Ambio—A Journal of the Human Environment INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

NB. Only manuscripts that comply with theAmbio in-house style will be considered forpublication. Papers that do not meet the criteriaoutlined in these Instructions may be summarilyrejected.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishingrecent work in the interrelated fields ofecology, environmental management, technology,and natural sciences. Ambio publishespapers of high scientific standard in a formthat is comprehendsible not only to specialists.

Ambio—A Journal of the Human Environment INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

NB.Only manuscripts that comply with theAmbio in-house style will be considered forpublication.Papers that do not meet thecriteria outlined in these Instructions may besummarily rejected.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishingrecent work in the interrelated fields of ecology,environmental management, technology andnatural sciences.Ambio publishes papers of highsci-entific standard in a form that is comprehendsiblenot only to specialists, but also to scientistsin other fields, to students,politicians,professional planners,and interested laymen.Allmanuscripts submitted to Ambio are accepted forconsideration with the understanding that theyhave not been published elsewhere and are

Amblo—A Journal of the Human Environment INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

NB. Only manuscripts that comply withthe Amblo in-house style will beconsidered for publication. Papers that donot meet the criteria outlined in theseInstructions may be summrily rejected.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishingrecent work in the interrelated fields ofecology, environmental management,technology and natural sciences. Ambiopublishes papers of high scientificstandard in a form that is comprehendsiblenot only to specialists, but also

Amblo—A Journal of the Human Environment INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

NB. Only manuscripts that comply withthe Ambio in-house style will beconsidered for publication. Papers that donot meet the criteria outlined in theseInstructions may be summarily rejected.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishingrecent work in the interrelated fields ofecology, environmental management,technology and natural sciences. Ambiopublishes papers of high scientificstandard in a form that is comprehendsiblenot only to specialists, but also toscientists in other ficlds, to students,

Ambio—A Journal of the Human Environment INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

NB. Only manuscripts that comply with theAmbio in-house style will be considered forpublication. Papers that do not meet the criteriaoutlined in these Instructions may be summarilyrejected.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishingrecent work in the interrelated fields ofecology, environmental management, technology,and natural sciences. Ambio publishespapers of high scientific standard in a formthat is comprehendsible not only to specialists,but also to scientists in other fields, tostudents, politicians, professional planners,and interested laymen. All manuscripts submittedto Ambio are accepted for consider-

Ambio—A Journal of the Human Environment Instructions to Authors

NB.Only manuscripts that comply with theAmbio in-house style will be considered forpublication.Papers that do not meet thecriteria outlined in these Instructions maybe summarily rejected.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishingrecent work in the interrelated fields ofecology,environmental management,technologyand natural sciences.Ambio publishespapers of high scientific standard in a

Ambio—A Journal of the Human Environment INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

NB.Only manuscripts that comply with the Ambio in-house stylewill be considered for publication.Papers that do not meet thecriteria outlined In these Instructions may be summarily rejected.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishing recent work in theinterrlated fields of ecology.environmental management,technologyand natural sciences.Ambio publishes papers of high sciendfic standardin a form that is comprehendsible not only to specialists.but also toscientists in other fields.to students,politicians,professional planners,and interested laymen.All manuscripts submitted to Ambio areaccepted for consideration with the understanding that they have

Ambio-A Journal of the Human Environment INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

NB.Only manuscripts that comply with the Ambio in-house style will be consideredfor publication.Papers that donot meet the criteria outlined in theseInstructions may be summarily rejected.Ambio has no page charges.EDITORIAL POLICYAmbio is an international journal publishing recentwork in the interrelated fields of ecology,environmental management,technology andnatural sciences.Ambio publishes papers of

Changes in human settlement environments and their drivers in valley cities located in arid and semi-arid regions:A case study of Lanzhou in Western China

