Evaluation of Ecological Sustainable Development in the Yangtze River Delta Region Based on Ecological Footprint Theory

The ecological footprint was employed as a quantitative indicator of resource inputs,enabling a detailed account of the structure of biological resources and energy occupancy,as well as the variation of resource productivity in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)Region.From 2004 to 2018,there were notable variations in the ecological productivity of different types of land on basis of China’s equilibrium factor across the three provinces and one city in the YRD region.Jiangsu Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of arable land,while Anhui Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of forest land.Shanghai City exhibited the highest ecological productivity of pasture land,while Zhejiang Province exhibited the highest ecological productivity of water area.In 2018,the proportion of arable land within the total ecological carrying capacity of the YRD region reached 74.35%.Furthermore,the contribution of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces to the YRD’s total ecological carrying capacity was 41.36%and 41.26%,respectively.In the construction of a new development pattern in the YRD region,which is dominated by the domestic cycle as the main body and mutually reinforced by domestic and international double-cycle,the YRD region should combine the utilization of natural forces with innovation in science,technology and cooperation mechanisms.Furthermore,the government should guide the concentration of social capital towards green industries.It is also recommended that the moderate reduction of ecological footprints should be encouraged,and that the security of biological resources and energy,the leadership in the field of cutting-edge science and technology should be ensured in YRD region.This will facilitate the formation of a new development pattern of higher-quality integration at the national level firstly.

Regional accessibility of land traffic network in the Yangtze River Delta

In a given district, the accessibility of any point should be the synthetically evaluation of the internal and external accessibilities. Using MapX component and Delphi, the author presents an information system to calculate and analyze regional accessibility according to the shortest travel time, generating thus a mark diffusing figure. Based on land traffic network, this paper assesses the present and the future regional accessibilities of sixteen major cities in the Yangtze River Delta. The result shows that the regional accessibility of the Yangtze River Delta presents a fan with Shanghai as its core. The top two most accessible cities are Shanghai and Jiaxing, and the bottom two ones are Taizhou （Zhejiang province） and Nantong With the construction of Sutong Bridge, Hangzhouwan Bridge and Zhoushan Bridge, the regional internal accessibility of all cities will be improved. Especially for Shaoxing, Ningbo and Taizhou （Jiangsu province）, the regional internal accessibility will be decreased by one hour, and other cities will be shortened by about 25 minutes averagely. As the construction of Yangkou Harbor in Nantong, the regional external accessibility of the harbor cities in Jiangsu province will be speeded up by about one hour.

Exploring Regional Innovation Growth Through A Network Approach:A Case Study of the Yangtze River Delta Region,China

As the leading urban agglomeration in China,the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)is experiencing a factor-driven to innovationdriven transition.However,the dynamics of regional innovation growth are not yet fully understood.This paper combines the complex network methodology with spatial econometrics to disentangle the contributions of innovation endowments,innovation network flows,and innovation network positions to regional innovation growth,as well as their spatial spillover effects.The primary findings suggest that regional innovation growth results from the networked agglomeration economies,which is shaped by the interactions between agglomeration factors and network factors.Specifically,agglomeration factors play a fundamental role in regional innovation growth.In contrast,network factors,such as the network flows and network positions,may contribute to new path creation by promoting access to external innovation resources.Additionally,the institutional factors show multiplexity in fostering regional innovation patterns.Such findings indicate that the YRD region should shift the innovation growth pattern from competitive involution to mutually beneficial cooperation to reduce regional disparities.In this regard,the institutional capacity of organizing network flows and fostering reciprocal inter-city partnerships has become increasingly critical for promoting sustainable innovation and regional development.

Integrated Conservation Strategy for Endangered Small Cetaceans:Insights from the Case of the Yangtze Finless Porpoise

The Yangtze finless porpoise(YFP)is an endemic freshwater cetacean species that exclusively inhabits the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin.Since the late 1970s,the YFP has experienced a drastic population decline and was classified as critically endangered by the IUCN in 2013.To save this unique species,a range of integrated conservation measures have been implemented,including strengthening natural habitat protection(in-situ),enhancing insurance populations(ex-situ),and advancing captive breeding and research initiatives.These efforts have yielded significant progress in the conservation of the YFP.The natural population has been starting to increase after a sharp decline,and the establishment of three insurance populations has provided a solid foundation for recovery.Additionally,advancement in captive breeding and research has delivered crucial technical support for population conservation.As a flagship species of Yangtze River biodiversity and an indicator of the river’s ecosystem health,the YFP’s integrated conservation strategy not only benefits its own population but also offers valuable insights for the protection of other endangered aquatic species in the Yangtze River and other threatened small cetaceans worldwide.

