Urban green space (UGS) is crucial to the healthy development of urban residents. However, UGS that is accessible can benefit residents to an even greater degree. Based on the two-step floating catchment area model (2SFCA) and the location quotient (LQ), we analyzed the changes from 1999 to 2019 in UGS walking accessibility and equity in built-up areas of Urumqi at different administrative levels, and how UGS policy affects the improvement of accessibility. The results showed that UGS accessibility and equity are not evenly distributed at different administrative levels and UGS categories. Although the overall UGS accessibility and equity has improved with policy implementation, these changes are caused by metro-level UGS construction in urban fringe areas. The improvement in UGS accessibility at the neighborhood level in densely populated areas is neglected, which leads to a mismatch between UGS construction and population distribution. In addition, the accessibility of UGS is also limited by geographical location, population density, road distribution, and water shortage in arid metropolitan Urumqi. Our research results provide a theoretical basis for Urumqi and other cities in the optimization of UGS structure and the realization of social equity.

Park visits are beneficial for people’s physical and psychological health, as well as for the development of social relationships. This study investigated the degree of recovery of physical, psychological, and social aspects of residents in different types of parks and the influence of socio-demographic factors, personal factors, residential space attributes, and park characteristics on park visitation. The results show that tourists visiting urban parks have higher physiological and social recovery than those visiting suburban parks and that there are significant differences. Physical exercise, rest and relaxation, and spending time with family and children were the three most prevalent factors influencing park visits, while time constraints were the most important reason why residents failed to use parks. Socio demographics, residential spatial attributes, individual variables, and park characteristics explained 13.6%, 16.7%, 4.6%, and 2.9% of the total variance in park visit frequency, respectively. Residential green space, age, children under age seven, time spent in residential green space, willingness to spend time in nature, greenery, maintenance, and amenities were positively associated with park use. Income, education, home price, and distance from home to the park were negatively associated with park use. These findings have implications for park management and for future research.

The green landscapes of oasis cities play an important role in maintaining ecological security. However, these ecosystems face increasing threats from desertification and fragmentation, driven by intensifying climate change and rapid urbanization. Understanding the characteristics and driving mechanisms behind changes in green landscape patterns is crucial for advancing sustainable urban green space management. This study explores the spatio-temporal changes in the green landscape pattern in Urumqi during 1990–2020 using a random forest classifier. This study also applies geographical detectors and geographically weighted regression to comprehensively determine the driving mechanism and spatio-temporal nonstationarity. The results are as follows: (1) The landscape types are primarily dominated by unused land, urban green spaces, and construction land, accounting for more than 80%. The areas of urban green spaces, water bodies, cropland, and unused land decreased by 0.38%, 37.41%, 0.57%, and 4.58%, respectively, from 1990 to 2020. With rapid urbanization, construction land exhibited a significant expansion trend, and the degree of fragmentation of urban green spaces increased spatially over these 30 years. (2) From 1990 to 2020, each landscape index exhibited fluctuating characteristics. Overall, the Shannon’s diversity and evenness indices of the urban green landscapes exhibited an increasing trend. The contagion and connectivity indices exhibited a decreasing trend, decreasing from 50.894 and 99.311 in 1990 to 46.584 and 99.048 in 2020, respectively. (3) During these 30 years, the dynamics of urban greenery were affected by a combination of natural and social factors, with elevation determining the overall urban green distribution pattern. Precipitation and temperature dominate the urban green space changes in the north and south of Urumqi. Socioeconomic factors such as GDP, population, river distance, and town distance regulate the urban green space changes in the central built-up area.

