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Spatio-Temporal Evolution, Factors, and Enhancement Paths of Ecological Civilization Construction Effectiveness: Empirical Evidence Based on 48 Cities in the Yellow River Basin of China

Author

Listed:
  • Haifa Jia

    (School of Civil Engineering and Water Resources, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
    Key Laboratory of Energy-Saving Building Materials and Engineering Safety, Xining 810016, China
    Laboratory of Ecological Protection and High Quality Development in the Upper Yellow River, Xining 810016, China)

  • Pengyu Liang

    (School of Civil Engineering and Water Resources, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
    Key Laboratory of Energy-Saving Building Materials and Engineering Safety, Xining 810016, China
    Laboratory of Ecological Protection and High Quality Development in the Upper Yellow River, Xining 810016, China)

  • Xiang Chen

    (School of Civil Engineering and Water Resources, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China)

  • Jianxun Zhang

    (School of Civil Engineering and Water Resources, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
    Key Laboratory of Energy-Saving Building Materials and Engineering Safety, Xining 810016, China
    Laboratory of Ecological Protection and High Quality Development in the Upper Yellow River, Xining 810016, China)

  • Wanmei Zhao

    (Qinghai Provincial Institute of Territorial Space Planning, Xining 810008, China)

  • Shaowen Ma

    (Qinghai Water Conservancy&Hydropower Survey Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd., Xining 810016, China)

Abstract

Climate change, resource scarcity, and ecological degradation have become critical bottlenecks constraining socio-economic development. Basin cities serve as key nodes in China’s ecological security pattern, playing indispensable roles in ecological civilization construction. This study established an evaluation index system spanning five dimensions to assess the effectiveness of ecological civilization construction. This study employs the entropy-weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Back-Propagation (BP) neural network methods to evaluate the level of ecological civilization construction in the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2022, to analyze its indicator weights, and to explore the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of each city. The results demonstrate the following: (1) Although the ecological civilization construction level of cities in the Yellow River Basin shows a steady improvement, significant regional development disparities persist. (2) The upper reaches are primarily constrained by ecological fragility and economic underdevelopment. The middle reaches exhibit significant internal divergence, with provincial capitals leading yet demonstrating limited spillover effects on neighboring areas. The lower reaches face intense anthropogenic pressures, necessitating greater economic–ecological coordination. (3) Among the dimensions considered, Territorial Space and Eco-environmental Protection emerged as the two most influential dimensions contributing to performance differences. According to the ecological civilization construction performance and changing characteristics of the 48 cities, this study proposes differentiated optimization measures and coordinated development pathways to advance the implementation of the national strategy for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.

Suggested Citation

  • Haifa Jia & Pengyu Liang & Xiang Chen & Jianxun Zhang & Wanmei Zhao & Shaowen Ma, 2025. "Spatio-Temporal Evolution, Factors, and Enhancement Paths of Ecological Civilization Construction Effectiveness: Empirical Evidence Based on 48 Cities in the Yellow River Basin of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:1499-:d:1705559
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    References listed on IDEAS

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