Rural Environmental Protection Research Articles

Study of the Impact of New Rural Cooperatives on the Implementation of the Rural Revitalisation Strategy

This study aims to explore the impact of new rural cooperatives on the implementation of China's rural revitalisation strategy, focusing on the roles and challenges of new cooperatives in promoting agricultural modernisation, facilitating the optimisation of socio-economic structures, and achieving an ecological civilisation. Through literature review, case study analysis and field research, this study comprehensively assesses the importance and impact of new rural cooperatives in rural revitalisation. The study finds that new rural cooperatives have significantly improved agricultural productivity and product quality and contributed to agricultural modernisation by pooling farmers' efforts and introducing modern agricultural technologies and management models. These cooperatives have also contributed to the optimisation of rural socio-economic structures by providing employment opportunities, skills training and increasing farmers' incomes. In addition, co-operatives have demonstrated a positive role in promoting rural ecological environment protection and sustainable development, such as promoting green agriculture, conserving resources and protecting the ecological environment. At the same time, this study also points out the challenges faced by new rural co-operatives in the process of development, including management and operational efficiency, market adaptability, balance between environmental protection and sustainable development, fund raising and resource allocation. In response to these challenges, the study proposes a series of countermeasures, such as strengthening the internal management of cooperatives, broadening market channels, promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices, enhancing the effective use of funds and resources, and strengthening policy support and guidance. Overall, new rural cooperatives play an important role in promoting rural revitalisation strategies, and their successful experiences and challenges are of great reference value in guiding the implementation of rural revitalisation strategies. Through an in-depth study of new rural cooperatives, this paper provides practical insights and suggestions for policymakers, cooperative managers and rural development researchers.

Research on Environmental Protection of Rural Ecotourism Based on PSR Model

This paper examines the relationship between rural ecotourism development and environmental protection in Province A, utilizing the PSR model and GAs. It employs a detailed evaluation of indicators in the tourism economy and ecological environment modules, using mathematical modeling and weight coefficient calculations to assess the impact of tourism activities. GAs are used to navigate the complex problem space inherent in balancing economic development with ecological sustainability. By analyzing data from 2005 to 2018, the coupling degree between tourism economy and ecological environment gradually increased from 0.1 to 0.6398. The results indicate a strengthening relationship between tourism economy and ecological environment, moving towards good or high-quality coordination. The degree of coupling, as measured by the PSR model, reflects the evolving interaction between rural tourism development and environmental protection. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability in rural areas.

Promoting Straw Recycling to Accelerate the Sustainable Development of Agriculture

Guided by Xi Jinping’s thought of socialism of the new era with Chinese characteristics in the 14th Five-Year Plan, the comprehensive utilization of straw is closely integrated with the annual key tasks of improving rural areas, by adhering to the priority of agricultural use, industry-oriented, multi-measures, and focusing on counties and municipalities with larger amounts of straw resources. Agricultural modernization requires that provincial policies focus on promoting the utilization of straw as fertilizer, feed, energy production, substrate, raw material, and so on while emphasizing the establishment of a complete straw collection, storage, and transportation system. In response to the problem of the open burning of straw in recent years, China has adopted a variety of policies and measures to control pollution and rationally utilize straw resources. The state and provinces have issued many policy documents on straw resource management, which are divided into the management of straw burning, comprehensive utilization of straw, planning of the straw energy industry, and financial subsidies. Rational utilization of straw not only solves the key issues of employment of farmers but also promotes ecological efficiency and rural economic development. The research results of straw recycling have also made important progress in improving the utilization rate and value of straw, promoting the resource utilization of agricultural waste, and providing important technical support for the sustainable development of China’s agriculture and rural environmental protection.

