Coordinated Development Level Research Articles

Evaluation of the coordinated development level in the coastal eco-environmental complex system: A case study of Jiaozhou Bay, China

Given the exponential population growth and remarkable socio-economic advancements, coastal areas face increasingly complex challenges in eco-environmental management due to anthropogenic pressures. With the current emphasis on high-quality economic development, there is an urgent need to establish and evaluate a comprehensive indicator system to ensure the sustainable development of the coastal eco-environment and to meet evolving management demands. Research on the coordinated development level of coastal eco-environmental complex system, based on the concept of land-sea coordination, plays a pivotal role in promoting the resolution of eco-environmental issues in coastal areas, achieving sustainable socio-economic development in these regions. In this study, we construct an indicator system for the eco-environmental complex system in Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) coastal zone, China, comprising six sub-systems and thirty indicators. The comprehensive development level and coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) are employed in this study to analyze the indicator system in 1980–2020, aiming to elucidate the processes involved in the improvements in this complex system. The findings indicate: (i) the system's comprehensive development level evaluation and coupling coordination degree (CCD) exhibit a two-stage pattern: a declining trend in 1980–2005, followed by a rising trend in 2005–2020. (ii) despite improvements, the comprehensive development level and the CCD of the system in 2020 still hold potential for further enhancement compared to 1980; and (iii) policymaking and changes in anthropogenic pressures in coastal areas are the primary factors influencing the performance of the system. In the future, policymaking can reduce anthropogenic pressures on the coastal eco-environment, improve the comprehensive development level and CCD of the complex system, and encourage a commitment to sustainable development.

Study on the Railway Effect of the Coordinated Development of the Economy and Environment in the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle

Transportation infrastructure plays a crucial role in economic development and significantly influences climate change, providing direct and indirect benefits towards the attainment of Goals 8 and 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study investigates the impact of railway infrastructure on the level of economic and environmental coordination development in the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle, using panel data from 16 cities spanning from 2010 to 2020. The analysis employs a coupled coordination degree model and a panel fixed effects model. The findings reveal a gradual increase in the level of economic and environmental coordination development in each city during the study period. Notably, Chongqing and Chengdu exhibit significantly higher levels compared to other cities. Railway infrastructure construction can significantly promote the coordinated development of the urban economy and environment. In areas with a high level of coordinated development of the economy and environment, the promoting effect is relatively small, while in areas with a low level of coordinated development of the economy and environment, the promoting effect is relatively large. Over the long term, railways continue to significantly promote the coordinated development of the urban economy and environment. The construction of railways can stimulate the development of the urban private economy and marketization, thereby facilitating the coordinated development of the urban economy and environment.

Study on the measurement of coupling and coordinated development level between China’s internet and elderly care services and its influencing factors

BackgroundWith the intensification of China’s aging population, the demand for elderly care services has become increasingly prominent. At the same time, rapid development of internet technology provides more convenience and possibilities for the elderly. However, the coordinated development between the internet and elderly care services still faces challenges. This study aims to measure the level of coupling and coordinated development between the internet and elderly care services in China, and analyze the influencing factors, in order to provide reference for promoting elderly care services.MethodsIn this paper, the entropy method and coupling coordination degree model were used to measure the coupling coordination development index of the internet and elderly care services in China from 2012 to 2021. In addition, considering that the coordinated development between the two is affected by many factors, the Tobit model was used to analyze the main factors affecting the integration of the internet and elderly care services.Results(1) The coupling and coordination of the Internet and senior care services is in its infancy, but the coupling and coordination of the two is on the rise, and there is still a lot of room for development in the future. (2) In terms of time scale, the coupling coordination development level between the internet and elderly care services in China has gone through three stages of “disorder recession-transition coordination-coordinated development”. (3) In terms of influencing factors, government management ability has a more positive impact on the development of the integration of the Internet and senior care services, financial support, scientific and technological investment and the level of innovation play a mild pulling role, while the level of informatization to a certain extent restricts the level of integration of the Internet and senior care services.ConclusionIn order to promote the coordinated development of China’s Internet and senior care services, it is necessary to comprehensively understand the current situation and development space of China’s Internet and senior care services coupling coordination degree, accurately grasp the dynamic trend of China’s Internet and senior care services coupling and coordinated development, promote the stage of leapfrogging, and fully consider the influencing factors, so as to realize the optimal allocation of policies and resources. These measures will help to promote a more coordinated and sustainable development of the internet and elderly care services in China.

