Allocation Of Natural Resources Research Articles

THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF VEGETATION ON THE URBAN FABRIC. CASE OF GUELMA CITY

In cities, land use changes caused by various human activities can affect how natural ecosystems function. In this context, it is increasingly important for cities to consider the role of vegetation in preserving a sustainable environment. A diachronic analysis of landscape changes was applied to assess the presence and distribution of vegetation to determine whether it was evolving or regressing. This phenomenon was studied within the current administrative boundaries of the city of Guelma (Algeria). For this purpose, as an approach based on landscape metrics, several Landsat TM and ETM+ remote sensing satellite images were used throughout the period 1987-2019. A set of landscape indices, including NP, AREA_MN, LPI, PLAND, AI and LSI, were calculated to map land cover, the mechanism of land cover and vegetation change, and their impact on the urban ecosystem. The geo-statistical procedure was carried out using a geographic information system Qgis combined by statistical software using Fragstats to calculate various landscape metrics at class level for the analysis of fragmentation . The results of the landscape metric analysis show that the decrease in average area and the increase in the number of green patches are important indicators of land degradation, meaning that the mechanism of landscape degradation and transformation is progressive. This underlines the need to give particular attention to land use and land cover in the region to ensure the sustainable allocation of natural resources.

Predicting costs of local public bus transport services through machine learning methods

The present study developed several machine learning-based cost models to predict an efficient total economic cost per vehicle revenue-mile of urban public bus transport. The models were trained on a built-in dataset from 269 transit agencies providing urban services in the United States from 2015 to 2019. A feature selection strategy was implemented, finding that, for each proposed model, a subset of features determined a large impact on unit cost. These “core” features included commercial speed, average salary expenses per employee, vehicle productivity, and fleet ownership cost per vehicle. Machine learning techniques outperformed the linear regression method in terms of predictive power and robustness (understood as the dispersion of predictive power measures over the training sets). Based on SHAP values, the sensitivity analyses showed that the proposed models could be used to predict the impact of changes in some critical features on corresponding unit costs. The results may be useful for: (i) introducing regulatory constraints to the allocation of national public resources to local public bus transport services, aimed at minimizing the resources needed to provide a given level of service; (ii) defining the maximum economic compensation required by firms involved in competitive tendering for the allotment of service concessions, or firms with monopoly rights (by political choice and/or local public ownership); and (iii) improving service contract management and design by identifying key cost drivers of transit services.

Spatio-temporal variations and multi-scale correlations of climate, water, land, and vegetation resources over the past four decades in the Heihe River Basin

Study regionHeihe River Basin (HRB), Northwest China. Study focusThe study proposes an analytical scheme to identify trend, periodicity, and scale-correlation in climate, water, land, and vegetation resources over the past four decades using multivariate remote sensing data. New hydrological insights for the regionHeat and precipitation resources in the HRB have increased at rates of 14.27℃ yr−1 and 1.26 mm yr−1, respectively. The glacier area has decreased by 47.47 %. Additionally, the increase in upstream precipitation (2.82 mm yr−1) and glacier meltwater effectively replenishes runoff, soil water, and groundwater. The implementation of the ecological water diversion project (EWDP) in 2000 has contributed to enhancing runoff and lake storage capacity. The 9.28 % increase in vegetation cover (including cropland, forest, grassland, and shrubland) indicates an improvement in the hydrothermal conditions of the HRB. Additionally, the magnitude and direction of interactions among various natural resources vary across multiple spatial scales and time scales. The effect of hydrothermal coupling on vegetation is more prominent at the interdecadal scale. Vegetation growth in the upstream area is primarily influenced by thermal condition, while moisture plays a significant role in the midstream and downstream areas. Knowledge from this study contributes to the informed allocation of natural resources and offer policymakers valuable insights to enhance eco-environmental sustainability.

