Research on groundwater ecological environment mapping based on ecological service function:A case study of five Central Asian countries and neighboring regions of China

The groundwater system is a unique ecosystem that serves both resource and ecological functions.Hydrogeologists have conducted extensive theoretical research and practical work on groundwater ecological mapping.This paper,based on the study of groundwater resources and surface ecology in the five Central Asian countries and adjacent areas of China,introduces the concept of ecosystem service functions.It establishes a groundwater ecological zoning index system and conducts research of ecological mapping using the five Central Asian countries and adjacent areas of China as examples.Through this process,the ecosystem service functions of groundwater can be more comprehensively reflected,which can better guide regional geological environment protection and industrial planning.This approach helps coordinate the relationship between socio-economic development and water resource protection,maintain the health of the groundwater ecological environment,enhance the value of groundwater ecological services,and promote the sustainable development of regional economies and societies.

Discourse Analysis of the Belt and Road Initiative From the Perspective of Central Asian Countries: A Case Study of the Republic of Kazakhstan

This study employs Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA)three-dimensional model,using the Republic of Kazakhstan as a case study,to delve into the discourse construction of China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)in Central Asian countries.Through detailed analysis of policy documents,media reports,and public discussions in Central Asian countries,this paper reveals how the BRI constructs specific social practices,discourse events,and textual meanings within these nations.The findings indicate that through this global development strategy,China has not only strengthened its economic ties with Central Asian countries but has also exerted profound influences on political,cultural,and social levels.

Turkey＇s Relations With the Central Asian Countries and Europen Union

The purpose of this paper, in the light of recent developments, is to analyze whether or not there is an axial drift in Turkey, which is a part of Europe. With the decision of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, after the collapse of the wall, known as the iron curtain, built on August 13, 1961 in Berlin, the Soviet Union disintegrated on the date of December 25, 1991 and a new unipolar restructure came into view. New hopes, uncertainties, and new threats were brought along by the US-led restructuring. The Cold War period ended, a drastic change process with the Eurasian axis in the international relations started to be lived in, and the world order based on the the nuclear balance between the East and the West also died out. Having been located at the intersection point of Europe and Asia and therefore of strategic importance, Central Asia has been bringing together the two continents for centuries. In this geography, Turkey has been the first country to recognize the Republics that have gained their independence for the last 20 years. Starting in 1991, the relations between Turkey and Central Asia countries progressed swiftly. Turkey, on one hand, has been developing the economical and political relations with the aforesaid countries, but on the other hand, it has also been continuing to progress on the course of being granted a full membership to the EU （European Union）. Turkey has been the only Muslim country to head towards the West since Tanzimat （the Reformations in 1839）. Besides, Turkey, by having preserved the cultural values, having adopted the democratic principles, having a common border with the Western world, and being her neighbour, is the only and the most developed country to have chosen the West on the economic, cultural, social, and sporting areas among the 57 Islamic countries existing in the world. Turkey, with different political and economic systems, is ready to contribute towards ensuring peace and economic prosperity in Central Asia and Eurasia. The diplomatic activity demonstrated by Turkey in its region was interpreted by some parties as undergoing a shift in the axis of the country and becoming Islamized. The development preparing the ground for the emergence of the axis debates in Turkey is that the relationship between Turkey and EU has come to a dead end. While about 80% of the public supporting for full membership in the years of 1999-2005, this proportion dropped to 40% in recent years. Without the support of the public opinion, no government in the Republic of Turkey will be enthusiastic about the EU membership, as it is, the relations between Turkey and the Western world will decline and the axis shift in Turkey will perhaps become a fact in this case. For this reason, an initiative, called Positive Agenda, was launched for the purpose of not breaking off the relations and preventing Turkey from setting sail for new shores. This new approach is not targeting to replace but to complete the accession process, and the development of the more constructive and positive relationship between EU and Turkey is targeted as well. The world＇s economic axis will shift from the West to the East in the next 50 years. The harsh criticism of the double standards of the West voiced by Turkey in the non-Western regions, such as the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Caucasus, is causing to be perceived by the Western world as Turkey is not a partner but a competitive power and the close relationship with the groups and the actors against the West in the Middle East is leading to interrogate about what kind of partner it will be in Europe. When NATO （North Atlantic Treaty Organization） was formed 63 years ago, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, that the Central Asia countries would gain their independence, that two-block structure of Europe would disappear, and that the Warsaw Pact would disband, could not be predicted by any one. Axis is shifting from the West to the East. By realizing this fact, Turkey has to determine a new strategy. As a result, in this statement, the position of Turkey, which is a part of Asia and Europe, against the latest development in the region, will be analyzed.