Development of urban human settlement environments(HSEs)is an integral part of promoting high-quality and sustainable regional development and constructing a beautiful China.The city of Lanzhou,located at the geometric center of China,is the only provincial capital traversed by the Yellow River.Given the constraints posed by the valley topography and the need for economic development,the development of this HSE,which is located within an arid region,poses considerable challenges.Evidently,an understanding of the evolution of HSEs and drivers of changes in them contributes to high-quality,sustainable urban development in arid and semi-arid regions.An analytical model was developed using the parameters of relief degree of land surface,human comfort days,the land cover index,nighttime light index,and precipitation.This model was used in combination with population density and the gross domestic product to analyze the spatial distribution of Lanzhou's HSE and its drivers.The results showed that landscapes in Lanzhou underwent significant changes between 2000 and 2022,with an increase in building-up land(+0.946%),cultivated land(+0.134%),and forest land(+0.018%)and a decrease in grassland(-1.10%).There was significant outward expansion of the main urban zone of Lanzhou and of various county towns,with the increase in building-up land being most prominent.During this period,there were significant changes in the periphery of the core urban area and county towns in Lanzhou,with decreases moving from the urban center(the highest value)to the surrounding areas(Yongdeng County had the lowest value).The correlation between the HSE and population density grew stronger in Anning and Chengguan Districts but became weaker in Xigu and Qilihe Districts.Spatiotemporal variations in the HSE were primarily caused by climate change,followed by human activities,and were also influenced by the valley topography.Overall,the spatial distribution of population density and the HSE in Lanzhou demonstrated good consistency under the in-fluence of economic development and urbanization.

Reflections on the Improvement of Rural Human Settlement Environment from the Perspective of Beauty and Livability

The construction of beautiful and livable villages is one of the important tasks of ruralrevitalization in the new era, and the development of rural areas attaches more and more importanceto the improvement of human settlement environment. By investigating the construction status andexisting problems of Zhaoba Village in Nanjing, it tries to take “beauty” and “livability” as the planningrequirements. The village positioning is planned accurately, and the functional layout is carried outreasonably. According to the characteristic industries, landscape features and infrastructure of ZhaobaVillage, humanized construction strategies are put forward, thus improving the quality of human settlementenvironment in Zhaoba Village.

Environmental and Human Impacts of Lancang-Mekong Mainstem and Tributary Dams on China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam

The Lancang-Mekong River in China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam is the soul and heart of mainland Southeast Asia. Over 60 million people depend on the river and its tributaries for food, transportation, water, and other necessities of life. The river supports one of the world’s most diverse fisheries, second only to Brazil’s Amazon River. Lancang-Mekong and tributaries are already heavily dammed primarily in China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, with many more dams planned or under construction. Dams can worsen the impact of periodic droughts in the Lancang-Mekong basin and block the river’s “pulse effect” that spreads water and nutrients needed for fishing and farming onto the floodplains and delta. The headwaters of the Lancang are in China and its waters are considered a national resource. China regards the Lancang, Yangtze and Yellow rivers as a free resource rather than a shared resource. The primary difference between these rivers is the Lancang flows from China into and through other countries and not directly into a sea or ocean. China and Myanmar have not joined the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as full members but have been Dialogue Partners since 1996. Over the past thirty years, China’s Lancang policies and actions have reflected its national resource interests. China has actively engaged with individual transboundary countries at various levels including environmental, conservation, and economic agreements. The primary objective of this study is to assess the environmental and human impacts of all Lancang-Mekong mainstem and tributary dams and the plans by many countries for more hydropower utilizing the potential of the river as the continent’s energy lifeline. Future dams need to include fish ladders and navigation locks to reduce the environmental impacts on fish populations, natural resources, navigation, and livelihoods. Strengthening of international collaboration via the MRC or by individual or multiple country agreements to address Lancang-Mekong’s sustainable transboundary development goals is recommended. When new Lancang-Mekong and tributary dams are built within any of the transboundary watershed countries, additional communities will need to be resettled. Significant environmental and human impacts are observed. Steps will have to be taken by all the concerned countries to prevent these problems and to ensure that people’s livelihoods are restored after resettlement.