Assessing effects of climate and technology uncertainties in large natural resource allocation problems

Abstract. The productivity of the world's natural resources is critically dependent on a variety of highly uncertain factors, which obscure individual investors and governments that seek to make long-term, sometimes irreversible, investments in their exploration and utilization. These dynamic considerations are poorly represented in disaggregated resource models, as incorporating uncertainty into large-dimensional problems presents a challenging computational task. In this paper, we apply the SCEQ algorithm (Cai and Judd, 2023) to solve a large-scale dynamic stochastic global land resource use problem with stochastic crop yields due to adverse climate impacts and limits on further technological progress. For the same model parameters and bounded shocks, the range of land conversion is considerably smaller for the dynamic stochastic model than for deterministic scenario analysis.

Enhancing integrated resource management through remote sensing and GIS

Integrated Resource Management plays a crucial role in sustainable development by ensuring efficient allocation and utilization of natural resources. Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) have emerged as powerful tools for collecting, analyzing, and managing spatial data, enabling comprehensive and integrated decision-making processes. This review article uniquely focuses on Integrated Resource Management (IRM) and its role in sustainable development. It specifically examines the application of RS and GIS in IRM across various resource management domains. The article stands out for its comprehensive coverage of the benefits, challenges, and future directions of this integrated approach.

Research on optimal configuration of natural gas electric hybrid energy system

Natural gas resources are crucial for the development of the international community, which has the advantages of energy conservation, economy, and environmental protection. By optimizing the allocation of natural gas energy storage resources, the negative impact of randomness and volatility on the energy system can be effectively suppressed. Therefore, this article proposes a research on optimal configuration of natural gas electric hybrid energy system. Using the investment payback period as the economic evaluation indicator, analyze the influencing factors of the economic performance of the natural gas electricity hybrid energy system from a technical and economic perspective. By using historical data of actual natural gas electricity hybrid energy systems for example calculation and analysis, the configuration method under the proposed strategy was verified to meet the multi time scale requirements of the system while considering equipment characteristics, effectively improving system economy. l gas electric hybrid energy system

Research on the spatial allocation of national fitness resources at the street scale—taking Fuzhou city as an example

To explore the spatial allocation of national fitness resources at different spatial scales in Fuzhou city to provide useful references for optimizing and enhancing the spatial allocation of national fitness resources and urban planning. The equity, spatial distribution characteristics, accessibility and supply-demand balance of national fitness resources in Fuzhou city are analysed in depth by using the two-step mobile search method of multiple travel modes, the Gini coefficient, and exploratory spatial data analysis methods. The results show that the overall spatial allocation of national fitness resources is in a balanced state, but there are serious inequities and spatial mismatches in each district (county); the spatial distribution of national fitness resources is characterized by centralized agglomeration and surface dispersion, being dense in the south and sparse in the north. Areas with insufficient resources per capita have an agglomeration-type scattering distribution; areas with sufficient resources per capita have a dispersed patch distribution. Access to national fitness resources and the relationship between their supply and demand are characterized by positive spatial concentration; however, the layout of the national fitness resources planned for the old urban areas urgently needs to be optimized, with the Chating and Antai streets serving as centres, to increase the effective supply. Finally,we suggestions that Top-level design should be strengthened, the communalization of sports public services should be promoted, the service capacity and utilization efficiency of national fitness resources should be enhanced, and the construction of national fitness resources in new urban areas and new industrial agglomerations should be accelerated.

Socioecological justice in urban street greenery based on green view index-A case study within the Fuzhou Third Ring Road

Urban green space equity relates to the efficient allocation of natural resources and the equalization of public service facilities. Street (road) greenery provides substantial ecological, social and cultural benefits. Thus, in this study, a subdistrict-level evaluation framework for the fairness of the spatial distribution of street greenery was proposed, taking a case study within the Third Ring Road of Fuzhou City in Fujian, China. Street view images may capture the green information in a vertical dimension for the indirect representation of people’s perspective on the ground. The green view index, which was estimated based on Baidu Street View images, was employed to represent the urban street greenery, and the results were combined using deep learning technology. The Gini coefficient, share index and location entropy were used as evaluation indicators for the fairness of the spatial distribution of the street green view index. Furthermore, this framework combined socioeconomic data and population census data to explore the correlation among socioeconomic status, age, and evaluation index at the subdistrict level. In addition, we analyzed street greenery distribution inequalities from the perspective of socioecological justice. The results showed that in Fuzhou, there is a significant correlation among the Gini coefficient, green view index and socioeconomic status. In addition, subdistricts with a lower green view index have a less equitable street greenery distribution, people with low socioeconomic status may suffer from green injustice, and seniors have a lower accessibility to street green space than people with the average social status. Our analytical approach is applicable for other cities, and the findings are useful for greenery spatial planning processes and evaluating construction effects.

