Research on the perception and evaluation degree that the rural natural landscape plays an important role in improving rural sustainable development and construction. However, the views of young people, who play a key role in social development, on the natural landscape of the countryside have been neglected. Based on the perspective of the rural natural landscape in China, this study combines the field research of Ma Ying, San Shi Gang, and Shen Fu villages around Hefei, Anhui Province, and constructs a perception and experience evaluation index and questionnaire of the rural natural landscape from four dimensions of rural landscape ecology, water environment, climate, and sound. Through the online questionnaire, 316 questionnaires were distributed to young people aged 18 to 35 years old, and 283 valid questionnaires were recovered with an effective recovery rate of 89.56%. The Cronbach coefficient was 0.954, and the KMO value was 0.968. The reliability and validity were good. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with the entropy method was used to calculate the weight of each index and analyze the influencing factors of young people’s perception evaluation of the rural landscape. Firstly, young people have a good perception of rural climate conditions, but the planning and layout of rural landscape ecology need to be improved. Secondly, sound comfort, air cleanliness, and landscape adaptation in a rural environment are the key factors that affect young people’s perception and experience of rural areas. Thirdly, improving the adaptability of the rural natural landscape to the local environment and the richness of vegetation is conducive to improving young people’s favorable understanding of the rural environment.

The evaluation of land ecological security (LES) evaluates how human activity and land use affect land ecosystems. Its ultimate objective is to provide guidance and assistance for decision making in order to preserve and restore the efficacy and health of terrestrial ecosystems. The assessment model presented in this article is comprehensive and integrates the advantages of both subjective and objective weighting techniques. This study extends the “Pressure–State–Response” (PSR) model to “Driver–Pressure–State-Impact–Response” (DPSIR) and combines it with TOPSISI to determine the weights of each contributing component. Furthermore, the geographical and temporal distribution patterns of regional land ecological security levels were investigated using GIS geostatistical approaches. According to this study, (1) the Yangtze River Delta region’s LES index, with a mean value in the fairly safe range, is generally safe. The year 2019 marks an inflection point for the index, with the highest level of ecological safety on land. The primary element is the modification of environmental policies that are enacted by the government. (2) The LES status is divided into two stages during the course of this study. The Yangtze River Delta region’s LES quickly develops throughout the first stage (2012–2019), which sees a shift in the safety rating from IV to II. The second stage (2019–2023) sees a progressive improvement in the LES index and a shift in the safety category from Class II to Class I. (3) Important variables influencing the geographical distribution of LES in the Yangtze River Delta region include barrier elements, including soil and water erosion areas, flood disaster areas, grain planting areas, urban green covering areas, and effective irrigation areas of farmland.

To study the health attributes of urban green spaces in the Yangtze River Delta. This study analyses the mechanisms at play between ecological preferences, place attachment and place identity in urban green spaces in the Yangtze River Delta based on SEM. AHP and entropy-weighted and TOPSIS were used to analyse the influence relationships and spatial differentiation structure of the health benefits of green spaces in the study area. The study shows that, firstly, environmental preferences have a significant positive impact on place attachment, place identity and health benefit evaluation. Place attachment mediates the positive influence of environmental preferences on health outcomes. Second, the focus should be on improving the activity spaces and services in urban green spaces. Attention should also be paid to increasing the density of interactive spaces and the richness of interactive space types. Third, the health indices in the Yangtze River Delta region are roughly proportional to the urbanization rate and the degree of urban development. Emphasis should be placed on the development of urban green spaces in Anhui, strengthening exchanges between cities in the Yangtze River Delta, and standardizing and improving the construction of green belts.

For an in-depth analysis of the ecosystems of the Jianghuai Valley, this study utilized municipal data from 2017 to 2021. In addition, this study established an index scale evaluation system for the quality of the ecological environment in the Jianghuai Valley. This system encompasses five critical dimensions: drivers, pressures, states, impacts, and responses, in accordance with the DPSIR model. The entropy-weighted TOPSIS method combined with the gray correlation method was used to assess the ecological status of each region of the Jianghuai Valley at different time periods and the driving factors affecting the ecological quality of the Jianghuai Valley. Our study yields several key conclusions. First, it was observed that the ecological environment within the Jianghuai Valley showed a continuous upward bias in inter-annual variability. Second, there exists variation in ecological environment quality among the eleven urban areas within the Jianghuai Valley, highlighting regional disparities. Third, among the eleven urban areas in the Jianghuai Valley, Anqing has the best ecological quality, and Huainan has the worst ecological performance. Fourth, the ecological environment quality within the Jianghuai Valley demonstrates an aggregated pattern. From west to east, this pattern is delineated by distinct areas: one marked by excellent ecological environment quality, another exhibiting average ecological environment quality, followed by a zone characterized by good ecological environment quality, and finally, an area with poor ecological environment. Fifth, our analysis reveals that Q9 (indicating the percentage of excellent air days) and Q13 (denoting the annual average temperature) have a pronounced correlation with the Jianghuai Valley’s ecological quality. Conversely, Q3, which pertains to the rate of natural population growth, had the lowest relevance to the ecological quality of the Jianghuai Valley.

To improve the unbalanced development in the western region, it is necessary to explore the construction level of the human settlement. Regarding social well-being, this paper uses data spanning the period from 2015 to 2020 and develops a system of indicators to assess human settlements in western China along five dimensions: Health and Safety, Social Development, Economic Conditions, Environmental Health, and Working Conditions. The study concludes that, firstly, Yunnan possesses the highest human settlement quality index with a relative proximity of 0.478, while Qinghai has the lowest, with a human settlement quality index of 0.209. Secondly, concerning temporal dimensions, the spatial distribution pattern of human settlement quality in western China generally exhibits a southeast high and northwest low pattern. In addition, coordinated, stable, and sustainable development is crucial to maintaining the advantage of human settlement quality. Thirdly, there is not necessarily a positive correlation between economic development and human settlement quality. Therefore, in terms of distribution types, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia belong to the “high human settlement quality-high economic level” type, whereas Shaanxi, Chongqing, Xinjiang, and Ningxia belong to the “low human settlement quality-high economic level” type. Yunnan, Gansu, and Guangxi are in the “high human settlement quality-low economic level” category, while Guizhou, Tibet, and Qinghai belong to the “low human settlement quality-low economic level” category.

This study scrutinized the Xin’an River Basin from 2017 to 2022, employing refined methodologies such as updated ecosystem service value tables, welfare assessment systems encompassing material, health, and public well-being metrics, human-environment coupling models, and advanced remote sensing technologies for land use patterns and satellite data analysis. Key findings revealed that: (1) The valuation of ecosystem services exhibited periods of equilibrium followed by slight declines, with a spatial distribution pattern described as ‘rising at the periphery, diminishing at the core’, culminating in a modest overall depreciation. (2) Human settlement welfare demonstrated a distinct geographical trend of ‘enhancement in the southeast, reduction in the northwest’, highlighting exceptional welfare in Jiande City, Shexian, and Chun’an County. (3) Over the observation period, the dynamic interplay between ecosystem services and human settlement welfare fluctuated, reaching its zenith in 2018 and its nadir in 2020. This interaction displayed a spatial gradient of ‘excellent in the southeast, subpar in the central regions, and favorable in the northwest’, indicating an overall moderate level of integration. The results underscore a mutual adjustment and a clear convergence towards minimal functional discord between the two systems.