Environmental and Climate Justice in Palestine

To have a clean, safe, and functional environment is not only essential for the purpose of preservation, but also imperative for safeguarding the most fundamental of human rights. Resolution 45/94 of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly also stresses and acknowledges that: “all individuals are entitled to live in an environment adequate for their health and wellbeing” (United Nations Digital Library System, 1991). Environmental and climate justice, which: “emerged in the context of the local environmental struggles of directly oppressed groups”, is a global movement dedicated to ensuring equal protection of people’s human rights (i.e., water, health, life, etc.) in the face of the climate crisis. Moreover, health, environment and human rights are part of the 2030 agenda (in particular, SDG 1, SDG 5, SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 13, SDG 16, SDG 17). Individually, both environmental and climate justice are rooted in an intersectional outlook, by which they highlight the common threads between communities and the people’s inclusion, irrespective of race, class, or gender, in the pursuit of justice. On the other hand, they recognise and acknowledge the role and consequences of climate change in economic, social, and political dimensions;thus, drawing emphasis on the rights of people under the emerging inequities. In the case of Palestine, the Palestinian community is increasingly becoming vulnerable to these effects and the resulting inequalities of climate change. This vulnerability stems from: 1) The right to life;clean WASH;equitable work opportunities;access to resources;and free movement;are all examples of human rights that the Israeli colonial regime infringes upon;2) Infrastructure is essential for climate adaptation: 61% of the West Bank is ultimately barred from building infrastructure (B’Tselem, 2019) and Gaza Strip has major gaps in infrastructure due to intentional destruction by Israel;3) Palestinian deprivation of the sovereign right to natural resources by Israel;4) Apartheid system in water accessibility: Israeli water usage per person is over three times higher than that of Palestinians (their usage is under the WHO recommended minimum per day) (B’Tselem, 2023);and 5) Violent settler attacks. In 2022 alone, the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ) recorded 1527 settler attacks that targeted land, properties, livestock, agriculture and even Palestinian civilians. The ongoing neglect of these concerns and the persistent colonization of Palestine by Israel unequivocally and unwaveringly affect the human rights of Palestinians. The power dynamics at play especially hamper the Palestinian ability to exercise and fulfill their inalienable human rights and to tackle the obstacles to justice in their environment.

A holistic framework for facilitating environmental and human health

In the Anthropocene,health is necessary to achieve global sustainable development.This is a challenge because health issues are complex and span from humans to ecosystems and the environment through dynamic interac-tions across scales.We find that the health issues have been mainly addressed by disciplinary endeavors which unfortunately will not result in panoramic theories or effective solutions.We recommend focusing on the intri-cate interactions between humans,ecosystems and the environment for developing common theoretical under-standings and practical solutions for safeguarding planetary health,with human health as the key indicator and endpoint.To facilitate this paradigm shift,a holistic framework is formulated that incorporates disturbances from inner Earth and our solar system,and accommodates interactions between humans,ecosystems and the environ-ment in a nested hierarchy.An integrative and transdisciplinary health science is advocated along with holistic thinking to resolve our current health challenges and to achieve the health-related sustainable development goals.

Protection and Management for Ancient Villages from the Perspective of Human Settlement Environment——A Case Study of Xichong Village,Sikou Town,Wuyuan County

As urbanization continues, traditional villages are confronted by the conflict between protection and development, especially for ancient villages in living envi- ronment. China landscape is so vast, dominated by rural areas. Human settlement environment of ancient villages is so important for studying domestic human settle- ment environment, including ancient structure analysis and eco-resource organization. The research explored Xichong Village, Sikou Town, Wuyuan County and detailed how to improve its environment, providing references for ancient village development in settlement environment.

Natural environment suitability for human settlements in China based on GIS

With the degeneration of environment and acceleration of urbanization,human environment has attracted great attention worldwide.This paper sets up the Human Settlements Environment Index(HEI) model and evaluates the natural environment suitability for Human Settlements in China based on GIS technology.The results show that the HEI of China decreases from southeast to northwest in general,HEI is significantly correlated with population density at grid size and the correlation coefficient(r) between them reaches 0.93,which indicates that natural environment suitability for Human Settlements has a significant influence on population distribution.Most people in China mainly concentrate in areas with high natural environment suitability.The total suitable area is 430.47×104 km2,which accounts for nearly 45% of the total land area in China,while the proportion of people living in the area reaches 96.56%.With a population density of 18 people per square kilometer,the critical area is the transitional region for people to live in China.The critical area covers 225.11×104 km2 with a population of 41.12 million.The non-suitable area covers 304.42×104 km2 with a population of only 2.49 million.