Efficiency Pattern and Spatial Strategy of Ports in Yangtze River Delta Region

This paper measures the efficiency of ports in the Yangtze River Delta Region(YRDR) in 2008 and 2013 using port berth quantity, quay length, and human resources as input indicators, using cargo and container throughput as output indicators, and considering traditional(foreign trade dependence and industrialization level) and modern environmental factors(traffic line density, financial development level, and informatization level). To achieve such aim, this study constructs a multi-stage data envelopment analysis model(DEA) that identifies effective port decision-making units(DMUs) and generates a highly accurate conclusion by eliminating the interference from the exogenous environment and random errors. First, the external environment significantly affects port efficiency, with the traditional environmental factors showing huge fluctuations and the modern environmental factors producing great benefits. Second, the efficiency of ports in YRDR has increased from 2008 to 2013 primarily because of their pure technical efficiency. Third, the weighted standard deviation ellipse(SDE) analysis results reveal that the efficiency pattern of ports significantly deviates from their throughput pattern, while the center of SDE of port efficiency moves from the eastern coastal regions to the northwest regions. Based on these findings, this paper proposes spatial development strategies for YRDR, such as creating an unblocked environment where spatial elements can freely circulate, intensifying port-city joint development, implementing differentiated policies, and focusing on the spatial collaboration of port efficiency.

Spatial Pattern and Heterogeneity of Port & Shipping Service Enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta,2002–2016

Using the ‘theoretical hypothesis—empirical study—case verification' method, this paper studies the spatial distribution and differentiation of port & shipping service enterprises(PSSE), as well as the variation process and underlying mechanism in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD). First, through inductive and deductive reasoning, we propose the following hypothesis: the regional distribution of different types of PSSE would show different spatial agglomeration-decentralization tendency; and there would be distinct regional differentiation in the industrial structure of the enterprises. Second, based on data obtained from enterprises, empirical research is conducted using Gini coefficient and spatial interpolation simulation methods. Results show that: 1) The overall enterprise distribution is decentralized within a city. 2) Different types of enterprises show different spatial agglomeration-decentralization tendencies. At 3000 m×3000 m grid scale, there is an agglomeration tendency along seas and rivers in the spatial distribution of enterprises. Shanghai has been identified consistently as a hot spot. 3) There is significant regional differentiation in 12 port cities with respect to the industrial structures of enterprises. Finally, the transportization and the increase of shipping service demand, the globalization and the expansion of multinational corporate activities, the hierarchization and the cooperation among port cities as well as the decentralization and the behavioral difference between the central and local states can be seen as main driving mechanism of the spatial phenomenon.

Characteristics and Transformation of Heavy Metal Pollution in Soil and Rice of Yangtze River Delta Region

[Objective]Characteristics of heavy metal pollution in soil and rice of Yangtze River Delta Region were studied.[Method]Heavy metal contents of more than 150 samples in Yangtze River Delta region were determined so as to make the soil environmental quality assessment and study the content distribution,transformation and distribution characteristics of heavy metals in different regions and different plant parts.[Result]The Yangtze River Delta region was polluted by Cd,Pb,Cr,Cu and Zn,among them Cd pollution was the most serious;Pb,Cu and Zn took second place;Cr appears the lightest;And there was almost no Hg and As pollution in this area.The Nemero pollution index of soil was 0.880 which was at the alert level.Cd,Cr,Cu,Hg and Zn in rice grains exceeded the background values.Heavy metal pollutions in soils divided by regions were in order of Taihu Lake region 〉Zhejiang region〉 Yangtze River region and urban areas 〉towns and rural areas.Heavy metal pollutions in soil divided by the uptake level were in order of rhizosphere soil 〉rice straw 〉rice grain.Transformation coefficients were in order of Cd〉 Cu 〉Zn〉 As 〉Hg〉 Pb〉 Cr.Distribution coefficients were in order of Zn〉 Cr〉 Cd 〉Cu〉 Hg 〉Pb 〉As.[Conclusion]There were larger value ranges of contaminated elements in the Yangtze River Delta Region,moreover individual samples had serious pollution,so the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution should be strengthened.