Research Report on China's Policy toward Central/East European Countries

With the admission of eight Central/East European countries in May 1, 2004 in sight, realization of the objective of EU’s first phase eastern extension will signify a major step toward the concept of "a Europe kept far away from war" through promoting regional integration.

Relations Between China and Central Asian Countries Face Opportunity of All-Round Development

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and its western neighbors - the Central Asian countries, the friendly and good-neighborly relationship between the two sides has kept a sound momentum of development. China’s policy of creating an amicable, secure and

Impact of climate change on food security in the Central Asian countries

The current and potential impacts of global warming have generated widespread concerns about food security among all sectors of society.Central Asian countries located deep in the interior of Asia with fragile ecological environments and lower agricultural technology are particularly more prone to severe threats from climate change.Based on panel data acquired in five Central Asian countries from 1990 to 2019,a C-D-C model was developed to study how climate change affects food security in the region and to predict future trends.The study found that the level of food security has generally increased for these five Central Asian countries over the past 30 years,with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan having the highest and lowest food security levels,respectively.The average annual temperature and precipitation exhibit an inverted U-shaped relationship with the region’s food security,with the most positive effect on the food security of Kazakhstan.Extremely high and low temperatures have significantly affected food security in the studied region,with Turkmenistan experiencing the most significant negative impacts.The number of frost days had no significant effect on food security.An analysis of future climate showed that the temperature and precipitation in Central Asia will continue to increase from 2030 to 2090,which will negatively impact the food security of these countries.It is recommended that the Central Asian countries enhance their understanding of climate risks,strengthen scientific climate research,and develop multiple adaptation strategies in advance.Simultaneously,they are encouraged to consolidate international cooperation,reducing greenhouse gas emissions effectively and maintaining the ability to ensure food security.

Vegetation dynamics and its response to climate change in Central Asia

The plant ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change in arid and semi-arid regions. However, the responses of vegetation dynamics to climate change in Central Asia are still unclear. In this study, we used the normalized difference vegetation index（NDVI） data to analyze the spatial-temporal changes of vegetation and the correlation of vegetation and climatic variables over the period of 1982–2012 in Central Asia by using the empirical orthogonal function and least square methods. The results showed that the annual NDVI in Central Asia experienced a weak increasing trend overall during the study period. Specifically, the annual NDVI showed a significant increasing trend between1982 and 1994, and exhibited a decreasing trend since 1994. The regions where the annual NDVI decreased were mainly distributed in western Central Asia, which may be caused by the decreased precipitation. The NDVI exhibited a larger increasing trend in spring than in the other three seasons. In mountainous areas, the NDVI had a significant increasing trend at the annual and seasonal scales; further, the largest increasing trend of NDVI mainly appeared in the middle mountain belt（1,700–2,650 m asl）. The annual NDVI was positively correlated with annual precipitation in Central Asia, and there was a weak negative correlation between annual NDVI and temperature. Moreover, a one-month time lag was found in the response of NDVI to temperature from June to September in Central Asia during 1982–2012.

