IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v14y2025i7p1440-d1698934.html

The Comparative Bibliometric Analysis of Watershed Ecological Protection and Restoration in the Context of Territorial Spatial Planning: An Overview of Global Research Trends

Author

Listed:
  • Hengsong Zhao

    (School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China)

  • Guangyu Wang

    (Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada)

  • Wanlin Wei

    (College of Landscape Architecture, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Shaoxing 311800, China)

Abstract

Research on watershed ecological protection and restoration within the framework of territorial spatial planning serves as a critical approach to ensuring national ecological security and plays a vital role in enhancing ecosystem stability. In recent years, scholarly interest in this topic has grown significantly. However, development trends and optimization strategies remain unclear, especially regarding comparative insights between Chinese and English research articles within the territorial spatial planning paradigm. A comprehensive review is therefore needed to bridge this gap. This study utilizes bibliometric analysis with CiteSpace, based on publications from the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, to visualize and compare Chinese and English research articles on watershed ecological protection and restoration. By combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study identified research hotspots and trajectories and provided directions for future research. The main findings are as follows: (1) A quantitative analysis indicates that the number of publications has increased significantly since 1998, with growing interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. (2) The qualitative analysis reveals three fundamental theoretical principles: holistic management, multi-scale interactions, and dynamic coordination. (3) The Chinese Academy of Sciences led in research output, while other institutions showed wider geographic coverage, stronger collaboration networks, and a decentralized, multi-core structure. (4) Keyword clustering highlights three major themes: evaluation methodologies for ecological protection and restoration, spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms, and integrated governance system development. (5) Within the territorial spatial planning paradigm, future researchers should employ big data analytics and monitoring technologies to better diagnose and address ecological challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Hengsong Zhao & Guangyu Wang & Wanlin Wei, 2025. "The Comparative Bibliometric Analysis of Watershed Ecological Protection and Restoration in the Context of Territorial Spatial Planning: An Overview of Global Research Trends," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-22, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:1440-:d:1698934
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1440/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/7/1440/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wu, Xutong & Wang, Shuai & Fu, Bojie & Liu, Yu & Zhu, Yuan, 2018. "Land use optimization based on ecosystem service assessment: A case study in the Yanhe watershed," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 303-312.
    2. Liu, Yansui & Zhou, Yang, 2021. "Territory spatial planning and national governance system in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    3. Yan ZHENG & Guiyang ZHUANG, 2021. "Systemic Governance of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Farmlands, Lakes and Grasslands: Theoretical Framework and Approaches," Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies (CJUES), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(04), pages 1-21, December.
    4. Xueying Li & Di Long & Bridget R. Scanlon & Michael E. Mann & Xingdong Li & Fuqiang Tian & Zhangli Sun & Guangqian Wang, 2022. "Climate change threatens terrestrial water storage over the Tibetan Plateau," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(9), pages 801-807, September.
    5. Jia Zhao & Yuluan Zhao & Xiaopiao Yang, 2022. "Evolution Characteristics and Driving Mechanism of the Territorial Space Pattern in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-29, September.
    6. Xiaotong Han & Zhengfu Bian & Haochen Yu & Shaogang Lei & Yibo Zhao & Yingjie Guo, 2025. "The Historical and Theoretical Rationale for Ecological Protection and Restoration: Experiences from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-18, January.
