Ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution of China has become a global concern and has great impact on air quality and human health. This paper adopts the PM2.5 concentration data obtained from 241 newly located observation points in the Bohai Rim Urban Agglomeration (BRUA), as well as economic, urban and industrial working population data in the study area, revealing the spatio-temporal distribution of PM2.5 and its determinants with the help of a spatial data model. The results indicate that: 1) The BRUA was the core area of PM2.5 pollution in China in 2014, the average PM2.5 concentration of which reached 74 μg/m(3), which is 13 μg/m(3) higher than the country average (61 μg/m(3)); 2) The PM2.5 concentration distribution had a characteristic of high in winter and autumn but low in spring and summer, presenting a U-shaped monthly profile and a U-impulse type daily profile; 3) The urban PM2.5 concentrations showed obvious spatial variation and agglomeration. The highest hot-spot was observed in spring, while the lowest was in summer. High concentration cities were mainly located in southern Hebei and western Shandong, and low concentration cities were in the coastal area around the Bohai Sea and the mountainous areas in northern Hebei. High hot-spot areas demonstrated an M-shaped change, with two cycles of advance and retreat from west to east. 4) The Geographically weighted regression (GWR) model shows that the GDP per capita, urbanization rate and construction of the cities were closely related to PM2.5 concentrations in the BRUA.

Protected areas are the cornerstones of conservation efforts to mitigate the anthropogenic pressures driving biodiversity loss. Nations aim to protect 30% of Earth’s land and water by 2030, yet the effectiveness of protected areas remains unclear. Here we analyze the performance of over 160,000 protected areas in resisting habitat loss at different spatial and temporal scales, using high-resolution data. We find that 1.14 million km² of habitat, equivalent to three times the size of Japan, across 73% of protected areas, had been altered between 2003 and 2019. These protected areas experienced habitat loss due to the expansion of built-up land, cropland, pastureland, or deforestation. Larger and stricter protected areas generally had lower rates of habitat loss. While most protected areas effectively halted the expansion of built-up areas, they were less successful in preventing deforestation and agricultural conversion. Protected areas were 33% more effective in reducing habitat loss compared to unprotected areas, though their ability to mitigate nearby human pressures was limited and varied spatially. Our findings indicate that, beyond establishing new protected areas, there is an urgent need to enhance the effectiveness of existing ones to better prevent habitat loss and achieve the post-2020 global biodiversity goals.

Haze pollution has become a severe environmental problem in the daily life of the people in China. PM_2.5 makes a significant contribution to poor air quality. The spatio-temporal features of China’s PM_2.5 concentrations should be investigated. This paper, based on observed data from 945 newly located monitoring sites in 2014 and industrial working population data obtained from International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), reveals the spatio-temporal variations of PM_2.5 concentrations in China and the correlations among different industries. We tested the spatial autocorrelation of PM_2.5 concentrations in the cities of China with the spatial autocorrelation model. A correlation coefficient to examine the correlativity of PM_2.5 concentrations and 23 characteristic variables for 190 cities in China in 2014, from which the most important ones were chosen, and then a regression model was built to further reveal the social and economic factors affecting PM_2.5 concentrations. Results: (1) The Hu Huanyong Line and the Yangtze River were the E-W divide and S-N divide between high and low values of China. (2) The PM_2.5 concentrations shows great seasonal variation, which is high in autumn and winter but low in spring and summer. The monthly average shows a U-shaped pattern, and daily average presents a periodic and impulse-shaped change. (3) PM_2.5 concentrations had a distinct characteristic of spatial agglomeration. The North China Plain was the predominant region of agglomeration, and the southeastern coastal area had stable good air quality.