Evaluation on the allocative efficiency of agricultural factors in the five Central Asian countries

Based on methods such as stochastic frontier production function,this paper analyses the changes of single factor productivity(SFP)and total factor productivity(TFP)of agriculture in the five Central Asian countries,during the period of 1992 to 2017.The research results show that the agricultural output in most of the five Central Asian countries has increased steadily,while agricultural labor productivity has shown a growth trend.With the exception of Kazakhstan,the land productivity of the other four countries shows a growth trend.In terms of factor input,the number of agricultural workers in the five Central Asian countries mainly shows a trend of decrease,with the input of chemical fertilizer increasing,and the amount of agricultural machinery increasing or decreasing within a small range.The total factor productivity in the five Central Asian countries has improved,but it is still at a low level.The policy suggestions contained in the research conclusions are as follows:(1)Promote the growth of agricultural TFP in the five Central Asian countries,and strengthen the emphasis on the input and allocation of agricultural factors;(2)be aware of the innovation of agricultural technology,as well as the promotion and diffusion of existing agricultural technologies,and improve the overall technical efficiency of agriculture;and(3)accelerate the effective flow of capital and other elements to the agricultural sector,improve infrastructure,better release the'dividend'of science and technology,and enhance the output efficiency.

Application for developing countries:Estimating trip attraction in urban zones based on centrality

This paper introduced a network centrality-based method to estimate the volume of trip attraction in traffic analysis zones. Usually trip attraction volumes are estimated based on land use characteristics. However, executing of land use-based trip attraction models are severely constrained by the lack of updated land use data in developing countries. The proposed method used network centrality-based explanatory variables as ＂connectivity＂, ＂local integration＂ and ＂global integration＂. Space syntax tools were used to compute the centrality of road segments. GIS-based kernel density estimation method was used to transform computed road segrnent-based centrality values into traffic analysis zone. Trip attraction values exhibited significant high correlation with connectivity, global and local integration values. The study developed and validated model to estimate trip attraction by using connectivity, local integration and global integration values as endogenous variables with an accepted level of accuracy （R2 〉 0.75）. The proposed approach required minimal data, and it was easily executed using a geographic information system. The study rec- ommended the proposed method as a practical tool for transport planners and engineers, especially who work in developing countries and where updated land use data is unavailable.

Characteristics of industrial structure evolution and isomorphism in Central Asia

This study undertakes a systematic examination of characteristics of the spatio-temporal evolution of industrial economies in Central Asia from the perspectives of industrial scale,structural rationality,industrial competitiveness,and industrial isomorphism.The results show that industrial structures in Central Asian countries are becoming increasingly advanced,with certain differences among them in the characteristics of this evolution.Kazakhstan has long had a tertiary-secondary-primary industrial pattern,and productive services have played an increasingly prominent role in the development of its tertiary industry.The transformation of the industrial structure in Uzbekistan,from a secondary-tertiary-primary pattern at its independence from the Soviet Union to a tertiary-secondary-primary pattern,is apparent.Tajikistan's industrial structure has also changed significantly in recent times.Its secondary industries shrunk while tertiary industries developed rapidly.In Kyrgyzstan,the ratios of secondary and tertiary industries to total industrial output have fluctuated significantly while considerable progress has been made in the service sector.The industrial structure of Turkmenistan is significantly lower than the other countries,and Turkmenistan is the only country in the Central Asian region which still shows a tertiary-secondary-primary industrial pattern.The feasibility and competitiveness of the industrial structures of these five Central Asian countries have different characteristics.Kazakhstan has structural advantages but lags in competitiveness,Uzbekistan is driven by both structural and competitive advantages,Tajikistan enjoys structural advantages while Kyrgyzstan lags behind in competitiveness,and Turkmenistan has a competitiveness-driven economy.Furthermore,values of the similar coefficient index of the three industrial structures in these countries were mostly above 0.95,the coefficients of the secondary industrial subdivisions in some countries were below 0.85,and those of tertiary industrial subdivisions among most countries were above 0.89,indicating considerable similarities in industrial structure among them.These findings are important in the context of establishing an effective industrial development strategy for the Silk Road Economic Belt,improving international cooperation,and upgrading industrial structures to achieve economic prosperity.