Difficulties and Countermeasures of Rural Human Settlement Environment Governance in Tianjin

The course of rural human settlement environment governance in Tianjin could be roughly divided into four stages:germination,initiation,promotion and deepening.After the development for nearly 20 years,rural human settlement environment governance of Tianjin is faced with many difficulties,such as imperfect village construction planning,poor use effect of sewage facilities,low participation of farmers,and insufficient financial investment.Therefore,some countermeasures and suggestions are put forward,such as scientific planning and overall consideration,innovating financing mechanism,encouraging diversified investment of funds,and strengthening the publicity of rural human settlement environment governance.

THE EVALUATION OF ECO－ENVIRONMENTAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HUMAN ACTIVITY IN YULIN REGION

ＴＨＥＥＶＡＬＵＡＴＩＯＮＯＦＥＣＯ－ＥＮＶＩＲＯＮＭＥＮＴＡＬＳＵＳＣＥＰＴＩＢＩＬＩＴＹＴＯＨＵＭＡＮＡＣＴＩＶＩＴＹＩＮＹＵＬＩＮＲＥＧＩＯＮ陈利顶，傅伯杰ＴＨＥＥＶＡＬＵＡＴＩＯＮＯＦＥＣＯ－ＥＮＶＩＲＯＮＭＥＮＴＡＬＳＵＳＣＥＰＴＩＢＩＬＩ...

Study on the Spreading of Environmental Impact of Human Being' s Activities and Its Crucial Factors in Upper Minjiang River

This paper focuses on the historical transition of human being's activities and the eco-environment in the upper reaches of Minjiang River. The history is divided into 4 periods, each with its own feature. During the period of nomad immigration, the top-line of the subalpine forest was forced downward by the expanding subalpine meadow. During the period of farming nationality immigration, the bottom-line of middle mountain forest had moved upward forced by the needs for land or timber of the increasing population in the valley basia During the period of the early exploiting, the focus resource was the timber. The total output was limited, comparing with the later period, because of the bad accessibility. But it was large enough to impact the forest ecosystem of the deforesting area. The recent 50 years is the crucial period of economic development and eco-environment degradation. This paper points out that the impact of human being's activities for environment lies on 3 factors: 1) physical features control the location and tendency eco-environmental change; 2) population and productivity control the scale and speed of eco-environmental change; 3) regional accessibility controls the time and location of eco-environmental change.

A human－ecology approach to environmental design──An integrative human－ecology design derived from Chinese agricultural cultur eexperiences

Based on fundamental principles of ecology ,the ecological philosophy connotation of Feng-Shui(Wind and Water) concept from experiences of Chinese agricultural culture was first discussed , and then hu-man-ecological implications of Feng-Shui environment architecture is analyzed. As a theoretical integrationbetween human ecology and Feng-Shui theory ,“environment” and “environmental design” concepts were re-examined and given new definitions. With holistic principles of human ecological design in the context ofFeng-Shui , essential technical ways of integrative human ecological design were explored in the presentationof a case study of an urban environmental design in east China.

Fringe View: Problems and Construction of Human Settlement Environment for "Village-in-City"

The construction of human settlement environment is one of the important contents in the domain of sustainable development. We try to annotate human settlement environment for "village- in-city" from the angle of fringe view. According to the macro-system thought of human settlement environment science, the evolvement, which can be generalized into four phases, connotation and problems (including social, economic, and environmental problems) of "village-in-city" are discussed primarily in this paper. Some domestic and international researches and practices are also summarized and assessed in the paper. Based on the analysis, some appropriate clues and suggestions for the construction of "village-in-city" have been put forward.