Spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of coupling coordination among water resources-economic society-ecological environment system in Jiangsu Province

Abstract

[Objective] In recent years, alongside rapid economic and social development in Jiangsu Province, water resource constraints have tightened and ecological environment pressures has continued to intensify, posing dual challenges of resource utilization and environmental protection to regional development. To comprehensively understand the coordinated development status of the water resources, economic society, and ecological environment systems in Jiangsu Province, the coupling coordination relationship among the subsystems is examined. [Methods] An evaluation index system for the coupling coordination degree(CCD) of the water resources-economic society-ecological environment(WR-ES-EE) system was constructed based on the regional characteristics of Jiangsu Province. The index system was optimized using the information sensitivity method, and a systematic research framework for coupling coordination was established by introducing the CCD model and grey relational analysis method. Based on this framework, the CCD of the WR-ES-EE system in Jiangsu Province and its main influencing factors were measured for the period from 2012 to 2023, following the implementation of the most stringent water resources management system. [Results] The findings indicated that based on the information sensitivity method, the 28 initially selected indicators were reduced to 21, ensuring the scientific soundness and regional suitability of the index system. The comprehensive evaluation index of the WR-ES-EE system in Jiangsu Province increased from 0.23 in 2012 to 0.72 in 2023. The CCD exhibited a stable upward trend, with the coordination type rising from barely coordinated to highly coordinated, and showed a spatial distribution pattern of “high in the south and low in the north”. The total annual water supply, general public budget revenue, and urban sewage treatment rate were identified as the most dominant factors influencing the CCD of each subsystem. [Conclusion] The result show that from 2012 to 2023, the CCD of the WR-ES-EE system in Jiangsu Province gradually increased, the coupling and coordination among systems were progressively enhanced, but some areas still exhibited considerable development potential. The result reveal the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and driving mechanisms of the WR-ES-EE system in Jiangsu Province, and provide a reference for refined regional water resources management and green sustainable development.

Keywords

water resources-economic society-ecological environment system / coupling coordination / grey relational analysis / Jiangsu Province / spatiotemporal evolution / sustainable development / water resource constraints / information sensitivity methods