Measurement, Spatial-Temporal Evolution, and Optimization Path of the Level of Coordinated Development of Ecological Civilisation: The Case of China

Based on the energy–economy–environment–society (3E1S) system theory, this paper constructed a comprehensive evaluation system for the coordinated development of China’s ecological civilisation construction using panel data from 31 provinces and cities from 2005 to 2020, which is specifically divided into four sub-systems, namely, energy, economy, environment, and society, and covers 10 ordinal covariates and 40 ordinal variable indicators. In terms of measurement and evaluation methods, this paper adopted the composite system synergy model to measure the level of coordinated development of ecological civilisation construction of the country as a whole and 31 provinces and cities and adopted Arcgis maps, standard deviation ellipses, kernel density curves, and Theil index methods to explore the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics and regional differences in the level of coordinated development of ecological civilisation construction. It was found that the coordinated development level of China’s ecological civilisation construction increased year by year from 2005 to 2020, with the most obvious upward trend from 2011 to 2015, with an average increase of 26.5%. Secondly, the spatial distribution pattern of the coordinated development level of China’s ecological civilisation construction was relatively stable, basically showing a dominant southwest–northeast direction, but the spatial centre of gravity shows a trajectory shifting towards the southwest. Finally, there were large regional differences in the level of coordinated development of China’s ecological civilisation, with an overall decreasing regional pattern of “Central-Northeast-East-West”. However, the overall differences among the four regions showed a decreasing trend. The overall differences among the four regions were mainly intra-regional, with the western region having the greatest intra-regional differences and contributing to the overall differences. Although this paper takes China as a case study, its research methodology and conclusions can provide references for the construction of ecological civilisation and green sustainable development in other countries.

Alleviating environmental pressure from livestock production: A “livestock-resource environmental carrying capacity” perspective in China

Scientific assessment of the relationships and influencing factors between livestock and resource-environmental carrying capacity (LS-RECC) is essential for alleviating environmental pressure. The crop-livestock balance method was used to measure China’s livestock production potential from 2005 to 2020. The improved coupling coordination degree model (I-CCDM) and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) were used to analyze the spatial-temporal coordinated development characteristics of the LS-RECC. Furthermore, geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) was used to identify the factors influencing the coordination development of the LS-RECC. The findings showed that (1) From 2005 to 2020, the nutrient demand for crop cultivation in China increased, and, the crop system nutrient demand exceeded the livestock nutrient supply in 2007 to 190 ×104 tons, reaching a maximum of 925 ×104 tons in 2019. However, the production potential of livestock in Ningxia, Tibet, Guizhou, Gansu, Yunnan, and Qinghai was severely overloaded. (2) The coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the LS-RECC showed a progressively increasing trend, which indicates that the sustainable development ability of China's livestock industry is constantly increasing. However, compared with that in eastern and central China, the coordinated development level of the LS-RECC in western China was lower, further indicating excessive livestock industry development in western China. (3) Environmental regulation had the strongest effect on the regional coordinated development of the LS-RECC, with obvious spatial differences. The economic development level had a positive effect, but urbanization and Engel's coefficients had the opposite effect. These results provide not only references for reducing environmental pressure on the livestock industry in China but also guidance for the sustainable development of the livestock industry in other large livestock production countries.

Coupling coordination relationship of water resources, eco-environment and socio-economy in the water-receiving area of the Lower Yellow River

Fully understanding the interrelationship and the coordinated development level of water resources (WR), eco-environment (EE) and socio-economy (SE) is an essential precondition for regional sustainable development. We constructed a complex analytical framework consisting of WR, EE and SE subsystems in the water-receiving area of the Lower Yellow River, and quantitatively investigated the coupling coordination relationship among them. An improved obstacle degree model was developed to analyze the level and the major obstacles of coordinated development from 2001 to 2020, together with the coupling coordination degree model. A prediction model combined by the autoregressive integrated moving average model, the gray model and the artificial neural network model was built to explore the development trend from 2021 to 2025. It was found that (1) the coordinated development level showed a continuous growth from reluctant coordination in 2001–2002 to high coordination in 2015–2020. Spatially, Shandong province was slightly more coordinated than that of Henan province on the whole. (2) With sustained rapid SE development and growing pressure on water supply and environmental capacity, the major obstacles for coordinated development changed from SE factors to WR and EE factors before and after 2010. (3) The coordinated development level will continue to increase in 2021–2025, especially in the “promote WR and EE protection” scenario. In the future, water scarcity will become the key problems for coordinated development. Taking account of the available water diversion from the Yellow River, local government should put more effort into water use efficiency improvement. These results offer an important reference for decision-making and management of regional sustainable development.