Mapping and assessing supply–demand matching of recreational ecosystem services in Shandong province, China

Globally, natural landscapes and their recreational ecosystem services (RES) are both under threat from anthropogenic activities and environmental changes. But the demand for RES increases with the development of human living standards. Therefore, mapping and assessing the supply–demand relationships of RES is crucial for landscape planning, management, and human well-being. This study aimed to study the relationships between supply and demand of RES in Shandong province, China, quantify the supply, demand, and supporting capacity of RES, analyze the degree of matching and coupling between the supply and demand of RES, and explore the effect of terrain gradient to RES. The results indicated that the average value of coupling coordination (CCD) between supply–demand of RES in Shandong province was 0.45, which is a mild balance. According to the supply–demand matching types, areas with low supply-high demand accounted for 6.62%, indicating a serious shortage matching of supply and demand. Using hotel quantity and roads as indicators of the supporting capacity of RES, the overall coordination between landscape aesthetic quality (LAQ) and regional hotel quantity shows a mild imbalance (0.38), while that with the regional road density shows a good balance (0.60). Furthermore, the scenery spots density, RES supply, RES supply–demand CCD and support capacity CCD shows an upward trend with the increase of elevation and slope, an “increased-decreased-increased” trend with the increase of terrain niche index. This study provides spatial matching of RES supply and demand in Shandong province. Optimizing land-use structures and improving natural resource allocation were proposed to boost coordination of RES supply and demand.

Using Probabilistic Machine Learning Methods to Improve Beef Cattle Price Modeling and Promote Beef Production Efficiency and Sustainability in Canada

Accurate agricultural commodity price models enable efficient allocation of limited natural resources, leading to improved sustainability in agriculture. Because of climate change, price volatility and uncertainty in the sector are expected to increase in the future, increasing the need for improved price modeling. With the emergence of machine learning (ML) algorithms, novel tools are now available to enhance the modeling of agricultural commodity prices. This research explores both univariate and multivariate ML techniques to perform probabilistic price prediction modeling for the Canadian beef industry, taking into account beef production, commodity markets, and international trade features to enhance accuracy. We model Alberta fed steer prices using three multivariate ML algorithms (support vector regression (SVR), random forest (RF), and Adaboost (AB)) and three univariate ML algorithms (autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), seasonal ARIMA (SARIMA), and the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous factors (SARIMAX)). We apply these models to monthly fed steer price data between January 2005 and September 2023 and compare predicted prices with observed prices using several validation metrics. The outcomes indicate that both random forest (RF) and Adaboost (AB) show superior overall performance in accurately predicting Alberta fed steer prices in comparison to other algorithms. To better account for the variance of the best model performance, we subsequently adopted a probabilistic approach by considering uncertainty in our best-selected ML model. The beef industry can use these improved price models to minimize resource waste and inefficiency in the sector and improve the long-term sustainability prospects for beef producers in Canada.

Analysis of Changes in Ecological Environment Quality and Influencing Factors in Chongqing Based on a Remote-Sensing Ecological Index Mode