The Influence of the Urban-Rural Income Disparity on the Industrial Structure—Taking the Yangtze River Delta Region as an Example

In this paper, the effect of the mediation effect is mainly used to test and analyze the regression model, and most scholars have studied the impact of the modernization of the industrial structure on the income gap. However, this paper is from another perspective, based on the social background of high-quality development, the main study is the impact mechanism of urban and rural income gap on the industrial structure, taking the Yangtze River Delta as the main research object, and specifically selecting 22 central cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, which is also one of the highlights of this study. The regression model is constructed by using the intermediary effect, and the four intermediary variables of fiscal expenditure (M1), fixed asset investment (M2), number of patent applications (M3), and total import and export (M4) are selected, which represent the role of the government, fixed asset investment, scientific and technological level and opening-up level, and study and analyze the inherent influence mechanism between each variable. Before doing specific research, I consulted the papers and literature of many other outstanding scholars, among which Cheng Yuhong and Cheng Chi’s “The Influence Mechanism of industrial structure of urban and rural income gap” [1] has great reference value for this paper. According to the research results, under the background of high-quality development in the Yangtze River Delta region, the expansion of the income gap between urban and rural areas will inhibit the upgrading of the industrial structure, so it is necessary to focus on building a new type of urbanization, accelerating the construction of an urban innovation system, optimizing the rural employment structure to narrow the income gap between urban and rural areas, and providing impetus for the continuous upgrading of the industrial structure.

An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Technology Market Promoting Technological Innovation Capability—Based on panel data in the Yangtze River Delta

Based on panel data such as 2009-2018 R&D expenditures,full-time equivalent of R&D personnel,Number of valid invention patents,and technology market turnover in China's Shanghai,Jiangsu,Zhejiang,and Anhui provinces(cities),using Griliches-Jaffe knowledge to produce Function,construct Time fixed effects model,conduct empirical research on the main factors affecting the technological innovation capability of the Yangtze River Delta,focusing on the relationship between the technological market and technological innovation capability.The results show that human capital and R&D expenditures have a significant and positive impact on the technological innovation capacity of the Yangtze River Delta.Although the technology market has a positive effect on the scientific and technological innovation capacity of the Yangtze River Delta,the effect is not significant.Propose countermeasures and suggestions to strengthen the influence of the technology market on technological innovation.

Arsenic distribution and source in groundwater of Yangtze River Delta economic region, China

This thesis focuses Arsenic(As) distribution and occurrence in groundwater of Yangtze River Delta economic region, East China. 2019 groundwater samples were collected to analyze 26 chemical compositions, including As. The Principal Component Analysis(PCA) was used to find out As source in groundwater. The results show that average As concentration in groundwater of this study is 9.33 μg/l, and maximum As concentration is up to 510 μg/l. The variation coefficient is 314.34%. High arsenic phreatic water(>10 μg/l) distributes along the Yangtze River and its estuary. Weak hydrodynamic conditions, wide p H value variation range and deteriorating environment are dominating factors, especially in Yangtze River Delta. The PCA suggests that arsenic in phreatic water is mainly of natural origin. Part of arsenic may directly originate from sediment organics and be related to organics decomposition.

Variation Trends of Hydrology and Water Resources in Yangtze River Delta Region,China and Its Responses to Climate Change

Global warming has become one of important environmental issues, and will alter the spatial distribution of hydrology and water re- sources through accelerating atmospheric and hydrological cycles. Yangtze River Delta region, an economic center in China, has experienced a re- gional temperature increase since the 1960s, forming a heat island, and the warming rate has improved since the 1990s. The characteristics of hy- drology and water resources changed under regional climate warming. Here, the impacts of climate change on hydrology and water resources were discussed from the aspects of precipitation change, sea level rise, seawater invasion and water pollution in Yangtze River Delta region, China.

Thirty Vears Road,Integrating a Megacity——Economic Changes inthe Yangtze River Delta Over the Past 30 Years

As one of the most dynamic economic zones in China, the Yangtze River Delta has further increased its economic output,becoming more open to foreign investment and international cooperation over the past 30 years.Its economic stability and coordination have been strengthened;and the process of regional integration continues to accelerate.

Impacts of Roof/Ground Mitigation Strategies on Improving the Urban Thermal Environment and Human Comfort over the Yangtze River Delta, China

The combined effects of global warming and the urban heat islands exacerbate the risk of urban heat stress. It is crucial to implement effective cooling measures in urban areas to improve the comfort of the thermal environment. In this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model(WRF), coupled with a single-layer Urban Canopy Model(UCM), was used to study the impact of heat mitigation strategies. In addition, a 5-km resolution land-cover dataset for China(ChinaLC), which is based on satellite remote sensing data, was adjusted and used, and 18 groups of numerical experiments were designed, to increase the albedo and vegetation fraction of roof/ground parameters. The experiments were conducted for four heatwave events that occurred in the summer of 2013 in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration of China. The simulated results demonstrated that, for the single roof/ground schemes, the mitigation effects were directly proportional to the albedo and greening. Among all the experimental schemes, the superposed schemes presented better cooling effects. For the ground greening scheme, with similar net radiation flux and latent heat flux, its storage heat was lower than that of the roof greening scheme, resulting in more energy flux into the atmosphere, and its daytime cooling effect was not as good as that of the roof greening scheme. In terms of human thermal comfort(HTC), the improvement achieved by the ground greening scheme was better than any other single roof/ground schemes, because the increase in the relative humidity was small. The comprehensive evaluation of the mitigation effects of different schemes on the thermal environment presented in this paper provides a theoretical basis for improving the urban environment through rational urban planning and construction.

