Multi-scenario simulation and prediction of land use can provide guidance for the optimization of land use patterns. Combining the GMOP model with the PLUS model can better evaluate the influence of different land use strategies on the comprehensive benefits of land use and improve the scientificity of the simulation results. This study takes Haikou City as the research area. As the political, economic, and cultural center of Hainan Province, it is the highest urbanization area in Hainan Province and also the vane of the urban development of Hainan Province. Its development experience and model play an important leading role in the surrounding cities. The land use data of 2010, 2015, and 2020 were selected, and the spatiotemporal pattern of land use under the 2035 Business As Usual scenario (BAU), Economic Development scenario (ED), and Economic and Ecological Balanced Development scenario (EEB) was simulated based on the GMOP-PLUS model. The results show that: (1) The prediction results generally show the trend of the decrease in cultivated land and forest land and the increase in construction land, among which the expansion capacity of construction land is the strongest, and the forest land is more occupied, but the increase and decrease in land use types are different under different scenarios. (2) The three simulation scenarios all show the trend of economic benefit improvement and ecological benefit decline, which indicates that the primary objective of Haikou City’s future development remains focused on economic construction, with the potential compromise of ecological functions to accommodate urban expansion. (3) The comprehensive benefits of the region in the EEB scenario are significantly higher than those in the BAU and ED scenarios. The optimized land use structure is more balanced, the scale of urban expansion is limited, and the loss of important ecological land is reduced to a minimum, which is more in line with the current concept of sustainable development. The study can serve as a reference for the coordinated development of urban planning, land use management, and ecological environment in Haikou.

Sustainable community development is a prerequisite for national parks’ coordinated ecological and socio-economic development. This study analyzes the sustainable development challenges communities face in national parks, including the marginalization of indigenous peoples, the passive role of stakeholders, and insufficient protection of community interests. Using a grounded theory approach and a mixed research method (semi-structured interviews and questionnaires), the development constraints of community residents in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in China were systematically studied. The research framework identified five core dimensions (economic, social, ecological, institutional, and cultural) and eight major categories that characterize the community’s development dilemma. The analysis revealed systemic problems, including differences in income distribution, limited access to resources, gaps in policy implementation, and ambiguous stakeholder roles. A new framework for coordinated development of national park communities was constructed through multidimensional analysis, and coordinated development strategies were proposed from the five dimensions of economy, society, ecology, institution, and culture. These findings contribute to the theoretical underpinnings of national park governance in China and offer a transferable methodological system for managing nature reserves and national parks worldwide, particularly in achieving a balance between ecological protection and community development needs.

Wetland ecosystems are critical for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration, underpinning climate regulation and sustainable development. Accurate prediction of wetland evolution is therefore essential for informed regional planning, particularly in International Wetland Cities. As one of the first designated International Wetland Cities, Haikou exemplifies the intensifying pressures faced by coastal wetlands in rapidly urbanizing regions, balancing economic development imperatives with ecological conservation. This study addresses this challenge by employing the PLUS model to simulate the spatiotemporal dynamics of wetland evolution in Haikou from 2010 to 2030 under four distinct scenarios: Business-as-Usual (BAU), Ecological Conservation (EC), Economic Development (ED), and Multi-Objective Development (MOD). The integrated approach combines landscape pattern dynamics analysis, land-use transition matrices, and quantitative assessment of driving factor contributions. Key findings reveal significant historical wetland loss between 2010 and 2020 (21.01 km²), characterized by substantial declines in artificial wetlands (paddy fields: −14.43 km²; agricultural ponds: −8.99 km²) alongside resilient growth in natural wetlands (rivers: +2.70 km²; mangroves: +1.25 km²), highlighting fundamental trade-offs between economic and ecological priorities. Scenario projections indicate that unregulated development (ED) would exacerbate wetland loss (−26.33 km²; dynamic change rate: −0.61%), including unprecedented river fragmentation (−16.0%). Conversely, strict conservation (EC) achieves near net-zero wetland loss (−0.05%) but constrains economic development capacity by 24%. Critically, the MOD scenario demonstrates an effective balance, maintaining 86% of EC’s wetland preservation efficacy while satisfying 73% of ED’s development demand. This is achieved through strategic interventions including establishing wetland protection constraints and optimizing bidirectional land conversion rules, yielding synergistic benefits. Spatial analysis identifies key conflict hotspots such as Nandu River shoreline, Dongzhai Port mangroves, necessitating targeted management strategies aligned with the heterogeneity of driving factors. This study advances the framework for sustainable wetland governance by demonstrating how multi-objective spatial planning can transform ecological-economic trade-offs into synergistic co-benefits. It provides a transferable methodological approach for coastal cities in the Global South and other International Wetland City.