Exploring Issues and Strategies of Rural Land Use and Environmental Protection

Land resources play a crucial role in the overall development of society, but the irrational exploitation and use of these resources have significant adverse effects on the natural ecological environment, which is detrimental to the effective construction of a harmonious society. There is an inseparable relationship between rural land use and ecological security, and in current rural land use practices, environmental protection issues are increasingly emphasized. In some rural areas, in pursuit of short-term economic benefits, the importance of environmental protection is often overlooked, leading to excessive development and use of land resources, posing a great threat to the sustainable development of rural society. The reduction of vegetation signifies a deterioration of the ecological environment, and soil erosion leads to a decrease in land resources and a decline in land productivity, while soil degradation directly affects the growth of crops and the income of farmers. Therefore, it is essential to integrate environmental protection concepts throughout the entire process of rural land use. In the development and utilization of land resources, environmental protection requirements must be fully considered, adopting scientific and reasonable planning and measures to ensure the full utilization of land resources and achieve sustainable development of rural society.

Exploring the Ecological Effects of Rural Land Use Changes: A Bibliometric Overview

Land use change is a significant contributor to global environmental change. The expansion of urban areas has increasingly impacted rural ecological environments, in particular the shift from agro-ecosystems to urban ecosystems, leading to alterations in land use patterns. Rural land use has led to economic, social, and environmental problems, including poor economic efficiency, emissions of pollutants, and increased environmental crises. The research of alterations in rural land use and their consequential environmental ramifications has garnered escalating attention, evolving into an indispensable subject of inquiry within pertinent academic disciplines. This study aims to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the ecological impacts of rural land use change. We examined 1237 literature sources through the Web of Science database and conducted a bibliometric analysis utilizing the Bibliometrix tool. Secondly, based on the results of bibliometric analysis, we conducted a review study on the impact of rural land use changes on the ecological environment, clarified the current research status in this field, and looked forward to future research directions. The study’s findings indicate that there has been a steady rise in publication volume from 1982 to 2023 and a significant potential for growth. The top three journals by publication volume are Sustainability, Land Use Policy, and Land. (2) A total of 4768 scholars from 95 countries or regions have contributed publications in this domain, notably led by researchers and institutions predominantly based in China. Developed nations, exemplified by the U.S., exhibit a notable citation frequency and robust research prowess within this field. (3) Land use, urbanization, China, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and remote sensing emerge as keywords of elevated frequency within the field, indicative of the scholarly emphasis on these subjects. (4) Studies in this domain are directed towards evaluating the effects on intrinsic components of the environment, including but not limited to soil quality, atmospheric conditions, water resources, and biodiversity. The implementation of sustainable rural land use strategies is essential for the realization of rural development and environmental protection. In future research efforts, the use of remote sensing technology holds immense potential as a robust technical tool for investigating both land use change and rural ecology, offering viable strategies for addressing environmental challenges in specific, localized regions. The results of this study can assist in comprehending the current state and direction of research in this field.

Exploring tourism trends: a comparative analysis between global trends and higher education programs in Colombia

Background Following the signing of the “Final Agreement for the Termination of the Conflict” in Colombia, an unprecedented boost for tourism is observed, promoting rural development and environmental protection. In the academic realm, Colombian universities offer tourism training programs to develop professionals with skills in management, sustainability, and technology. Methods Information is gathered from the Scopus database on tourism trends and from the National Information System for Higher Education (SNIES) on academic programs in tourism in Colombia until 2022. Geographical maps are employed to visualize the global scope of publications in Scopus and the locations of programs in Colombia. Text mining is used on Scopus abstracts and profiles of Colombian programs, generating word density graphs, frequency tables, and word clustering graphs. Results 707 articles from Scopus originating from 86 countries are selected, and 46 profiles of Colombian universities with tourism programs in 19 regions are compiled. Maps and tables demonstrate the geographical location of article density globally and of universities in Colombia. Word clouds, frequency tables, and dendrograms are generated using the abstracts and profiles. Conclusions Text mining analysis reveals similarities and differences between research and education in tourism in Colombia. There is convergence in management and development, reflecting aligned interests in both datasets. Words like ethics and sustainability indicate a shared commitment to a responsible perspective in the sector. Scopus emphasizes research, while Colombian universities prioritize practical training, especially in tourism management. This difference raises questions about the impact on graduates’ preparedness and their contribution to tourism development in Colombia. The geographical location of programs in Colombia shows a clear connection between academia and the tourism sector, facilitating synergies and continuous improvements.