Analysis of the Higher Education Research in the Chengdu-Chongqing Region:A Comparative Perspective Based on Three Major Economic Circles in China

Drawing on literature regarding higher education research retrieved from the CNKI database from 1997 to 2021,this paper used CiteSpace to analyze the current status of higher education research in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.By comparing it with that in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region,the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,and the Yangtze River Delta,this paper concluded that the level of higher education research within a region is in line with the level of the region’s economic and social development.As higher education research in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle draws more and more attention,its research areas and topics are becoming increasingly diversified.However,by comparison,the research in this region features a late start and lower participation of researchers and research institutions,resulting in insufficient research in both quantity and quality.Therefore,it is essential to encourage more experts and scholars to participate in higher education research in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.Efforts should also be made to strengthen academic exchanges and cooperation between scholars in Chengdu and Chongqing and establish a long-term cooperation mechanism for higher education research between the two cities.Improved higher education research will definitely facilitate the construction of first-class universities,thus providing human capital and intellectual support for the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.

Evolution of coordination degree of eco-economic system and early-warning in the Yangtze River Delta

On the basis of Landsat TM data of the Yangtze River Delta （YRD） Economic Zone in 1991, 2001 and 2008, this article, taking 90 counties in this region as study units, built spatial data transformation models, ecosystem service value （ESV） and coordination degree of eco-economic system （CDES） models. With the aid of ArcGIS9.3, mass grid and vector data has been processed for spatial analyses. ESV and CDES indexes have demonstrated the relationship between economic development and eco-environment system and its evolu- tion characteristics in the researched areas. Furthermore, the indexes have also been used for functional zoning and pattern recognition. Some results can be shown as follows. Firstly, since 1991, land use in the YRD has greatly changed： urban land area has increased primar- ily from original paddy land, dry land, grassland, garden plot and other land. Secondly, the ESV model has proved the deterioration trend of the YRD ecological system from 1991 to 2001 and slower degradation trend during 2001-2008. Also, it is illustrated that land-use conversion from water area and paddy field to urban area and dry land could cause great damage to ecosystem stabilization. Thirdly, GDP in the central and southern parts of the YRD is higher than that in the northern part since 1991. GDP growth rate in the central part is higher than that in the northern part during 1991-2001. This growth rate in the central part is also higher than that in the southern and northern parts of the YRD from 2001 to 2008. Fourthly, the YRD could be categorized into 12 types of subregions in terms of CDES index. According to its spatial characteristic of CDES index value in the study area, eco-economic conflict area with low CDES value which is located in the central part is surrounded by eco-coordinated areas with high CDES values. This illustrates a core-periphery spatial structure exists in the YRD. During 1991-2001, the CDES value implied the convergent de- terioration trend of eco-economic system in the study area; while it gradually stepped into coexistence of divergent deterioration and coordination during 2001-2008. Finally, this paper analyzed five subregions in the YRD, including initially degrading zone, initially coordinative zone, continuously degrading zone, coordination-declined.zone and coordination-promoted zone, based on eco-economic coordination and evolution patterns. And these subregions can be recognized and categorized by spatial transformation model.

长三角区域新质生产力发展水平、区域差异与时空演变特征

发展新质生产力,是进一步全面深化改革和推进中国式现代化的必然要求。以长三角“一市三省”为研究对象,基于2010—2023年的面板数据,对长三角区域省(市)新质生产力发展水平、变化趋势以及区域差异等进行了测度与分析。研究发现:第一,长三角区域新质生产力发展水平整体呈上升趋势,但区域差异较大,地区间发展不平衡现象明显。第二,新质劳动资料对长三角区域新质生产力的贡献最为突出,其次是新质劳动者和新质劳动对象;上海市新质劳动对象的贡献最高,江苏省新质劳动者的贡献占比较大,浙江省新质劳动资料的贡献则更加突出,而安徽省虽没有突出优势,但其新质生产力增长率最高。第三,长三角区域新质生产力发展水平呈极化现象,且江苏省、浙江省、安徽省内部存在新质生产力发展水平较高的城市,省内发展不均衡;从时空动态演进特征看,长三角区域新质生产力不存在“跨越式”发展,但存在“俱乐部收敛”现象。该研究能够为实现长三角区域协同发展,尤其为培育和实现安徽省新质生产力和经济高质量发展提供实践依据和经验借鉴。

