A watershed ecosystem is a compound ecosystem composed of land and rivers, and its health is closely related to the sustainable development of the region it is located in. The Yihe River Basin (YRB) in central China’s Henan province, which is located in the north–south transition zone and has a mountain–hill–plain landscape from the upstream to the downstream, is adopted as the research area in this study. A watershed ecosystem health assessment system is constructed based on an ecosystem vigor–organization–resilience–service supply and demand harmony (EVORSH) framework and utilized to assess the ecosystem health in the YRB by taking a 3 km × 3 km grid as the evaluation unit. Thirteen factors are selected from natural and human social factors, and from them, the factors that influence watershed ecosystem health through the generation of spatial heterogeneity are identified using the geographical detector model. The following findings are obtained. (1) The mean value of ecosystem health levels in the YRB is 0.65 and at the good level. The ecosystem health has considerable spatial heterogeneity. The areas with high–high concentration are distributed in the mountains in the upper reaches of the YRB, and the areas with low–low concentration are mainly distributed in the plain areas in the middle reaches of the YRB. (2) The geographical detector result shows that 9 of 13 factors have a considerable impact on the spatial distribution of the YRB’s ecosystem health. The interaction between two factors is enhanced synergically. The decisive power of population density, rainfall, and potential evapotranspiration are more than 0.5, so these three are the main factors that influence the distribution of ecosystem health in the YRB. (3) The EVORSH framework is suitable for the measurement of ecosystem health in the YRB. The evaluation result is consistent with the actual situation in the YRB. A 3 km × 3 km grid is used as the basic research unit, and it can more accurately and scientifically express the spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem health in the YRB compared with the macro evaluation unit. This study can provide a scientific basis for ecological protection and high-quality development planning in the YRB. By integrating multi-dimensional data and methods, the EVORSH framework proposed in this study can quickly and scientifically assess the status of ecosystem health, identify the influencing factors of spatial heterogeneity, and could be applied in other similar watersheds.

Mixed forests often increase their stability and species richness in comparison to pure stands. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of mixed forests on soil properties, bacterial community diversity, and soil nitrogen cycling remains elusive. This study investigated soil samples from pure Robinia pseudoacacia stands, pure Quercus variabilis stands, and mixed stands of both species in the southern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. Utilizing high-throughput sequencing and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, this study analyzed the bacterial community structure and the abundance of nitrogen-cycling functional genes within soils from different stands. The results demonstrated that Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacterial groups across all three forest soil types. The mixed-forest soil exhibited a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, while Nitrospirae and Crenarchaeota were most abundant in the pure R. pseudoacacia stand soils. Employing FAPROTAX for predictive bacterial function analysis in various soil layers, this study found that nitrogen-cycling processes such as nitrification and denitrification were most prominent in pure R. pseudoacacia soils. Whether in surface or deeper soil layers, the abundance of AOB amoA, nirS, and nirK genes was typically highest in pure R. pseudoacacia stand soils. In conclusion, the mixed forest of R. pseudoacacia and Q. variabilis can moderate the intensity of nitrification and denitrification processes, consequently reducing soil nitrogen loss.

The equitable distribution of basic educational services is crucial for attaining educational fairness and promoting balanced demographic and economic growth. This research leverages point-of-interest (POI) data to analyze the spatial arrangement of basic educational service facilities in the Yellow River Basin of China. Employing kernel density analysis and spatial autocorrelation with a geographic information system tool, this study examines the spatial distribution of these facilities. It also applies geographically weighted regression to identify the primary factors influencing their spatial layout. This study reveals a pronounced disparity between the four downstream and five upstream provinces of the Yellow River Basin in terms of basic educational facility availability. In the downstream provinces, facilities constitute 82.45% of the total, markedly surpassing the level of 17.55% in the upstream provinces. The kernel density analysis shows that areas with a high concentration of educational facilities often align with provincial capitals, including Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, Zhengzhou in Henan Province, and regions around Shandong Province. Significant regional differences exist within the Yellow River Basin. Preprimary, primary, and secondary education facilities exhibit strong spatial clustering, with Moran’s I indices of 0.26, 0.19, and 0.09, respectively. High–high clusters of preprimary education are predominantly found in the western region of the basin, whereas low–low clusters appear in some eastern and northern areas. Primary and secondary educational facilities show high–high clustering in the north. The spatial distribution of these educational facilities is chiefly influenced by the permanent population and the proportion of the tertiary industry. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and educational fiscal expenditure play secondary roles in influencing the spatial layout. The results have important practical significance for promoting the equalization of basic education public services and equal educational opportunities for the school-age population in the Yellow River Basin.

