, the proportion of the primary industry, urbanization rate, forest protection level, and cultivated land area exert a significant influence on vegetation coverage across the entire basin. Policymakers should formulate relevant policies to achieve sustainable development in the YRB, as discussed in the proposed countermeasures. This study delineates a practical pathway for high-quality economic development and high-level ecological protection in the YRB, offering a valuable reference for analogous research in other regions.
Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) makes up a traditional characteristic industry with ecological significance in the Lüliang Mountain of middle reaches of the Yellow River (LMMRYR). However, low economic efficiency has reduced local farm households’ willingness to continue jujube cultivation, threatening the sustainable maintenance and development of jujube forests and the ecological environment. In response, Lüliang City implemented a technological innovation program, that is, the Jujube Forest High Grafting and Optimization Program (JFHGOP), in 2018. Based on survey data from 302 local farm households, an empirical analysis using propensity score matching and ordinary least squares methods revealed that the program significantly enhanced the economic, ecological, and social benefits for participating farm households, improving their overall welfare. Robustness tests confirmed these findings, and a heterogeneity analysis showed varied impacts across different dimensions. The program improved welfare through government support and cooperatives’ assistance. To further promote green development and farm households’ welfare, recommendations include advancing forestry innovation technology, supporting small farm households with policy, capital, and technology, optimizing subsidy mechanisms, supporting new business entities, and promoting cooperation and benefit-sharing among stakeholders.
Amidst the compounded challenges posed by global climate change and urbanization on forest ecosystems, the integration of urbanization control measures within a climate-focused framework may offer an avenue for breakthroughs. This study delves into the impact of climate, specifically hydrothermal conditions, on the complex interplay between urbanization (Urb) and forest ecological function (Eco) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) in China. Our findings reveal: (1) The application of a coupled coordination model reveals a stronger alignment between urbanization and forest ecological function in the warm and humid regions in the YRB. (2) Through the cross-sectional threshold regression model, we elucidate the diverse responses of Urb to Eco across varying climate gradients. Among them, annual precipitation shows a double-threshold effect at 532.34 mm and 694.18 mm. As precipitation increases, the impact of Urb shifts from negative to positive on Eco. Moreover, in regions with precipitation below 532.34 mm and above 694.18 mm, the absolute value of response coefficients of Eco to Urb is amplified. Annual average temperature displays a single-threshold effect at 10.11 °C, leading to a transition from negative to positive impact as temperature rises. This study establishes the climate-based threshold system that governs the urbanization–forest ecological function relationship.
Forest resources are an important material basis for ecological protection and economic devel-opment, and are responsible for the dual mission of guaranteeing national ecological safety and grain safety. Forest land is an important carrier of forest resources, and forest landowner is a direct component of forest land management. Forest landowners’ willingness to engage in forest man-agement affects whether the important value function of forest resources can be implemented. Are there differences in the willingness and behavior of forest management between ethnic minority foresters and ordinary foresters? How to stimulate the forest management willingness and behavior of forest farmers in ethnic minority areas?These questions will be about the realization of the value of forest resources. Through the analysis of 185 questionnaires in Yunnan Province, this paper clarifies the current situation of forest management of forest farmers in minority areas. Then, using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, we select three indicators including the socio-economic at-tributes of individual farmers, the cognition and experience of forest landowners, and policy guidance. And we use the binary logistic regression model to analyze the factors affecting the willingness of forester to participate in forest management. Through the above analysis, we find that: (1) Forest landowners' willingness to engage in forest management in minority regions is relatively high, at 71.98%. (2) Individual farmers’ socioeconomic attributes have the most significant degree of influence on willingness to engage in forest management, while forest landowners' cognitive and related experiences, policy guidance and other related variables influence willingness to engage in forest management at the macro level. (3) Literacy has a significant positive contribution to man-agement intentions, while forest land area, living standard, whether they are compensated by public welfare forest, and whether they participate in the project of returning farmland to forest and grass have a significant negative effect on management intentions. (4) There are significant differences between forest landowners' willingness to engage in forest management and the influencing factors between minority regions and non-minority regions. Finally, we suggest to improve the willingness to engage in forest management and forestry industry development in minority regions through innovative management methods, concentrated and continuous large-scale management, en-couraging capital investment and driving forest landowners to "nearby employment", optimizing the logging quota system and raising the compensation standard for public welfare forests. This study has important practical significance for promoting the realization of forest ecological products value, consolidating the achievement of poverty alleviation in forest areas and realizing rural re-vitalization in China.
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