The Development Status of the Manufacturing Industry and the Impact of Digital Characteristics from the Perspective of Innovation

From the perspective of innovation of manufacturing links, this paper conducted research on the current situation of manufacturing development and the relationship between regional economy development and digital transformation, aiming to offer suggestions and reference for relevant policy making. Firstly, taking the INCOPAT patent database as the data source, a quantitative analysis was conducted on the patent data of five key links in the manufacturing industry, which obtained the current situation and digital characteristics of the manufacturing industry development from the perspective of link innovation. Then, based on the relevant economic panel data of regions in China, coupling coordination analysis was conducted to investigate the current characteristics of digital transformation of the five links and the coordinated development of the regional economy from 2017 to 2021. The development level and characteristic relations of 31 provinces or cities in these two systems were analyzed. On the whole, the coordinated development level of the two systems in China is steadily rising but varies among different regions, that is, economically developed regions tend to have better digital transformation development. In general, manufacturing digital transformation in China highly relates to regional economy development. Moreover, the development speed of the two systems tends to be stable from 2017 to 2021. The regions with different coordinated development types should formulate corresponding policies to accelerate manufacturing digital transformation and regional economy development.

The Role of Vocational Education in the Integration of Culture and Tourism in the Information Age and Its Implementation Paths

Abstract This paper constructs the coupling logic of the two systems of vocational education and cultural tourism with the joint action of external and internal driving forces. It contributes to the coupling of the two systems through the synergistic relationship of same-frequency resonance and applies dimensionless processing to data checking and data cleaning of vocational education data. The coupling coordination development level of vocational education and the cultural tourism industry can be measured using the modified coupling coordination degree model. An empirical study of the coupling coordination degree of vocational education and cultural tourism industry in Province G is conducted using the entropy value method. The results show that the coupling and coordination degree of vocational education and cultural tourism system in province G shows a decreasing trend from 2013 to 2019, and the coupling and coordination degree between the development level of the cultural tourism industry and vocational education gradually rises to 0.658388 in 2022 after 2019, and the interaction between the two is gradually obvious. The integration of industry and vocational education in cultural tourism is promoted by this paper through valuable references and drawable ideas.

Evaluation of the coordinated development of China’s Forest Resources-Economy-Environment System

Forests provide enormous ecological, economic, and social benefits, as such forest development should be oriented toward resource-economy-environment harmonization. This paper constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system and uses the coupled coordination degree model to measure the coordinated development level of China’s forest resources-economy-environment system. The results show that, across 2006‒2020, the level of coupled coordinated development of China’s forest resources-economy-environment composite system fluctuates in an upward trend, thus gradually developing from an initial imbalance to a high degree of coordination; the level of coordinated development of each subsystem of the forest resources, economy, and environment also shows an upward trend. The factors influencing the coordinated development of the forest resource-economy-environment system are, in order, the government’s financial capacity, market environment, scientific and technological innovation capacity, level of economic development, and strength of policy implementation. Therefore, this paper proposes some measures to improve the coordinated development.

Can the coordinated development of two-way FDI promote carbon emission reduction? Evidence from industrial sectors in China

In this study, the panel data of 34 industrial sectors are selected from 2004 to 2019 in China and empirically tested the carbon emission reduction effect and its transmission path during the coordinated development of two-way FDI. The results show that the coordinated development of two-way FDI in China's industrial sector had a significant but heterogeneous carbon emission reduction effect. The coordinated development of two-way FDI in high-yield scale groups, low-energy-consumption industries and high-tech industries had a stronger inhibitory effect on carbon emissions. When the coordinated development level of two-way FDI in China's industrial sector was high, its carbon emission reduction effect was more significant. After the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward in 2013, the carbon emission reduction effect of the coordinated development of two-way FDI in China's industrial industry was stronger. The mechanism test results showed that the coordinated development of two-way FDI in China's industrial sector mainly affected domestic carbon emissions through three transmission paths: scale, structure, and technology effects. Of these, the scale effect was positive, and the structure and technology effects were negative.