Measuring Villagers’ Perceptions of Changes in the Landscape Values of Traditional Villages

This study aims to analyze the perceptions and driving factors behind villagers’ changing perceptions of landscape values in the context of drastic landscape changes in traditional Chinese villages. Empirical evidence emphasizes the interplay between local residents’ values and the local policy framework. This study establishes a method to capture the landscape values and preferences of rural community residents by combining participatory mapping with questionnaire interviews. We identified the evaluation of changing landscape values by rural residents and extracted four categories of rural development orientations, namely, economic benefits, emotional culture, public participation, and environmental protection. Furthermore, we delved into the significant heterogeneity in landscape value changes among different social groups. This study highlights the role of villagers’ value judgments in guiding the scientific formulation of traditional village conservation and development policies and promoting the socially sustainable development planning of traditional villages. The research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the rural community’s needs and preferences for the local landscape as well as the convergence and divergence between these needs and the government-led rural development trajectory.

Empirical Study on Influencing Factors of Rural Environmental Behavior in Informatization

INTRODUCTION: With the advent of the information technology era, rural areas face new environmental protection challenges and opportunities. The rapid development of information technology provides new possibilities for changes in rural ecological behavior. However, understanding the influencing factors of rural environmental behavior in the context of information technology remains an important research topic.
 OBJECTIVES: This study aims to reveal the influencing factors of rural environmental behavior in the context of information technology to help governments and policymakers develop effective environmental protection strategies. Specifically, the researchers will focus on the extent to which factors such as education level, ecological awareness, economic status, and social participation influence the environmental behavior of rural residents.
 METHODS: A questionnaire survey was used in this study, and residents of a particular rural area were selected as the research subjects. A questionnaire containing questions on education level, environmental awareness, economic status, social participation, and environmental behavior was designed, and a large amount of data was collected through random sampling. Statistical analysis methods, such as regression and correlation analyses, were used to process and interpret the data.
 RESULTS: The study's results showed that the education level significantly affected the environmental behavior of rural residents. Residents with higher levels of education were more inclined to take positive ecological protection actions such as waste separation and energy conservation. In addition, environmental awareness was also found to be closely related to environmental behavior, with residents with higher ecological awareness being more concerned about environmental protection and taking action accordingly. Economic status and social participation affected rural residents' environmental behavior to a certain extent but to a lesser extent than education level and ecological awareness.
 CONCLUSION: Rural environmental behavior in the context of informatization is affected by a combination of factors. To promote rural ecological protection, the government should strengthen investment in education and improve rural residents' education level and environmental awareness. In addition, social organizations and public participation should also be supported to encourage rural residents to actively participate in environmental protection actions. These measures will help to promote a change in ecological behavior in rural areas and achieve the goal of sustainable development.

Remote sensing approach in evaluating anthropogenic impacts on the spatiotemporal changes in net primary productivity of the Niger river basin, from 2000 to 2020

Deterioration of the environment can be examined by utilizing a statistical evaluation of the effects of anthropogenic activities (beneficial or detrimental) on net primary productivity. The Niger River Basin's net primary productivity is significant both theoretically and practically for the management of the natural environment. It is important for her member countries to understand vegetation dynamics, maintain carbon balance, and ensure food security in the region. The research applied remote sensing to determine the relative impact of human activities on the net primary productivity of the Niger River Basin from 2000 to 2020. The study simulated the actual and potential net primary productivity using the Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach and Thornthwaite's Memorial Model respectively, while the result of the simulations was used to calculate human-influenced net primary productivity. The slope of the three simulations was calculated and merged in several scenarios using ArcGIS 10.8 to determine the impact of human activities on net primary productivity of the study area. The negative impacts of human activities were recorded in 89.88 % of the investigated area, while 10.12 % of the NRB had signs of positive impacts. Amongst the biomes, urban areas and bare land experienced the largest negative impacts (97.2 % and 99.8 %, respectively). The study advised the effectiveness of ecological restoration programs, through sound scientific and technical methods, such as those used in rural development, nomadic herding, environmental protection, and natural resource management policies.

