This study assessed the contributions of urban green spaces on mental health with joint consideration of people’s physiological and psychological responses. The psychological and physiological responses of participants aged between 22 and 28, who visited green spaces in a low-density area of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, were measured using Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS) methods and biometric wearable sensing devices, respectively. Results showed that exposure to green space led to significant changes in PRS, electrodermal activity (EDA), facial electromyography (EMG), respiration sensor (RESP), and photoplethysmography (PPG), while there is no significant impact on skin temperature (SKT). Additionally, psychological and physiological responses were highly consistent and correlated (R < 0.8). The results also indicated that green spaces with high plant species richness, a water landscape, bumpy ground, cultural landscape, and without roadways presented a high performance on stress recovery and attention restoration. At the same time, the influence of openness was negligible in the low-density area. The study provides planners and landscape designers with specific guidance for implementing urban green spaces to improve mental health in low-density residential areas.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the connection between the soundscape of a forest park, restorative perception, and health benefits. In order to assess sound source perception, soundscape perception, restorative perception, and health benefits, 10 forest park environments in Fuzhou National Forest Park were chosen for sound walks. Correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and mediating effects were used to analyze the relationships between the variables. The results showed that (1) the majority of natural sounds, like birdsong, had a positive correlation with soundscape perception with respect to being perceived as pleasant, harmonious, varied, and fluctuating; however, human-related and traffic noises had a negative correlation with perceptions of being pleasant and harmonious, and a positive correlation with perceptions of roughness. (2) The sound of running water and wind-blown leaves had strong favorable connections with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral restorative perceptions. The sound of birdsong was strongly correlated with restorative perceptions regarding emotional dimensions. The sound of wind held substantial favorable associations with emotional and cognitive restorative perceptions. Natural sounds, except for the sound of cicada chirping, had positive correlations with health benefits. The associations between human-related and mechanical sounds and restorative perception and health benefits were not statistically significant. (3) Soundscape pleasantness had a significant positive effect on restorative perceptions, and restorative perceptions had a significant positive effect on health benefits. The effect of soundscape pleasantness on health benefits was fully communicated through restorative perceptions. The annoyingness of a soundscape had no effect on restorative perception or health benefits. In the future, forest recreation activities based on soundscape perception could be carried out through the considered use of natural soundscape resources to promote health benefits.

China's Green Space System Planning (GSSP) research has gradually expanded from central urban areas to municipal and provincial scales in recent years. Besides, the research on the role of green space in the water environment has also attracted much attention. However, the study of green corridors usually ignored hydrological data, which widespread absence especially in the large area scale. And the scale of green corridor construction mainly focused on central urban areas. This paper took China's Fujian province as an example. Based on the DEM elevation data, the article identified blue corridors without hydrological data. In addition, the green corridors were determined based on the land use data. According to the green corridors and blue corridors protection, we identified the ecological networks and nodes by the network analysis method. The results showed that the blue corridors identified by DEM data were consistent with the hydrological status quo. The regional status of the identified ecological networks and nodes were basically in line with their characteristics, proving the value of the planning methods. Finally, based on the identification results, suggestions for Fujian's ecological networks and nodes are put forward.

Land use changes have significantly altered the natural environment in which humans live. In urban areas, diminishing air quality poses a large threat to human health. In order to investigate the relationship between land use/cover change (LUCC) and air pollutants of Wuyishan City between 2014–2017, an integrated approach was used by combining remote sensing techniques with a landscape ecology methods. Annual, seasonal, and weekly mean values of air pollutant (SO₂, NO₂, CO, PM₁₀, O₃, PM_2.5, black carbon) concentration and atmospheric visibility were calculated to develop a Pearson correlation between LUCC and air pollutants concentration. Results showed an increase in forested areas (1.79%) and water areas (15.89%), with a simultaneous reduction in cultivated land (6.47%), bare land (72.61%), and built-up land (16.03%) from 2014 to 2017. The transition matrix of land use types revealed that (i) forest expansion took place mainly at the expense of cultivated land (13.94%) and bare land (27.48%); and (ii) water area expansion took place mainly at the expense of cultivated land (1.29%) and forests (0.21%). In 2017, the proportion of days with AQI level I (94.52%) was higher than that in 2014 (88.77%). Additionally, the annual average visibility in 2017 (37.42 km) was higher than 2014 (27.46 km). The concentration of SO₂, CO, O₃, and black carbon was positively correlated with the cultivated land. The concentration of SO₂, CO, and black carbon negatively correlated with the increase of forests. PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 is negatively correlated with the water area. Visibility was found to be positively correlated with forested area, and negatively correlated with cultivated land. The findings from this study represent a valuable gain in understanding of policies aimed at improving, safeguarding, and monitoring air quality. These results can be used to inform land-use planning decisions in a comprehensive way and could be a valuable tool for LUCC rational management strategies.

The concept of National Forest Park (NFP) is mainly used in mainland China. Originating in 1982, NFP embodies a “top-down” concept and associated program launched by the Chinese government. It is aimed at promoting forest-based tourism and economic development under the premise of protecting forest resources. After 30 years of development, NFPs have made great achievements in protecting specific forest resources, promoting forest-based tourists, promoting regional economic development, and they have gained popularity worldwide. However, due to the fast pace of NFP expansion, lack of predictable planning and innovative thinking, and ineffective governance, some problems like overexploitation, scenic pollution, monotonous development patterns, and ecological degradation associated with NFP constrain its sustainable development. In order to solve these problems effectively, a holistic review of the status of NFPs in China is needed. To help meet this need, the origin, evolution, and current status of NFPs in China were analyzed. The presented research also included retrospective analyses of challenges and opportunities for NFPs sustainable development in China. Results show that from 1982 to 2015, the number of NFPs grew dramatically, and this development occurred in four phases. In addition, NFP development has been unbalanced in regional distribution. When analyzing the evolution of NFPs, the main issues to date have included failure to implement Master Plans in practice, unclear supervisory responsibilities, ambiguous classification, unbalanced distribution, destruction of natural resource and ecosystems, insufficient cultural protection, weak awareness of nature education, lack of resource statistics, monotonous planning, and weak marketing. Study findings can contribute to promoting the sustainable future development of NFPs and support the forest-based tourism industry.