Improving the carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems can effectively reduce atmospheric CO₂, which is one of the important ways of mitigating global climate change. The knowledge on terrestrial carbon stock research is relatively mature in the international community; however, the research pulse, hotspots, and trends in terrestrial ecosystems carbon stock research are not clear. To better understand the research focus and developmental directions of terrestrial ecosystems’ carbon storage, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of 6305 research articles between 2002 and 2022, which were gathered from the Web of Science Core Database. The temporal distribution, country/region distribution, co-citation network, keyword evolution and clustering, journals, and authors of the literature were analyzed, and the knowledge domain was mapped using the CiteSpace visualization software. This study established the following three observations: (1) The number of publications on carbon stock research in terrestrial ecosystems continues to expand, and the trend in the number of publications proves that carbon sinks in terrestrial systems remain an important research topic internationally. (2) Important issues concerning terrestrial ecosystem carbon stock research have evolved from monitoring the carbon stock changes in terrestrial ecosystems to the mechanism of carbon stock formation for the realization of monitoring and management under global climate change. Furthermore, the research methodology has evolved from small-scale, fixed-point instrumental observations to large-scale remote sensing and model simulations, with diversifications in research content and methodology. (3) In the future, academic research on carbon stocks in terrestrial ecosystems will focus more on international and interdisciplinary cooperations, increasing the intensity in surveying and monitoring carbon stocks in terrestrial ecosystems, and realizing the accurate monitoring, assessment, management, and enhancement of carbon stocks from the integrated carbon stock computation system for “sky, air, and land.” The results of this study comprehensively demonstrate the current status and development of the research on carbon stocks in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, and provide a reference for future research on the sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems within the context of global warming.

Land use and landscape changes undermine the balance between humans and the environment, threatening sustainable regional development, yet their driving mechanisms and future trends remain insufficiently understood, particularly in arid areas. This study establishes a long-term analytical framework for the temporal evolution and driving mechanisms of land use and landscape patterns in arid areas, based on Landsat remote sensing imagery and socio-economic data. We investigate spatiotemporal evolution trends, driving mechanisms, and spatial non-stationarity of regional landscapes, and apply the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model to predict future landscape changes under business-as-usual (BAU), economic development (ED), and ecological protection (EP) scenarios. The results show that: (1) Grassland and unused land together account for over 80% of the total area. From 1990 to 2020, built-up land expanded by 1471.58 km², an increase of 190.09%. The comprehensive land use dynamic degree in the Urumqi–Changji–Shihezi (UCS) region was 0.22%, with the highest value observed between 2000 and 2010. (2) At the class level, spatial heterogeneity and fragmentation of different landscape types increased, enhancing regional landscape diversity. (3) Spatiotemporal changes in land use and landscape patterns were driven by the combined effects of natural factors, socio-economic conditions, and policy influences. (4) By 2030, under all three scenarios, unused land is expected to decrease, with the most significant reduction under the EP scenario. Grassland will increase most notably under the EP scenario, built-up land will expand, especially under the ED scenario, and cropland will also grow, mainly under the EP scenario. Forest and water areas will show slight decreases with minimal fluctuations. Overall, the proposed framework effectively captures the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving forces of land use and landscape changes, providing support for the formulation of long-term sustainable development policies.

The integrity of habitat quality is a pivotal cornerstone for the sustainable advancement of local ecological systems. Rapid urbanization has led to habitat degradation and loss of biodiversity, posing severe threats to regional sustainability, particularly in extremely vulnerable arid zones. However, systematic research on the assessment indicators, limiting factors, and driving mechanisms of habitat quality in arid regions is notably lacking. This study takes Urumqi, an oasis city in China’s arid region, as a case study and employs the InVEST and PLUS models to conduct a dynamic evaluation of habitat quality in Urumqi from 2000 to 2022 against the backdrop of land use changes. It also simulates habitat quality under different scenarios for the year 2035, exploring the temporal and spatial dynamics of habitat quality and its driving mechanisms. The results indicate a decline in habitat quality. The habitat quality in the southern mountainous areas is significantly superior to that surrounding the northern Gurbantunggut Desert, and it exhibits greater stability. The simulation and prediction results suggest that from 2020 to 2035, habitat degradation will be mitigated under Ecological Protection scenarios, while the decline in habitat quality will be most pronounced under Business-As-Usual scenarios. The spatial distribution of habitat quality changes in Urumqi exhibits significant autocorrelation and clustering, with these patterns intensifying over time. The observed decline in habitat quality in Urumqi is primarily driven by anthropogenic activities, urban expansion, and climate change. These factors have collectively contributed to significant alterations in the landscape, leading to the degradation of ecological conditions. To mitigate further habitat quality loss and support sustainable development, it is essential to implement rigorous ecological protection policies, adopt effective ecological risk management strategies, and promote the expansion of ecological land use. These actions are crucial for stabilizing and improving regional habitat quality in the long term.