Limitation Period for Irregular Payments from the EU Budget and NextGenerationEU Funds in the Post-Covid Era

In the EU, as in life, money is a motivator for change. On the one hand, the funds regularly allocated to Member States from the EU budget finance diverse activities, ranging from rural development and environmental protection, investments supporting sustainable economic development and new technologies, to the protection of external borders and the promotion of human rights. On the other hand, the extraordinary financial assistance provided by the EU to Member States from the NextGenerationEU should help their economies and societies to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, and more recently from the effects of the war in Ukraine. In contrast, the threat of suspending or losing funds from the EU budget and the NextGenerationEU is aimed at urging Member States, and in particular Hungary and Poland, to respect the rule of law. In an ideal world, EU money goes to the right recipients, meets properly identified and legitimate objectives, and is spent lawfully. In the real world, EU funds are sometimes spent incorrectly, with the result that under EU rules they must be recovered from those responsible for infringements, and in some cases sanctions must also be imposed on them. It is only in exceptional cases that irregular expenditures of EU funds may not be recovered and sanctioned. This is the case, inter alia, when a legally defined period has elapsed since the irregular expenditure was made, ie, the irregularity is time-barred. The limitation period for irregular payments means that the offender is exempt from the obligation to repay the EU funds irregularly spent to the EU budget and cannot be sanctioned. This article analyses EU legislation governing the statute of limitations for irregular expenditures paid from the EU budget and NextGenerationEU. Its aim is to determine whether these provisions provided effective protection for these funds during the COVID pandemic, as well as now in the post-COVID era.

Village Songs and the Building of Community Culture: A Talk

Village Songs and the Building of Community Culture: A Talk

Research on the Coordinated Development of Rural Advancement and Environmental Protection

Research on the Coordinated Development of Rural Advancement and Environmental Protection

环境法视野下农村生态环境保护问题与路径探析

环境法视野下农村生态环境保护问题与路径探析

Livelihood Capital, Ecological Cognition, and Farmers’ Green Production Behavior

Green development of agriculture is inevitable to meet the objective demand of rural ecological environment protection and high-quality agricultural development. Livelihood capital is the basic condition for farmers to carry out the activities of production and management, while ecological cognition is the direct motivation for their behaviors. Based on field research data from 436 farm households in 4 counties of Langao, Fuping, Mian, and Yaozhou in Shaanxi Province, China, the study conducted the double-hurdle model (DHM) to empirically analyze the effects of livelihood capital and ecological cognition on farmer’s decision on green production and the degree of green production. The results show that (1) farmers’ livelihood capital is the basic condition that significantly affects farmers’ green production. Specifically, human capital and social capital have a positive contribution to farmers’ green production decision and degree of green production; natural capital and financial capital do not have a significant effect on green production decision, but have a significant positive effect on the degree of green production behavior; physical capital, as farmers’ stock capital, does not have a significant effect on green production behavior. (2) Ecological cognition plays a positive moderating role in farmers’ decisions on green production, but as a subjective cognition, its contribution to the degree of green production is not significant. This paper explores the relationship between livelihood capital, ecological cognition, and farmers’ green production behavior, and provides suggestions for improving farmers’ participation in green production.

Assessing Integrated Effectiveness of Rural Socio-Economic Development and Environmental Protection of Wenchuan County in Southwestern China: An Approach Using Game Theory and VIKOR

A scientific and comprehensive effectiveness evaluation is a prerequisite for clarifying the guiding direction of rural socio-economic development and environmental protection. By using the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method and weight combination based on game theory, this paper systematically assessed the integrated effectiveness of rural socio-economic development and environmental protection (IERSE) of Wenchuan County in 2018 from the administrative village scale perspective. Results showed that: (1) VIKOR with combined weight and Jenks Natural Breaks Classification is both comprehensive and feasible for large-sample-size evaluation, such as IERSE assessment. (2) The general IERSE of Wenchuan demonstrated considerable positive outcomes. The villages with favorable scores were located along the northwest-central-southeast, whereas unfavorable ones were principally distributed in the northeast and south-central regions. Local spatial agglomeration of favorable IERSE was found in Miansi, Wolong, and Sanjiang Town, whereas the agglomeration of unfavorable IERSE was seen in Yingxiu and Xuankou Town. (3) The IERSE of Wenchuan is mainly constrained by ecological conservation and villagers’ autonomy from the village-scale perspective. Villages with favorable IERSE are chiefly constrained by the education level of the village heads or Party secretaries, while villages with unfavorable IERSE are restricted by ecological conservation. To improve the IERSE in rural Wenchuan, thoroughly taking into account the restrictive factors of local IERSE is an essential step for putting forward differentiated and targeted recommendations connected with ecological environment management, as well as social development initiatives.