Research on ecosystem carbon sequestration services and ecological compensation is crucial for advancing carbon neutrality. As a public good, ecosystem carbon sequestration services inherently lead to externalities. Therefore, it is essential to consider externalities in the flow of sequestration services. However, few studies have examined intra- and inter-regional ecosystem carbon sequestration flows, making regional ecosystem carbon sequestration flows less comprehensive. Against this background, the research objectives of this paper are as follows. The flow of carbon sequestration services between Henan Province and out-of-province regions is studied. In addition, this study clarifies the beneficiary and supply areas of carbon sink services in Henan Province and the neighboring regions at the prefecture-level city scale to obtain a more systematic, comprehensive, and actual flow of carbon sequestration services for scientific and effective eco-compensation and to promote regional synergistic emission reductions. The research methodologies used in this paper are as follows. First, this study adopts a meta-coupling framework, designating Henan Province as the focal system, the Central Urban Agglomeration as the adjacent system, and eight surrounding provinces as remote systems. Regional carbon sequestration was assessed using net primary productivity (NEP), while carbon emissions were evaluated based on per capita carbon emissions and population density. A carbon balance analysis integrated carbon sequestration and emissions. Hotspot analysis identified areas of carbon sequestration service supply and associated benefits. Ecological radiation force formulas were used to quantify service flows, and compensation values were estimated considering the government’s payment capacity and willingness. A three-dimensional evaluation system—incorporating technology, talent, and fiscal capacity—was developed to propose a diversified ecological compensation scheme by comparing supply and beneficiary areas. By modeling the ecosystem carbon sequestration service flow, the main results of this paper are as follows: (1) Within Henan Province, Luoyang and Nanyang provided 521,300 tons and 515,600 tons of carbon sinks to eight cities (e.g., Jiaozuo, Zhengzhou, and Kaifeng), warranting an ecological compensation of CNY 262.817 million and CNY 263.259 million, respectively. (2) Henan exported 3.0739 million tons of carbon sinks to external provinces, corresponding to a compensation value of CNY 1756.079 million. Conversely, regions such as Changzhi, Xiangyang, and Jinzhong contributed 657,200 tons of carbon sinks to Henan, requiring a compensation of CNY 189.921 million. (3) Henan thus achieved a net ecological compensation of CNY 1566.158 million through carbon sink flows. (4) In addition to monetary compensation, beneficiary areas may also contribute through technology transfer, financial investment, and talent support. The findings support the following conclusions: (1) it is necessary to consider the externalities of ecosystem services, and (2) the meta-coupling framework enables a comprehensive assessment of carbon sequestration service flows, providing actionable insights for improving ecosystem governance in Henan Province and comparable regions.

Clarifying the issues related to the supply, demand, and flow of ecosystem services is crucial for regional landscape management. This study employs the equivalence factor method and demand index quantification to analyze the supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Zheng-Bian-Luo region in 2000 and 2020. We used hotspot analysis tools and the minimum cumulative resistance model to establish the ecological corridors, identifying the spatial flow paths of ecosystem services in our site. By calculating the flow volume of the key corridor value through the breakpoint formula and field strength theory and combining this with the ratio of the regulating service value, we computed the ecological compensation amount, thereby realizing the value of the ecosystem service. The results indicate that the area of balance between ecosystem service supply and demand gradually decreased and the deficit area in the Zheng-Bian-Luo region increased 43.62% from 2000 to 2020 along with rapid urbanization. The total value flow of ecosystem services by the important ecological corridors in 2000 and 2020 was USD 242.40 million and USD 365.92 million, respectively. In 2020, it was predicted that Luanchuan County would receive ecological compensation totals of USD 237.76 million from each ecological demand area, and mainly from Jinshui District. Our findings support enhancing the quality of the ecological environment and optimizing the landscape management of the Yellow River’s Henan section.