Chongqing is a large municipality in southwestern China, having the characteristics of a vast jurisdiction, complex topography, and a prominent dual urban–rural structure. It is vitally important to optimize the spatial layout of land and efficiency of natural resource allocation, achieve sustainable development, and conduct influence assessment and causation analysis in this region. Here, using the Google Earth Engine platform, we selected Landsat remote-sensing (RS) images from the period 2000–2020 and constructed a remote-sensing ecological index (RSEI) model. Considering the urban spatial pattern division in Chongqing, the Sen + Mann–Kendall analytical approach was employed to assess the fluctuating quality of the ecological environment in different sectors of Chongqing. Subsequently, single-factor and interaction detectors in the Geodetector software tool were used to conduct causation analysis on the RSEI, with the use of eight elements: elevation, slope, aspect, precipitation, temperature, population, land use, and nighttime lighting. Findings indicate that, over the course of the investigation period, the eco-quality in Chongqing displayed a pattern of degradation, succeeded by amelioration. The RSEI decreased from 0.700 in 2000 to 0.590 in 2007, and then gradually recovered to 0.716 in 2018. Overall, the eco-environment quality of Chongqing improved. Spatially, changes in the RSEI were consistent with the planning and positioning of the urban spatial pattern. The main new urban area and periphery of the central urban area showed a slight deterioration, while other regions showed marked improvement. The combined effect of any two elements enhanced the explanatory power of a single factor, with elevation, temperature, and land use being the strongest explanatory elements of eco-quality in Chongqing. The most influential factor explaining the spatial variation of the RSEI was determined to be the combined impact of elevation and land use. At the temporal scale, elements related to human activities showed the most evident trend in explanatory power.

Технологическое лидерство государства: концептуальное понимание и механизмы формирования

The article shows that the technological leadership of the state should conceptually be based on such institutions as technological sovereignty, technological equality and technological cooperation. It is noted that the technological leadership of the state is a multidimensional category, including such elements as technology, scientific, technological and educational base, platforms, and interactions. The differences between the technological leadership of the company and the state are outlined. Using the author's approach to the concepts of "technological sovereignty" and "technological cooperation and equality", the mechanisms of technological leadership of the state are highlighted, which can be used by both the initiator states of partnerships and participants in these partnerships. These include, in particular, leading companies, government policies that support the effective allocation of national resources, the external contour of national leadership development, the system of scientific and technical forecasting and analytics, the national system of "soft power", joint ownership of intellectual property by friendly states, complete technological chains, platforms and standards formed within the framework of partnerships, and etc. Using the example of the state corporation Rosatom, the possibility of using leading companies as a mechanism for technological leadership in Russia is considered.

Quo Vadis: Pemberlakuan Undang – Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2022 Terhadap Keberadaan Pajak Daerah Kota Padang

The existence of financial relations between the central government and regional governments is an embodiment of the concept of delegating authority from the central government to regional governments which is referred to as "Regional Autonomy". Through the dynamics of central and regional government financial relations, a financial management system is required that regulates financial rights and obligations between the central government and regional governments that are carried out in a fair, transparent, accountable and aligned manner based on laws and regulations. The presence of Law Number 1 of 2022 concerning Financial Relations between the Central Government and Regional Governments, is an improvement in the implementation of financial relations between the central government and regional governments as an effort to create an efficient allocation of national resources. So through this research the focus of the analysis on the two main pillars. First, how are the preparations for the implementation of Law Number 1 of 2022 on the Padang City Government in order to increase the regional tax sector? Second, what is the response of the Padang City Government to the implementation of tax options in Law Number 1 of 2022? To answer the focus of the study, this research uses empirical juridical research methods with research specifications to the Regional Revenue Agency of Padang City and is analyzed through library research and data analysis methods using juridical-qualitative. The results of this study conclude that the Municipal Government of Padang in preparation for the enactment of Law Number 1 of 2022 has carried out activities such as completing the drafting of the implementing Regional Regulations with the Provincial Government of West Sumatra, conducting regional potential studies with competent parties, conducting outreach to the public as taxpayers, and technical guidance to tax collector employees within the Regional Government Organization (OPD) in order to maximize the regional wealth potential in the City of Padang.