The coupling coordination between tourism urbanization and ecosystem services value and its obstacle factors in ecologically fragile areas: a case study of the Wuling Mountain area of Hunan Province, China.

The interrelationship between tourism urbanization (TU) and the ecological environment is extremely complex. Some studies have analyzed the interaction between them but ignored the ecosystem services. Therefore, exploring the coupling coordination relationship between TU and ecosystem services value (ESV) is significant. In this research, we established a coupling coordination degree (CCD) model between TU and ESV and used exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), spatial variogram model, and obstacle degree model to evaluate the evolution characteristics of CCD and its obstacle factors in the Wuling Mountain area of Hunan Province (WMAHP). The results are as follows: (1) the comprehensive TU level shows an upward trend, and TU levels in the west are generally higher than in the east. The total ESV shows a fluctuating upward trend, and the average ESV is relatively low in the west and southeast. (2) The comprehensive CCD shows an increasing trend, and the coupling coordination relationship has changed from uncoordinated to coordinated in most counties. Spatially, the global spatial autocorrelation and spatial variation degree of CCD are insignificant. Wulingyuan and Yongding are uplift areas, and a subsidence area is in the southeast. It is worth noting that the problem of TU lag generally exists. (3) For the whole area, TU and economy are always the primary obstacle factors in the system and category layer, respectively, but the obstacle degree of the population has gradually increased. At the county level, TU restricts the CCD improvement in most counties, and the proportion of counties where the economy is the primary obstacle in the criterion layer exceeds 60%. Policymakers need to formulate targeted promotion strategies based on the coupling coordination and relative development level between TU and ESV for different counties. This paper provides valuable references for achieving coordinated development between TU and ESV in ecologically fragile areas worldwide.

Evaluation of coupling coordination development between digital economy and green finance: Evidence from 30 provinces in China.

The convergence of China's digital economy and green finance holds great significance for fostering a sustainable and high-quality developmental path. However, existing studies have not explored the coupling coordination development between these two crucial subsystems. To bridge this gap, this paper employs a modified coupling coordination degree (CCD) model to assess and affirm the coupling coordination degree between the digital economy and green finance across 30 provinces in China from 2015-2021. Based on degree results, provinces are classified into three clusters by using K-means and hierarchical clustering algorithm. Our findings unveil that the current level of coupling coordination development in China is at a primary coordination stage. Although regional disparities significantly exist, the overall level of coordination remains steadily increasing, with the eastern region outperforming the western region. Additionally, we determine that the COVID-19 pandemic's disruption on the coupling coordination development of these systems has been limited. This research sheds light on the evolution of coupling systems and offers practical recommendations for strengthening the coordinated development of the digital economy and green finance.

Application of blockchain technology in water management and new energy economic development

Abstract With the continuous development of the sustainability concept, the status and role of scientific management of resources and healthy economic development in social construction are becoming more and more prominent, and the problems and contradictions of water management and new energy economic development are also emerging. To enhance the scientificity of water management and promote the healthy development of a new energy economy, this paper discusses the application of blockchain technology in water management and the development of a new energy economy on the basis of analyzing its current situation. To verify the effectiveness of blockchain technology, this paper took S City as the research object, applied the decision model based on blockchain technology to water management and new energy economic development optimization decisions, and made an empirical analysis from three aspects: water management effect, new energy economic development level, and overall effect. The results showed that under the blockchain decision-making model, the development level of water management, the new energy economy, and their coordinated development level in 2013 were 0.527, 0.535, and 0.602, respectively. In 2022, their development levels reached 0.556, 0.564, and 0.634, respectively.

The space-time evolution and driving mechanism of coordinated development of modern logistics industry and tourism industry

Modern logistics and tourism are part of the tertiary industry, and their "food, accommodation, travel, travel, shopping, entertainment" six elements are increasingly integrated. Mutual promotion, comprehensiveness, and circulation for the coordinated development of the two provide a huge space and possibilities. This study uses the entropy weight comprehensive evaluation method and provincial 21-year Panel data to measure and evaluate the coordinated development level of the modern logistics and tourism industry in 31 Chinese provinces (districts and cities). ArcGIS 10.5 studies cold and hot regions in the coordinated growth of contemporary logistics and tourism across the research period. The study's findings revealed that: ①Modern logistics and tourism coordination has decreased in the east, west, and east directions, and changes in eastern provinces (districts and cities) over the research period were not significant or consistent. Most provinces (districts and cities) in the central area have low coupling coordination, and the upward tendency is clear, notably in Hubei, Anhui, and Henan provinces; most western provinces, except Sichuan Province, have imbalanced decline. ② Low-coupling coordinated provinces decreased while moderate-coupled provinces increased during the research period. Hot spots concentrated and expanded, whereas cold spot regions diminished. ③Each province's seven driving forces affect modern logistics and tourism. This research will help regions coordinate tourism and logistics.

