Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China

Abstract The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, a pivotal economic hub in China, relies on water, energy, food, ecology, land, for its prosperity development. Therefore, evaluating their coupling and coordination aids the YRD’s sustainable development. This study integrated ecology and land into the...

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Main Authors: Qing Qin, Weijun He, Liang Yuan, Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu, Thomas Stephen Ramsey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:npj Clean Water
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00472-4
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author Qing Qin
Weijun He
Liang Yuan
Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu
Thomas Stephen Ramsey
author_facet Qing Qin
Weijun He
Liang Yuan
Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu
Thomas Stephen Ramsey
author_sort Qing Qin
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, a pivotal economic hub in China, relies on water, energy, food, ecology, land, for its prosperity development. Therefore, evaluating their coupling and coordination aids the YRD’s sustainable development. This study integrated ecology and land into the water-energy-food system to form a water-energy-food-ecology-land system (WEFEFS), and the entropy weight model, comprehensive evaluation index model and coupling coordination degree models were used to assess the WEFELS in the YRD (2005-2022), and identified key influencing factors through an obstacle model. The results demonstrate that the comprehensive evaluation index of WEFELS in the YRD rose slowly, with the food system contributing the most (22.15%) and the water system contributed the least (18.25%). The degree of coupling coordination (DCC) of WEFELS in the YRD improved from 0.561 to 0.653, exhibiting spatiotemporal heterogeneity, with Anhui Province leading spatially. The main obstacle factors were Per land GDP and Energy self-sufficiency rate.
format Article
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institution OA Journals
issn 2059-7037
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publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series npj Clean Water
spelling doaj-art-0cdb5a2e6b4943de917dc1bc6bc2576a2025-08-20T01:49:46ZengNature Portfolionpj Clean Water2059-70372025-05-018111210.1038/s41545-025-00472-4Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, ChinaQing Qin0Weijun He1Liang Yuan2Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu3Thomas Stephen Ramsey4The Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hubei Province (Research Center for Integrated Watershed Management & Water Economy Development), China Three Gorges UniversityThe Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hubei Province (Research Center for Integrated Watershed Management & Water Economy Development), China Three Gorges UniversityThe Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hubei Province (Research Center for Integrated Watershed Management & Water Economy Development), China Three Gorges UniversityThe Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hubei Province (Research Center for Integrated Watershed Management & Water Economy Development), China Three Gorges UniversityThe Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hubei Province (Research Center for Integrated Watershed Management & Water Economy Development), China Three Gorges UniversityAbstract The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, a pivotal economic hub in China, relies on water, energy, food, ecology, land, for its prosperity development. Therefore, evaluating their coupling and coordination aids the YRD’s sustainable development. This study integrated ecology and land into the water-energy-food system to form a water-energy-food-ecology-land system (WEFEFS), and the entropy weight model, comprehensive evaluation index model and coupling coordination degree models were used to assess the WEFELS in the YRD (2005-2022), and identified key influencing factors through an obstacle model. The results demonstrate that the comprehensive evaluation index of WEFELS in the YRD rose slowly, with the food system contributing the most (22.15%) and the water system contributed the least (18.25%). The degree of coupling coordination (DCC) of WEFELS in the YRD improved from 0.561 to 0.653, exhibiting spatiotemporal heterogeneity, with Anhui Province leading spatially. The main obstacle factors were Per land GDP and Energy self-sufficiency rate.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00472-4
spellingShingle Qing Qin
Weijun He
Liang Yuan
Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu
Thomas Stephen Ramsey
Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China
npj Clean Water
title Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China
title_full Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China
title_fullStr Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China
title_full_unstemmed Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China
title_short Coupled and coordinated development of water-energy-food-ecology-land system in the Yangtze River Delta, China
title_sort coupled and coordinated development of water energy food ecology land system in the yangtze river delta china
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00472-4
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AT liangyuan coupledandcoordinateddevelopmentofwaterenergyfoodecologylandsystemintheyangtzeriverdeltachina
AT dagmawimulugetadegefu coupledandcoordinateddevelopmentofwaterenergyfoodecologylandsystemintheyangtzeriverdeltachina
AT thomasstephenramsey coupledandcoordinateddevelopmentofwaterenergyfoodecologylandsystemintheyangtzeriverdeltachina