Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality
IntroductionThe National Key Ecological Functional Areas (NKEFAs) are location-oriented ecological engineering of China, which rely on the main functional area planning. The co-benefits of ecological product supply and ecological environment improvement of NKEFAs has not been fully assessed in the l...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-01-01
|
Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1093135/full |
_version_ | 1828062601628614656 |
---|---|
author | Hanyu Chen Hanyu Chen Mengyang Hou Mengyang Hou Zenglei Xi Zenglei Xi Xiao Zhang Xiao Zhang Shunbo Yao Shunbo Yao |
author_facet | Hanyu Chen Hanyu Chen Mengyang Hou Mengyang Hou Zenglei Xi Zenglei Xi Xiao Zhang Xiao Zhang Shunbo Yao Shunbo Yao |
author_sort | Hanyu Chen |
collection | DOAJ |
description | IntroductionThe National Key Ecological Functional Areas (NKEFAs) are location-oriented ecological engineering of China, which rely on the main functional area planning. The co-benefits of ecological product supply and ecological environment improvement of NKEFAs has not been fully assessed in the literature.MethodsNKEFAs is considered a quasi-natural experiment, and the time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) model is used to assess the impact of NKEFAs on carbon sequestration (CS) and environmental quality (EQ) based on the panel data of 330 cities in China from 2001 to 2019. Then, we explore whether the co-benefits of ecological product supply and eco-environment protection can be achieved.Results and discussionNKEFAs can enhance CS and EQ and thus achieve co-benefits for both. NKEFAs can achieve the co-benefits of CS and EQ through territory spatial allocation and labor force aggregation, but industrial structure upgrading only positively mediates the impact of NKEFAs on CS. The co-benefits of CS and EQ are heterogeneous across functional area types, geospatial locations, and quantiles, while only CS at windbreak-sand fixation area, northwestern region, and low quantile regions is enhanced. This study makes a theoretical and methodological contribution to the existing literature on the policy effect assessment of ecological engineering. It also provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the ecological effects of relevant policies in other countries by integrating the co-benefits of ecological products and eco-environment, analyzing regional heterogeneity, and exploring the underlying mechanisms. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:31:19Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-f7f04dbb70c04519aff418f0a1240250 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2296-701X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:31:19Z |
publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | Article |
series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
spelling | doaj.art-f7f04dbb70c04519aff418f0a12402502023-01-17T05:56:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-01-011110.3389/fevo.2023.10931351093135Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental qualityHanyu Chen0Hanyu Chen1Mengyang Hou2Mengyang Hou3Zenglei Xi4Zenglei Xi5Xiao Zhang6Xiao Zhang7Shunbo Yao8Shunbo Yao9School of Economics, Hebei University, Baoding, ChinaResearch Center of Resources Utilization and Environmental Conservation, Hebei University, Baoding, ChinaSchool of Economics, Hebei University, Baoding, ChinaResearch Center of Resources Utilization and Environmental Conservation, Hebei University, Baoding, ChinaSchool of Economics, Hebei University, Baoding, ChinaResearch Center of Resources Utilization and Environmental Conservation, Hebei University, Baoding, ChinaCollege of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaCenter for Resource Economics and Environment Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaCollege of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaCenter for Resource Economics and Environment Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaIntroductionThe National Key Ecological Functional Areas (NKEFAs) are location-oriented ecological engineering of China, which rely on the main functional area planning. The co-benefits of ecological product supply and ecological environment improvement of NKEFAs has not been fully assessed in the literature.MethodsNKEFAs is considered a quasi-natural experiment, and the time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) model is used to assess the impact of NKEFAs on carbon sequestration (CS) and environmental quality (EQ) based on the panel data of 330 cities in China from 2001 to 2019. Then, we explore whether the co-benefits of ecological product supply and eco-environment protection can be achieved.Results and discussionNKEFAs can enhance CS and EQ and thus achieve co-benefits for both. NKEFAs can achieve the co-benefits of CS and EQ through territory spatial allocation and labor force aggregation, but industrial structure upgrading only positively mediates the impact of NKEFAs on CS. The co-benefits of CS and EQ are heterogeneous across functional area types, geospatial locations, and quantiles, while only CS at windbreak-sand fixation area, northwestern region, and low quantile regions is enhanced. This study makes a theoretical and methodological contribution to the existing literature on the policy effect assessment of ecological engineering. It also provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the ecological effects of relevant policies in other countries by integrating the co-benefits of ecological products and eco-environment, analyzing regional heterogeneity, and exploring the underlying mechanisms.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1093135/fullNational Key Ecological Function Areascarbon sequestrationenvironmental qualityco-benefitstime-varying difference-in-differencesChina |
spellingShingle | Hanyu Chen Hanyu Chen Mengyang Hou Mengyang Hou Zenglei Xi Zenglei Xi Xiao Zhang Xiao Zhang Shunbo Yao Shunbo Yao Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution National Key Ecological Function Areas carbon sequestration environmental quality co-benefits time-varying difference-in-differences China |
title | Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality |
title_full | Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality |
title_fullStr | Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality |
title_full_unstemmed | Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality |
title_short | Co-benefits of the National Key Ecological Function Areas in China for carbon sequestration and environmental quality |
title_sort | co benefits of the national key ecological function areas in china for carbon sequestration and environmental quality |
topic | National Key Ecological Function Areas carbon sequestration environmental quality co-benefits time-varying difference-in-differences China |
url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1093135/full |
work_keys_str_mv | AT hanyuchen cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT hanyuchen cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT mengyanghou cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT mengyanghou cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT zengleixi cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT zengleixi cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT xiaozhang cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT xiaozhang cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT shunboyao cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality AT shunboyao cobenefitsofthenationalkeyecologicalfunctionareasinchinaforcarbonsequestrationandenvironmentalquality |