Towards Sustainable Development Goals: Coupling Coordination Analysis and Spatial Heterogeneity between Urbanization, the Environment, and Food Security in China

The interconnection between urbanization, the environment, and food security necessitates an exploration of their coupling coordination to advance the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals. However, limited research directly addresses the feasibility and strategies required to achieve such coordination. This study investigates the coupling coordination and spatial heterogeneity between urbanization, the environment, and food security in China from 2004 to 2020, employing the coupling coordination degree model, the spatial correlation model, the Dagum Gini coefficient, and the obstacle degree model. The results show that: (1) the level of coordinated development between urbanization, the environment, and food security in China has significantly increased, as evidenced by a remarkable rise in the coupling coordination degree; (2) a robust positive spatial correlation is observed in the coupling coordination degree, with “Low-Low” clusters predominantly concentrated in northwest China and “High-High” clusters primarily located in southeast China; (3) inter-regional differences are identified as the primary cause of this spatial heterogeneity; (4) food security has emerged as the foremost obstacle to coordinated development between urbanization, the environment, and food security in China. Optimizing the rational allocation of natural resources across different sectors, enhancing resource use efficiency, and strengthening environmental pollution control and management have been proven to be crucial measures and key strategies for promoting their coordinated development. This study provides a novel perspective on balancing the intricate relationship between urbanization, environmental protection, and food security, which is conducive to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries.

Irreversibility and natural resource allocation: Applying Krutilla–Fisher model in water allocation

Abstract Development projects that are created on the basis of using surface water resources such as rivers and lakes without considering the values of the ecosystem cause irreparable damage. Water transfer is one of the options of water management, which is done to allocate water to the agricultural, domestic and industrial sectors and reduces the ecosystem's share of natural water resources. Food supply, industrial development and population growth are the phenomena of the present condition, which are opposed to the ecosystem services that the future generation needs. This study has been carried out in order to develop an optimal control model for the allocation of a natural water resource considering irreversibility. This method is inspired by the Krutilla–Fisher model, which was developed in the form of the possibility of improving agricultural water management. The results showed that by applying optimal management in 25% of agricultural water use, it is possible to provide 100 and 65% of the ecosystem's water requirements in winter and summer, respectively. It showed that the allocation of river water for different uses in the current situation does not follow an optimal policy. In fact, it exacerbates environmental irreversibility in the ecosystem.

Local perceptions on poverty and conservation in a community-based natural resource program area: a case study of Beitbridge district, southern Zimbabwe

This study was conducted in a local community, namely, Ward 1 of Beitbridge district, southern Zimbabwe, with the following objectives: (i) to assess local perceptions on poverty in a Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) environment, (ii) to assess whether CAMPFIRE initiatives have enhanced livelihoods, and (iii) to analyze the involvement of local people in CAMPFIRE programs. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data between September and October 2022, with 80 randomly selected participants being interviewed (structured interviews), 110 randomly selected discussants participating in focus group discussions held in all the five villages of Ward 1, and 10 purposively sampled key informants responded to semi-structured interviews. Data were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The results showed that some villages had more benefits than others from the conservation programs and the contributions to poverty alleviation varied within the surveyed local communities. Most respondents in Ward 1 stated that they rely on subsistence farming as the major source of livelihood. Furthermore, most respondents highlighted that they were not participating in the natural resource management and allocation decision-making processes. However, based on this study, we conclude that respondents still view CAMPFIRE as one of the key solutions to poverty alleviation and that active local community participation in decision-making processes is lacking. The study recommend for active and full participation of local people in the decision-making processes, including previously marginalized groups, in the CAMPFIRE initiatives.

TANTANGAN DESENTRALISASI FISKAL

Decentralization policies must always be combined with the aim of democratizing governance, strengthening national integration, empowering local communities, respecting diversity, and improving people’s welfare. The progress of Regional Government can be seen from the ability to adapt according to current conditions, where accountability, distribution of power and authority that is used as optimally as possible is the key to the good of an area, by utilizing technology the government is required to be able to innovate, new colors and synchronize needs in society both in terms of service and product policy. On the other hand, if it is very difficult for an area to get regional income, there is nothing wrong with looking for investors for regional development, regional potential is something that can be prospected for regional progress, both potential natural resources, geography or a certain industry that requires a lot of workers who can be recruited in local community. With the HKPD Law 1/2022, the government is expected to be able to resolve the challenges of decentralization and realize an effective and efficient allocation of national resources. Key words: Decentralization policy, fiscal decentralization.

