Ecological Indicators (Mar 2024)
Spatial distribution characteristics and variability of urban ecological welfare performance in the Yangtze River economic Belt: Evidence from 70 cities
Abstract
Ecological welfare performance (EWP) is an important indicator for assessing the sustainable development potential of an area. Despite the progress made in understanding EWP in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), there still needs to be a research gap in studying its spatial variability in depth, which is more critical for improving EWP in the region and promoting the dynamic management of urban ecological This study addresses this gap by focusing on the YREB. Our investigation not only aims to measure the EWP of the YREB but also delves into analyzing its spatial distribution characteristics and modeling spatial variability. Motivated by the necessity to comprehend the welfare status of urban EWP in the YREB, our research contributes to urban ecological resource management and informs decisions for sustainable development. Results found: (1) EWP in the YREB has improved by 16.81%, exhibiting a southwest to northeast distribution with downstream gravitational movement. (2) A gradual reduction in EWP scope is accompanied by increased spatial dependence and resulting structural variation. Geographically, EWP displays a polar core and banding distribution, with high-value areas converging in upstream and downstream cities of the YREB. (3) The semi-variance function fits the model better, showing that the spatial variability of the ecological welfare performance of cities in the YREB is dominated by structural variability. This study has the potential to broaden the research focus on the spatial characterization of EWP and offers valuable insights into the management of urban ecological resources in the YREB. The perspective of welfare enhancement adds a crucial dimension to our understanding, providing practical lessons for effective resource management.