    7. Gang Lin & Dong Jiang & Jingying Fu & Yi Zhao, 2022. "A Review on the Overall Optimization of Production–Living–Ecological Space: Theoretical Basis and Conceptual Framework," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ning Xu & Wanxu Chen & Sipei Pan & Jiale Liang & Jiaojiao Bian, 2022. "Evolution Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Production-Living-Ecological Space in China: Perspective of Main Function Zones," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Xinyan Wu & Jinmei Ding & Bingjie Lu & Yuanyuan Wan & Linna Shi & Qi Wen, 2022. "Eco-Environmental Effects of Changes in Territorial Spatial Pattern and Their Driving Forces in Qinghai, China (1980–2020)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Jinxia Wang & Yunfeng Tan & Qiong Hu & Huarong Cheng & Fang Gao, 2024. "Research on talent cultivation for rural revitalization based on three-party evolutionary game," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(11), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Huicai Yang & Shuqin Zhao & Zhanfei Qin & Zhiguo Qi & Xinying Jiao & Zhen Li, 2024. "Differentiation of Carbon Sink Enhancement Potential in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Jingjing Wang & Yuhan Pan & Decai Tang, 2024. "Environmental Protection Tax Reform in China: A Catalyst or a Barrier to Total Factor Productivity? An Analysis through a Quasi-Natural Experiment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Shuangqing Sheng & Wei Song & Hua Lian & Lei Ning, 2022. "Review of Urban Land Management Based on Bibliometrics," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-25, November.
    7. Min Liu & Jianpeng Fan & Yuanzheng Li & Qizheng Mao, 2023. "Ecosystem Service Optimisation in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration Based on Land Use Structure Adjustment," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-27, July.
    8. Dong Chen & Rongrong Liu & Maoxian Zhou, 2023. "Delineation of Urban Growth Boundary Based on Habitat Quality and Carbon Storage: A Case Study of Weiyuan County in Gansu, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, May.
    9. Zhang, Zuo & Li, Jiaming, 2022. "Spatial suitability and multi-scenarios for land use: Simulation and policy insights from the production-living-ecological perspective," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    10. Jiali He & Xiangfei Liu & Xuetong Wang & Xueyang Li & Linger Yu & Beibei Niu, 2024. "Spatiotemporal Evolution of Territorial Spaces and Its Effect on Carbon Emissions in Qingdao City, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-22, October.
    11. Wang, Zongxia & Liu, Suxia, 2025. "Double disaggregation of the decline of terrestrial water storage for a highly cultivated dryland partially covered by glaciers," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    12. Jinping Lin & Meiqi Zhou & Huasong Luo & Bowen Zhang & Jiajia Feng & Qi Yi, 2022. "Analysis of the Emotional Identification Mechanism of Campus Edible Landscape from the Perspective of Emotional Geography: An Empirical Study of a Chinese University Town," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-16, September.
    13. Han, Bo & Jin, Xiaobin & Sun, Rui & Li, Hanbing & Liang, Xinyuan & Zhou, Yinkang, 2023. "Understanding land-use sustainability with a systematical framework: An evaluation case of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    14. Yujin Lu & Xingmeng Xu & Gaoru Zhu & Yuting Peng & Yi Li & Xueyan Zhao, 2024. "Land Space and High-Speed Transportation Coordinated Development Evaluation in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-27, October.
    15. Wei-Ling Hsu & Zhicheng Zhuang & Cheng Li & Jie Zhao, 2025. "Optimization of Land Use Patterns in a Typical Coal Resource-Based City Based on the Ecosystem Service Relationships of ‘Food–Carbon–Recreation’," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-19, March.
    16. Shunqian Gao & Liu Yang & Hongzan Jiao, 2022. "Changes in and Patterns of the Tradeoffs and Synergies of Production-Living-Ecological Space: A Case Study of Longli County, Guizhou Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
    17. Chen, Fangxin & Li, Yurui & Liu, Yansui, 2025. "Bottom-up hierarchical detection of territorial spatial pattern based on multi-source heterogeneous data," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    18. Yu, Zhenning & She, Shuoqi & Xia, Chuyu & Luo, Jiaojiao, 2023. "How to solve the dilemma of China’s land fallow policy: Application of voluntary bidding mode in the Yangtze River Delta of China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    19. Yuqing Zhang & Jiaxin Huang & Kun Zhang & Yuhan Guo & Di Hu & Zhang Wang, 2025. "Evaluation of Regional Characteristics of Rural Landscapes in the Yangtze River Delta from the Perspective of the Ecological–Production–Living Concept," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-37, May.
    20. Lijuan Zhang & Tatyana Ponomarenko, 2023. "Directions for Sustainable Development of China’s Coal Industry in the Post-Epidemic Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-32, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:1440-:d:1698934. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.