A Novel Grey Seasonal Model for Natural Gas Production Forecasting

To accurately predict the time series of energy data, an optimized Hausdorff fractional grey seasonal model was proposed based on the complex characteristics of seasonal fluctuations and local random oscillations of seasonal energy data. This paper used a new seasonal index to eliminate the seasonal variation of the data and weaken the local random fluctuations. Furthermore, the Hausdorff fractional accumulation operator was introduced into the traditional grey prediction model to improve the weight of new information, and the particle swarm optimization algorithm was used to find the nonlinear parameters of the model. In order to verify the reliability of the new model in energy forecasting, the new model was applied to two different energy types, hydropower and wind power. The experimental results indicated that the model can effectively predict quarterly time series of energy data. Based on this, we used China’s quarterly natural gas production data from 2015 to 2021 as samples to forecast those for 2022–2024. In addition, we also compared the proposed model with the traditional statistical models and the grey seasonal models. The comparison results showed that the new model had obvious advantages in predicting quarterly data of natural gas production, and the accurate prediction results can provide a reference for natural gas resource allocation.

Diagnosis of Key Ecological Restoration Areas in Territorial Space under the Guidance of Resilience: A Case Study of the Chengdu–Chongqing Region

Territorial space ecological restoration is a significant way to map the development of “ecological priority, green, and low-carbon” and realize the goal of reducing carbon emissions. Based on the evaluation of the degree of urban ecological resilience restriction, this study aimed to diagnose the key areas of surface–line–point ecological restoration under the guidance of the resilience target by constructing a patch–corridor–matrix ecological network; then, the corresponding repair strategy was proposed. The results showed that (1) there was an obvious core–periphery structure in the resilience restriction intensity of the Chengdu–Chongqing region, showing a gradual decreasing trend from Chengdu and Chongqing to the surrounding cities; (2) the regional ecological network, including 17 ecological source patches and 33 potential ecological corridors, was identified; and (3) the diagnosed key areas of ecological restoration were composed of surface–line–point multiscale spatial morphology, including 7793.81 km2 of key areas of ecological source restoration, 380.39 km of key areas of ecological corridor restoration, and 29 key areas of ecological pinch point restoration. The construction of ecological restoration strategies with carbon neutralization as the core idea at different scales was realized. The research can provide a reference for scientifically identifying key areas of ecological restoration in territorial space, coordinating and planning major projects of ecological restoration, and optimizing the allocation of natural resources.

Cost effectiveness of home care versus hospital care: a retrospective analysis

BackgroundIncreased utilization of health services due to population growth affects the allocation of national resources and budgets. Hence, it is important for national policy. Home hospitalization is one of the solutions for dealing with the growing demand for hospital beds and reducing the duration of hospitalization and its costs. It is gradually becoming part of the regular care in many health systems, yet, studies on the economic aspects of Community-Based Home Hospitalization (CBHH) implementation in Israel are few. The aim of this study is to examine costs of CBHH in comparison to costs of inpatient hospital care in the Israeli public health system.MethodsRetrospective data was collected using document research in databases. A review of the costs of patients in CBHH at Maccabi Healthcare Services (MHS) was conducted. A total of 3374 patients were included in this study: 1687 patients who were in CBHH, and 1687 age- and sex-matched patients who were hospitalized in an internal department (the control group). The study population included the patients admitted to CBHH from January 2018 to July 2020, and patients admitted to internal medicine departments during the same period.ResultsThe number of hospitalizations during the follow up period were statistically significantly lower in the CBHH group compared with the control group (M = 1.18, SD = 0.56 vs. M = 1.61, SD = 1.29, p < 0.001). In addition, the mean number of hospitalization days was also statistically significantly lower for 4.3 (SD = 4.5) for CBHH patients compared to the control group (M = 4.3 days, SD = 4.5 vs. M = 7.5 days, SD = 10.3, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean cost per day was statistically significantly higher for inpatient hospitalization compared to CBHH (M = 1829.1, SD = 87.5 vs. M = 783.2, SD = 178.3, p < 0.001). Older patients, patients with diabetes and patients hospitalized in hospitals had a higher number of hospitalization days.ConclusionsThe costs of CBHH seem to be lower than those of inpatient care. Managing CBHH is characterized by constantly measuring financial feasibility that would be an impetus for further development of this service.