Metaheuristic algorithms are widely used in engineering problems due to their high efficiency and simplicity. However, engineering challenges often involve multiple control variables, which present significant obstacles for metaheuristic algorithms. The Crested Porcupine Optimizer (CPO) is a metaheuristic algorithm designed to address engineering problems, but it faces issues such as falling into a local optimum. To address these limitations, this article proposes three new strategies: composite Cauchy mutation strategy, adaptive dynamic adjustment strategy, and population mutation strategy. The three proposed strategies are then introduced into CPO to enhance its optimization capabilities. On three well-known test suites, the improved CPO (CAPCPO) outperforms 11 metaheuristic algorithms. Finally, comparative experiments on seven real-world engineering optimization problems demonstrate the advantages and potential of CAPCPO in solving complex problems. The multifaceted experimental results indicate that CAPCPO consistently achieves superior solutions in most cases.

Cultivated land horizontal ecological compensation is an essential means of reconciling agricultural ecosystem protection and regional economic development. It is important to design a horizontal ecological compensation standard for cultivated land. Unfortunately, there are some defects in the existing quantitative assessments of horizontal cultivated land ecological compensation. In order to raise the accuracy of ecological compensation amounts, this study established an improved ecological footprint model based on the ecosystem service function, focused on estimating the value of ecosystem service function, ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity, ecological balance index and ecological compensation values of cultivated land in all cities of Jiangxi province. It then analyzed the rationality of ecological compensation amounts in Jiangxi province, which is one of the 13 provinces of major grain-producing areas in China. The results show the following: (1) The total value of soil conservation service function, carbon sequestration and oxygen release service function and ecosystem service function in Jiangxi province showed a spatial distribution trend of “gradually increasing around Poyang Lake Basin”. (2) The cultivated land ecological deficit areas in Jiangxi province are Nanchang City, Jiujiang City and Pingxiang City; ecological surplus areas are Yichun City, Ji’an City and eight other cities; and there is an obvious “Spatial Agglomeration” phenomenon in ecological deficit and ecological surplus areas where ecological deficit areas are mainly concentrated in the northwest region of Jiangxi. (3) The amount needed to attain fair ecological compensation for cultivated land is 5.2 times the payment amount for cultivated land; this indicated there is larger arable land, a favorable condition for agricultural cultivation, and better supply capacity of ecosystem services in most of the cities of Jiangxi. (4) The compensation amount for cultivated land ecological surplus areas in Jiangxi province is generally higher than the cost of ecological protection, and its proportion in GDP, fiscal revenue and agriculture-related expenditure is significantly higher than that in ecological deficit areas; this indicated that the compensation value of cultivated land could play the driving role in the protective behavior for cultivated land. The results provide a theoretical and methodological reference for the construction of horizontal ecological compensation standards for cultivated land.

Land ecological security (LES) and high-quality economic development (HED) are mutually influential. China has three world-class urban agglomerations; the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region is one of them. It is an important platform for participating in international competition and cooperation. To promote regional sustainable development, it is critical to study the coupling coordination and interaction mechanism of LES–HED subsystems over time and space in the BTH region. This study involved the construction of an aggregated index system to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the subsystems, and then investigated the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of the LES–HED subsystems from 2007 to 2018 using a CCD model. Additionally, a panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model was applied to analyze the interactive mechanism of the LES–HED subsystems. Finally, a model of the degree of relative development was used to classify the types of regional development. The results showed that the CCD of the LES–HED subsystems in the BTH region had significant spatial and temporal differences. The spatial distribution could be characterized as low in the central area and high in the peripheral area, and the evolutionary law of CCD in the system was from lower to higher levels over time. In addition, improvements in LES promoted HED, but the impact of HED on LES was limited. The development patterns within the cities of the study area included three development types, including an slightly lagging type of LES, a slightly lagging type of HED, and a significantly lagging type of HED. Given the spatial variability of the coupled and coordinated development of LES–HED subsystems, it is necessary to implement different development strategies. This study can inform decisions promoting the coordinated development of LES–HED subsystems for sustainable regional development.