The “Kökyar Greening Project” in the suburb of Aksu, Xinjiang, is a model of large-area artificial afforestation in an environment of drought and water scarcity. As an important part of the “3-North Shelter Forest Program”, it plays an important role in promoting the economic development and the environmentally friendly construction of Aksu and even of the whole Xinjiang region. Based on multisource remote-sensing data and meteorological observation data, this study explored the temporal and spatial changes in the vegetation parameters (FVC, NPP, and VEQI) and the ecological parameters (RSEI and LULC) in the Kökyar Project Area from 2000 to 2021. Based on the Theil–Sen median and TSS-RESTREND, this study investigated the path of mutual influence among the FVC, NPP, VEQI, and RSEI, as well as their responses to climate change and human activities. The results show that: (1) from 2000 to 2021, the FVC, NPP, VEQI, and RSEI in the Kökyar Project Area showed a significant upward trend and showed the distribution characteristics of “high in the south and low in the north”. (2) Over the past 22 years, the RSEI has shown a significant increase with the FVC, NPP and VEQI (p < 0.001), indicating that the “Kökyar Greening Project” has achieved significant ecological benefits. (3) The changes in the vegetation parameters and RSEI in the Kökyar Project Area were dominated by human activities. (4) The Kökyar Project Area has caused great changes to the ecosystem pattern of the region, and the vegetation parameters and RSEI in the Kökyar Project Area have increased, mainly in the form of cropland and grassland expansion over the past 22 years.

Hainan Island is one of China’s most ecologically diverse areas. Human activities and climate change have recently influenced Hainan Island’s ecosystem services. Therefore, scientific methods are urgently needed to investigate the characteristics of these services’ spatial and temporal variations and their driving mechanisms for maintaining Hainan Island’s biodiversity and high-quality ecological conservation. Based on multivariate remote sensing and reanalysis data, this study analysed the spatial and temporal variations in water retention, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and oxygen release services on Hainan Island during 1980–2015 using various ecosystem service models such as INVEST, CASA and RULSE. Then, we analysed different ecosystem service drivers using a random forest model. The results indicated that (1) from 1980 to 2015, the change characteristics of different ecosystem types (arable, forest, and grassland) decreased, and the proportion of decrease was 0.98%, 0.55% and 0.36%, respectively. Built-up and water increased significantly, and the proportion of increase reached 1.46% and 0.51%, respectively. (2) Hainan Island’s functions of water retention, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and oxygen release services decreased from 23.31 billion m3, 2.89 billion t, 9.68 million t and 56.05 million t in 1980 to 23.15 billion m3, 2.79 billion t, 9.42 million t and 55.53 million t in 2015, respectively. The high value area was mainly distributed in Hainan Island’s central mountainous area, and the low value area was mainly distributed in the lower-elevation coastal area. (3) In the past 35 years, urban expansion has been the leading factor in the reduction of Hainan Island’s ecosystem service capacity. However, its central nature reserve and other forms of ecological protection have improved its ecosystem service capacity, which has alleviated the overall declining trend of its amount of ecosystem service functions. (4) The driving forces for the spatial distribution of Hainan Island’s ecosystem services were analysed using a random forest algorithm, which indicated that its spatial distribution was mainly driven by rainfall, soil moisture, actual evapotranspiration, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature. This study is expected to help planners develop effective environmental policies to accommodate the potential ecological risks associated with urban expansion during the construction of Hainan Island’s future free trade port while filling the gaps in existing studies.

Since the beginning of the new century, there has been a notable enhancement in China’s ecological environment quality (EEQ), a development occurring in tandem with climate change and the extensive ecological restoration projects (ERPs) undertaken in the country. However, comprehensive insights into the spatial and temporal characteristics of China’s EEQ, and its responses to both climate change and human activities over the past two decades, have remained largely elusive. In this study, we harnessed a combination of multi-source remote-sensing data and reanalysis data. We employed Theil–Sen median trend analysis, multivariate regression residual analysis, and the Hurst index to examine the impacts and changing patterns of climatic factors and human activities on China’s EEQ during the past two decades. Furthermore, we endeavored to forecast the future trajectory of EEQ. Our findings underscore a significant improvement in EEQ across most regions of China between 2002 and 2019, with the most pronounced enhancements observed in the Loess Plateau, Northeast China, and South China. This transformation can be attributed to the combined influence of climatic factors and human activities, which jointly accounted for alterations in EEQ across 78.25% of China’s geographical expanse. Human activities (HA) contributed 3.93% to these changes, while climatic factors (CC) contributed 17.79%. Additionally, our projections indicate that EEQ is poised to continue improving in 56.70% of China’s territory in the foreseeable future. However, the Loess Plateau, Tarim Basin, and Inner Mongolia Plateau are anticipated to experience a declining trend. Consequently, within the context of global climate change, the judicious management of human activities emerges as a critical imperative for maintaining EEQ in China. This study, bridging existing gaps in the literature, furnishes a scientific foundation for comprehending the evolving dynamics of EEQ in China and informs the optimization of management policies in this domain.

