Competitive and synergic evolution of the water-food-ecology system: A case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China

Huanyu Chang; Yongqiang Cao; Yong Zhao; Guohua He; Qingming Wang; Jiaqi Yao; He Ren; Huicai Yang; Zhen Hong

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171509

Competitive and synergic evolution of the water-food-ecology system: A case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China

Sci Total Environ. 2024 May 1:923:171509. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171509. Epub 2024 Mar 7.

Authors

Huanyu Chang¹, Yongqiang Cao², Yong Zhao³, Guohua He⁴, Qingming Wang⁴, Jiaqi Yao², He Ren², Huicai Yang², Zhen Hong²

Affiliations

¹ Academy of Eco-civilization Development for Jing-Jin-Ji Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, PR China.
² Academy of Eco-civilization Development for Jing-Jin-Ji Megalopolis, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, PR China. Electronic address: zhaoyong@iwhr.com.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, PR China.

PMID: 38460689
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171509

Abstract

A vital approach to attaining sustainable development lies in the in-depth examination of both competition and synergy between these subsystems from a water-food-ecology (WFE) system perspective, while previous or existing studies have limitations in to quantitative characterize and evaluation the cooperative and competitive relationships between different systems. In this study, an evaluation indicator system is constructed from the two dimensions of resources and efficiency, and the WFE synergic development capacity (WFE-SDC) is proposed by integrating the order degree of the coupled system, enables a multidimensional and comprehensive quantitative assessment of the sustainable development of the WFE system. Then a synergic evolution model is constructed to explore the competitive and synergic evolution of the WFE system in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The following key insights were obtained: (1) The WFE-SDC (range of 0-1) shows a fluctuating increase, indicating a shift from mild dysfunctional recession to intermediate synergic development (0.24 to 0.72). (2) Principal factors impeding WFE-SDC encompass diversion water, ecology water consumption, grain demand, reclaimed water consumption, and outbound water, both come from resource dimension, with a combined impediment degree of over 46 %, and the improvement of efficiency dimension may improve the WFE-SDC. (3) The water subsystem acts as a driving force for synergic development, fostering cooperation within the food and ecology subsystems, although they mainly operate in a competitive state. (4) Within the WFE system, Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei exhibited mutual cooperation and significantly contributed to one another's development. Beijing has played a pivotal role in the progress of both Tianjin and Hebei. This study offers valuable insights for the formulation of policies and the application of technical approaches for the sustainable development of the WFE system in relevant regions.

Keywords: Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH); Competitive and synergic evolution; Comprehensive evaluation; Synergic evolution model; Water-food-ecology synergic development capability (WFE-SDC).