区域经济韧性分解拓展及其应用研究——以长三角地区为例

随着韧性时代的到来,区域经济韧性及其构成备受关注,其测度和分解方法是研究的难点。在Martin将区域经济韧性分解为产业结构韧性分量和竞争力韧性分量的基础上,借鉴偏离-份额分析拓展模型Esteban-Marquillas模型,进一步将区域经济韧性分解为产业结构韧性分量、净竞争力韧性分量和分配韧性分量,并以我国经济最为活跃的长三角地区为例,对1993—2019年间各地市的经济韧性进行测度和分解,与现有方法相比,该分解拓展为区域经济韧性解构、精细化分析以及精准实施增韧干预提供了新的工具。

公共服务供给如何促进区域经济高质量发展?——以长三角城市群为例

公共服务有效供给是促进区域经济增长的重要动力。本文选取具有代表性的长三角城市群作为研究对象,剖析各类公共服务供给规模与质量对区域经济高质量发展的作用机制。研究发现,不同类型的公共服务供给对经济高质量发展的作用机制有着显著的差异,民生型公共服务供给质量和经济型公共服务供给规模对区域经济高质量发展不仅具有直接的积极影响,还分别通过提升城镇居民消费水平和提高城市间居民收入差异的中介机制对其产生显著影响。不同类型的城市中公共服务供给的作用机制也有显著区别,人口规模和非户籍人口比例在公共服务供给作用机制中的影响最为突出和普遍,民生型公共服务供给质量对高质量发展的影响更为突出和普遍,而经济型公共服务的影响仅限于经济高增速的大城市,中小城市公共服务供给的作用机制未形成。因此,应有针对性地调整公共服务供给政策。针对中小城市,应全面加大各种类型公共服务的供给规模,提升供给质量;而流动人口较多的大中型城市则应更大力度地推动户籍政策改革,使得流动人口获得更多的公共福利,以更有效地发挥民生型公共服务供给对于高质量发展的促进作用。

长三角区域知识产权保护一体化联动机制研究

推动长三角区域知识产权一体化发展,对于实施知识产权强国和长三角区域一体化发展两大国家战略具有重要意义。近年来,长三角区域三省一市对于知识产权保护一体化发展进行了一系列重要部署和探索,推动区域知识产权合作从宏观走向具体,形成了良好的示范效应。但在知识产权保护一体化联动机制方面,仍然存在政策协调机制不健全、信息资源共享机制不成熟、执法协作机制不顺畅、司法协同保护机制不完善等问题,制约着区域知识产权一体化保护水平。通过对域外典型区域知识产权保护一体化模式的研究分析,提出长三角地区应立足区域实际,以发展新质生产力为契机,从完善区域立法协同体系、促进信息资源畅通流动、优化执法协议内容、统一司法裁判标准等方面健全知识产权保护一体化联动机制,以促进区域知识产权保护一体化高质量发展,不断谱写长三角区域一体化发展新篇章。

高铁开通对长三角地区旅游业发展的影响研究

在系统阐述高铁开通与旅游业发展内在关联的基础之上,基于2010-2019年长三角地区41个城市的面板数据,运用倾向得分匹配法与多期渐进倍差法评估高铁开通对长三角地区城市旅游业发展数量和质量的影响。研究结果表明:①基于整体视角,高铁开通促进了长三角地区城市旅游业发展数量与质量的双提升,对发展质量的影响程度大于对发展数量的影响程度,同时高铁开通对该地区城市旅游业存在既“旺财”又“旺丁”的效果;②基于异质性视角,高铁开通对新一线及以上城市旅游业发展质量有微弱正向作用,但无法助推其发展数量的提升,对二线城市旅游业发展数量影响强而对发展质量影响较弱,对三线、四线及以下城市旅游业发展质量的提升影响较大而对发展数量影响微弱,这类城市沦为高铁旅游的“过道”;③基于驱动力视角,技术进步成为该地区旅游业全要素生产率提升的核心动力,同时高铁开通对除四线及以下城市的发展层次城市技术进步的驱动作用强于对技术效率的驱动作用。据此,在加快旅游强国建设背景下,应将高铁建设纳入推进区域旅游业高质量发展的有效手段和政策工具,通过高铁网络完善产生的杠杆效应进一步促进区域旅游一体化建设、旅游技术创新与扩散、技术效率改进与提升。