Mixed Land Use and Its Relationship with CO2 Emissions: A Comparative Analysis Based on Several Typical Development Zones in Shanghai

While development zones are the main locations of the urban industrial economy and sources of energy consumption, studies on the interactive relationship between mixed land use and CO2 emissions in these zones have not attracted much attention. In this paper, the development zone is selected as the research object, and a honeycomb grid with a side length of 50 meters is used as the unit to measure multiple dimensions of mixed land use. The efficiency and intensity of CO2 emissions are estimated for these units, and the coupling model is used to analyse the interactive relationship between these two factors. The results show that (1) the mixed land use degree of different types of development zones differs; the bonded zone has the highest degree, while the economic and technological development zone and the high-tech development zone have higher degrees than the industrial development zones. (2) The CO2 emissions capacities of economic and technological development zones and high-tech development zones are better than those of industrial development zones and bonded areas. (3) There is a strong interaction between the mixing degree of land use and the intensity of CO2 emissions; the relationship between the two may be diverse and complex in different development zones. (4) The coordinated development level between mixed land use and CO2 emissions in economic and technological development zones and bonded areas is better than that in high-tech development zones, which in turn is better than that in industrial development zones. Based on existing measurements of mixed land use, the index of land use intensity is introduced in this paper and the land use classification in development zones is refined to supplement the land use compatibility matrix. The results of this study have implications for the development zone to enhance mixed land use and low-carbon development.

Spatiotemporal coupling analysis of land urbanization and carbon emissions: A case study of Zhejiang Province, China

AbstractUrban expansion is one of the most important drivers of carbon emissions. It not only causes the invasion of terrestrial carbon sinks but also aggravates carbon emissions through social and economic activities. Because the effect of urban expansion on carbon emissions varies at different stages of urban development, spatiotemporal analysis of the dynamic relationship between urban expansion and carbon emissions is critical for low‐carbon urban planning. By combining nighttime light remote sensing and panel data, this study explored the spatiotemporal coupling characteristics of urban expansion and carbon emissions in a case study of Zhejiang in China. Spatial overlap analysis was used to measure the consistency of the spatial movement trajectories, and the coupling coordination degree model was used to dynamically investigate the interaction between urban land expansion and carbon emission increase. In this way, the dynamic coupling is represented from both a temporal and spatial perspective. The results showed that both the carbon emission and urban expansion growth rates first increased and then decreased, and their spatial coupling became increasingly close. Significantly, the coordinated development level between carbon emissions and urban expansion presented an inverted U‐shaped curve, which is consistent with the Kuznets curve theory. Overall, our research revealed the regularity of carbon emissions associated with land urbanization, which can help policymakers and urban planners to achieve sustainable land management.

Study on the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of the High–Quality Development of Urbanization and Water Resource Coupling in the Yellow River Basin

China is facing a critical period of high–speed development and a transition to high–quality development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of the coupling and coordination of high–quality development of urbanization and water resources in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Firstly, we propose the concept of “High–Quality Development of Urbanization–Water Resources Coupling” and construct a high–quality development of urbanization (HQDU) system consisting of five sub–systems: innovation, coordination, greenness, openness and sharing, and a water resources system (WRS) consisting of four sub–systems: water resources background conditions, utilization capacity, management level, and pollution control. The improved coupling coordination degree model combined with the barrier degree model and clustering model is used to study the spatial and temporal distribution of the two systems in the YRB. The results show that the coupling coordination state of HQDU and WRS in the YRB improves to some extent, from “mild imbalance” to “barely coordination” in general; Henan and Ningxia are characterized by “low and fluctuating (levels) in early years and fast development in recent years”; Shanxi and Inner Mongolia develop steadily during the study period; Sichuan, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Qinghai are characterized by “low (levels) which lasted for a long time in the early stage and accelerated development in the later stage”; and Gansu Province is characterized by “high level in the early stage but insufficient momentum in later stage”. The Coordination Index of Urbanization Economic Growth Speed and the Total Wastewater Discharge are the most important obstacle factors in HQDU and WRS. This study explores the level of coordination development of HQDU and WRS as well as finds the obstacle factors in the development process of the two systems, which is an important reference value for the high–quality development of urbanization under the constraint of water resources.