Identifying the most suitable areas for developing forest health care in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (HTRNP) is of great significance to its ecological protection and development. This study selected 107 health care points in HTRNP as research objects to monitor environmental factors, a forest health care evaluation system was constructed based on those environmental factors, and the health care resource points were rated. Kernel density analysis and buffer zone analysis were used to analyze other factors such as roads, villages, and water inside and outside of the national park. Multi-factor superposition analysis of the first-level health care points with other impact factors was performed to obtain a map of the distribution of health care potential in different sub-areas of HTRNP. A total of 67 first-level health care points were selected through the forest health care evaluation system. Through superposition analysis, it was found that, among the seven sub-areas of HTRNP, there are 42 first-level health care points within the 5 km buffer zone for roads and waterways, including 11 in Diaoluo Mountain, 10 in Limu Mountain, 6 in Yingge Ridge, 5 in Jianfeng Ridge, 4 in Bawang Ridge, 4 in Maorui, and 2 in Wuzhi Mountain. There are nine first-level health care points located in the area with a village kernel density greater than 3000, including three in Diaoluo Mountain, two in Limu Mountain, two in Yingge Ridge, and two in Maorui. At the same time, to meet the above two conditions of the first level of health care points, there are six, including three in Diaoluo Mountain, two in Maorui, and one in Yingge Ridge. Through the results analysis, Diaoluo Mountain is considered to be the area with the greatest potential for developing forest health care in HTRNP. In addition, the comprehensive performance of Limu Mountain is second only to Diaoluo Mountain, and Limu Mountain, Maorui, and Yingge Ridge are listed as areas with great potential for developing forest health care.

The Limushan Area of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is a biodiversity hotspot where ecological conservation areas are closely interwoven with surrounding human land-use activities. To examine the spatial relationships between landscape configuration and land-use-derived human activity intensity (HAI) in the Limushan Area and its surrounding regions, this study combined landscape pattern metrics, the HAI proxy, a four-quadrant model, and bivariate Local Moran’s I to compare endpoint differences, assess coupling characteristics and local spatial associations, and characterize model-defined human–land relationship types. The results showed that: (1) in both 2000 and 2020, the landscape patterns in the core conservation area of Limushan and the southern high-altitude areas were characterized by low landscape fragmentation, high landscape aggregation, and relatively low HAI, corresponding to more continuous forest landscapes; (2) the northern and eastern surrounding regions generally showed relatively higher landscape fragmentation and HAI, with local differences between 2000 and 2020 concentrated around developed areas and transportation corridors; (3) metric-specific bivariate LISA results showed that relatively high HAI was spatially associated with higher patch density (PD) and landscape shape index (LSI) and lower aggregation index (AI), particularly in developed areas surrounding the Limushan Area. After direction-consistent mapping to the conceptual four-quadrant framework, coordinated relationships were the dominant model-defined type, followed by antagonistic relationships, whereas transitions toward coordination and antagonism accounted for comparatively smaller proportions. Overall, the analysis characterized the spatial distribution of model-defined human–land relationship types and their endpoint changes between 2000 and 2020, highlighting peripheral developed areas and transition zones as locations requiring greater attention in conservation and land-use management.

Against the backdrop of China’s comprehensive rural revitalization strategy and ongoing national park development, how universities can leverage scientific research innovation and talent resources to engage in sustainable development practices within local communities has become a focal point for both academia and policymakers. This study examines the “Harmonious and Beautiful Mountains and Seas” (HBMS) rural revitalization platform established by the Landscape Architecture discipline at Hainan University, summarizing its practical experience and analyzing its operational mechanisms. From the perspective of innovative governance, the study identifies three core values—“Nurturing Culture,” “Rural Brilliance,” and “Constructing Meaning”—and, on this basis, explores mechanisms for enhancing community resilience and pathways for brand-oriented operation in national park communities. The study aims to elucidate a novel model of university–rural collaborative revitalization. Research indicates that the “Mountain–Sea Synergy” model is not a singular community development solution, but rather a practical governance framework centered on multi-stakeholder collaborative governance mediated by universities. Its core value manifests across three dimensions: cultural revitalization, youth empowerment, and community-building significance. This model provides replicable endogenous development insights for national park communities operating under ecological conservation constraints, while also enriching university–rural collaborative research with practical case studies within the Chinese context.