In the face of rapid urbanization and global climate change, understanding the trade-offs and synergies of wetland city ecosystem services is vital for mitigating regional ecological and environmental risks, and enhancing human well-being. The Dongting Lake Basin is an ecologically fragile area of global significance. Uncontrolled resource utilization and intensive human activities have severely damaged the ecological environment, including in Miluo. Thus, it is of paramount research importance to uncover the trade-offs and synergies of ecosystem services and their driving mechanisms in Miluo. To achieve this, we classified Miluo’s land use data over the past two decades using a random forest model and Landsat imagery. We quantified the major ecosystem services in Miluo by employing ecological process models such as InVEST, RUSLE, and CASA. Additionally, we examined the trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services at different scales and identified the driving mechanisms using multi-source remote sensing data. The results revealed that forests exhibited the highest level of ecosystem services, while urban ecosystem services experienced a significant decline. Over the past two decades, Miluo displayed notable trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services, with synergies prevailing as the dominant pattern, particularly at the county scale. Furthermore, human activities emerged as the primary driver of changes in Miluo’s ecosystem services during the 20-year period. Therefore, it is imperative for scientists, policymakers, and civil society to develop effective and scientifically sound strategies to mitigate the ecological risks resulting from rapid urbanization and climate change in the future.

The balance between smog pollution (SP) control and economic growth (EG) is currently a major problem facing China’s development. Green technology innovation (GTI) is an effective way to promote ecological civilization and realize green development. Thus, whether GTI can facilitate a win–win situation of SP control and stable EG is an important issue of academic concerns. In this paper, the mechanisms of the role of GTI, SP and EG were systematically demonstrated. The corresponding research hypotheses were proposed. Based on the data book of 278 Chinese cities from 2008 to 2020, the effects of GTI on SP and EG were systematically investigated using the econometric estimation method of dynamic spatial panel simultaneous equations. The results show that GTI can reduce SP directly, or indirectly by promoting EG. Although GTI can promote EG, EG may be inhibited due to GTI-induced SP reduction. Inter-regional SP showed significant spatial agglomeration characteristics. EG had significant spatial correlation effects. GTI in neighboring regions can also facilitate local SP control. Further analysis shows that compared with green utility model innovation (GUMI), green invention and innovation (GII) had a more significant effect on reducing SP and promoting EG. In addition, the analysis of the comprehensive effect of GTI on SP and EG shows that GTI can achieve the overall balanced development of SP prevention and EG regardless of GTI types.

The market entry of rural collective operating construction land (MERCOCL) is an important way for the Chinese government to promote the marketization of rural land. However, the impact of China’s Rural Land Marketization on the ecological environment quality (EEQ) remains to be understood. Understanding these mechanisms is necessary for regional sustainable development and rational resource allocation. Therefore, a universal assessment model of China’s regional EEQ was built based on the Landsat 5/8 and the national ecological index (EI) provided by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment at the national district and county scale. A total of 229 counties (32 pilot counties and other counties in the pilot cities) in China from 2011 to 2018 were taken as the research object. This paper empirically studied the evolution process, driving mechanism and spatial heterogeneity of EEQ from the perspective of MERCOCL. The study shows that China’s EEQ presented a spatial distribution pattern of “high in the south, low in the north, high in the east and low in the west”. When a county implemented the MERCOCL policy, its EEQ index increased by 0.342, with the improvement effect occurring in the second year after the MERCOCL implementation. Regarding the mechanism, MERCOCL mainly improved the EEQ by promoting industrial structure optimization and increasing urban population aggregation. From the perspective of spatial heterogeneity, the improvement effect of MERCOCL on EEQ was more significant in regions with lower economic development levels and latitudes (southern China). This study will facilitate an understanding of the impact of China’s rural land marketization on the EEQ and provide scientific data support for government departments to formulate sustainable urban development policies that meet local conditions.