Exploring the mechanism of coordinated development with multi-source data fusion: a case study in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, China

Measuring the degree of regional coordinated development and analyzing the factors affecting regional coordinated development are of great significance for assessing the status of regional coordinated development and formulating regional coordinated development strategies. The advancement of remote sensing data and big data provide the possibility to measure the degree of regional coordinated development on a more precise scale. The aim of this study is to use multiple sources of data to construct the evaluation indicator system of coordinated development level and to analyze the mechanism of regional development. All the 200 counties (districts) in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region are selected as the study area. By measuring the level of coordinated development of 200 county units in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2012 to 2017, it is found that although the synergy degree at the county level of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei is increased, the overall regional synergy degree is still at a low level. The spatial panel model is further used to analyze the factors that influence the coordinated development of all counties. The conclusion is that with the promotion of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development policy, the excessive government intervention, and the imbalance of market allocation in the past in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region have been alleviated. However, the weaknesses in the process of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development are still obvious. The population density and urban size have become the constraints in the process of coordinated development. The degree of opening to the outside world and the investment in the ecological environment construction is still far from enough. These findings enable us to have a clearer assessment of the level of coordinated development and a deeper understanding of the influence mechanism of the regional development in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Furthermore, this study might benefit regional development strategy research.

Evaluation of Supply and Demand Balance and Spatial Spillover Effect of Age-Friendly Environment

Given the rapid development of population aging, regions face significant challenges in providing diverse public service resources for the elderly. Constructing an age-friendly environment actively addresses population aging and ensures the well-being of the elderly. This study employed panel data from 31 provinces (municipalities) in China spanning the years 2014 to 2020. The research utilized a coupling coordination degree model, Theil index, Moran index method, and spatial econometric model to empirically examine the level of coupling coordination development, regional differences, and spatial spillover effects of age-friendly environments. The findings indicate the following: (1) In terms of coupling and coordination development, the degree of coupling and coordination of age-friendly environments in China shows a consistent upward trend over the years. The eastern region exhibits the highest level of development, surpassing the national average, while the western region has the lowest level, followed by the northeast and central regions. (2) In terms of regional development disparities, inter-regional differences gradually intensify due to variations in development status and resource endowment, playing a significant role in overall variations. Within regions, the highest intra-regional differences occur in the eastern region, while the lowest occur in the western region. (3) Considering the spatial spillover effect, the coupling coordination degree of age-friendly environments demonstrates positive spatial autocorrelation. Various development clusters and variables exert diverse influences on the coupling coordination degree of age-friendly environments within the region, while the spatial spillover effect of surrounding regions manifests distinct development patterns. The findings of this study contribute to enhancing the quality of age-friendly environment construction and promoting coordinated development among different regions.

Study on the coordination of flow and sediment transport, ecological environment, and crop production in the Lower Yellow River since 2000

AbstractThe Xiaolangdi Reservoir has been operated for 23 consecutive years, greatly altering the flow and sediment processes of the Lower Yellow River. Many research have separately analyzed the changes of siltation in reservoirs and river channels, discharge capacity of the lower river channel, river regime stability, or ecological environmental benefits under water and sediment regulation. However, the multiple changes of flow and sediment transport, ecological environment, and social economy were seldom considered. We systematically and holistically explored the changes of river system in the Lower Yellow River since 2000, based on the channel erosion and siltation, channel morphology, ecosystem patterns and habitat quality, irrigation water scale, and crop production index. The results show that the discharge capacity of the main channel has been recovered significantly at a bankfull discharge of over 4700 m3/s. The ecological pattern in the Lower Yellow River and the delta has been optimized. The wetland and water ecosystem area has been remarkably increased by 125.82% and 318.54% respectively, and the saline‐alkali land area has been sharply reduced by 89.65%. The habitat quality has been raised to the highest level in nearly 40 years. The irrigation water volume in the irrigation area of the Lower Yellow River has been increased by 31%, and the grain production has maintained a continuous growth for 16 years. Overall, the coordinated development level of flow and sediment transport, ecological environment and crop production in the Lower Yellow River has been continuously improved from the reluctantly coordinated level (before water and sediment regulation) to the highly coordinated level.