Urban and Rural Natural Environment Protection Policies under Big Data

Urban and Rural Natural Environment Protection Policies under Big Data

Rural Natural Environment Protection Based on Green Low-carbon Concept

Rural Natural Environment Protection Based on Green Low-carbon Concept

Farm technical and environmental efficiency and subsidy redistribution in Ireland: A simulation approach of possible performance and equity effects

AbstractWe investigate the relationship between EU Common Agricultural Policy environmental payments, and dairy and beef farm level competitiveness and environmental performance. We use an Irish panel of farm level financial data for the years 2000–2017 and apply stochastic frontier analysis. Our estimates identify a positive relationship between technical efficiency and the Green, Low‐Carbon, Agri‐Environment Scheme for dairy farms, in contrast with the negative relation identified for previous payments of this kind such as the Rural Environment Protection Scheme for both beef and dairy. We then simulate increases in the first type of environmental payments financed through reductions in decoupled payments. We use alternative scenarios for payment redistribution such as flat allocation, allocation to farms with low stocking rates or proportional reallocation of payments. We find that under the second scenario, marginal environmental gains can potentially be achieved for dairy farms. For beef farms, the proportional allocation performs best regarding environmental gains. We also find that under this scenario, the impacts on income inequality can be smoothed for both farm types.

Analysis on development trend of biomass energy distributed utilization

Distributed biomass energy technology has strong adaptability to the types of raw materials, flexible project scale, can meet the needs of special users, better economy in small scale, easier commercial development, in line with the characteristics of biomass resources and China’s national conditions. The distributed utilization of biomass energy mainly includes biomass briquette fuel and biogas. The key technologies include biomass briquette fuel processing and combustion, large and medium-sized biogas engineering technology, biomass gasification pyrolysis and gas utilization. At present, China’s distributed biomass energy technology is mainly in the stage of technological improvement and application demonstration. It is expected that by 2030, most of the key technologies will be basically mature and have the conditions for industrialization. The main development direction of China’s distributed biomass energy industry is the replacement of traditional coal-fired gas, urban/rural clean living energy supply, and rural ecological environmental protection. The pollution caused by burning coal/fuel oil, and at the same time centering on the national new urbanization strategy, provide sustainable clean energy for the construction of new rural areas, and improve the level of rural ecological and environmental protection. At present, the main bottleneck restricting the development of distributed biomass energy industry is economy and reliability. The state should increase investment in technological innovation and policy support, convert the environmental and social benefits of biomass energy into cost benefits, and promote biomass energy. The development of the industry can be distributed and utilized.

Land consolidation in Ukraine after land reform: voluntary and forced mechanisms

During the land reform, which has been going on in Ukraine since 1991, the state form of land ownership has been demonopolized. The lands of almost 12,000 farms have been reformed, and 6.77 million peasants have acquired land rights (shares), the vast majority of which are registered as separate plots of land. Today, land consolidation should be considered as a set of land management measures to regulate the structure of land rights in order to create more favorable conditions for farming, increase productivity, reduce production costs, create appropriate infrastructure, improve the agricultural structure. The current land legislation of Ukraine does not contain a sufficiently effective mechanism for ensuring land consolidation and needs to be improved. The purpose of the study is to identify ways to improve the mechanism of legal regulation of land consolidation in Ukraine and integrated land management, which will provide restructuring and improvement of spatial conditions of agriculture, achieving more efficient multifunctional use of rural areas, environmental protection and infrastructure development for further harmonization of legislation.