Jiahao Zhai

As a key emerging pillar, the sports industry plays a significant role in promoting the high-quality development of regional and national economies. However, research on the spatial distribution characteristics of sports venues is insufficient, particularly when considering population size and density. This study focuses on the six provinces in central China, examining the spatial distribution features of sports venues and the balance in service population coverage. Using point of interest (POI) data for sports venues, the seventh national census data, and population density data, this study employs GIS spatial analysis methods such as mean nearest neighbor distance, kernel density estimation, and overlay analysis. The findings reveal that sports venues in the six central provinces exhibit a pattern of high-density clustering in provincial capital. The spatial distribution of sports venues is most influenced by permanent population and GDP, while showing little correlation with land area. Most of these facilities are concentrated in areas with high population densities, particularly in the capital cities. However, the current distribution of sports venues in many cities across the six provinces does not adequately meet the needs of the local population. To address this imbalance, it is recommended that the number and placement of sports facilities in the six central provinces should fully account for the distribution and density of the local population. While prioritizing development in provincial capitals, efforts should also be made to accelerate the construction of sports venues in sub-high-density core areas, especially in economically underdeveloped cities. Furthermore, the development of sports venues in towns and townships should be leveraged to promote local leisure sports and sports tourism.

As an integral component of China’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH), sports intangible cultural heritage (SICH) holds immense significance and importance in cultural inheritance, social cohesion, health promotion, values education, cultural innovation. However, the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of SICH have not been extensively explored. Therefore, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the spatial patterns and influencing factors of SICH utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis methods such as geographic concentration index and kernel density estimation. The results reveal that SICH exhibits a spatially clustered distribution, with the highest concentrations in Hebei, Guangdong, and Zhejiang provinces. Notably, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta region are identified as areas with particularly high densities of SICH. The analysis of natural and human factors indicates that altitude, climate, rivers, GDP, and population density significantly influence the distribution of SICH, while the presence of core cities does not have a notable impact. This research provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution patterns of SICH and offers a foundation for future preservation and promotion strategies.

The Mekong River Basin (MRB) has experienced drastic and extensive land-use and land-cover changes (LULCCs) since the 1990s, including the conflicts between cropland and forest, yet remain quantitatively uninvestigated. With three decades (1990–2020) of land-use products, here we reveal the characteristics of LULCCs and the conflicts between cropland and forest in the MRB and its three sub-basins, i.e., upstream area (UA), midstream area (MA), and downstream area (DA). The four main results are as follows: (1) Since 1990, the dominated features are forest loss and cropland expansion in the MRB and show obvious sub-basin differences. (2) The LULCC was most active before 2000, with a comprehensive dynamic degree of almost 2%. Among them, construction land has the highest single dynamic degree (5%), especially in the DA, reaching 12%. (3) The key features of land-use transfer are the interconversions of forest and cropland, as well as cropland converted into construction land. About 18% (63,940 km²) of forest was reclaimed as cropland, and 17% (45,967 km²) of cropland was returned to forest in the past 31 years. (4) The conflict between cropland and forest was the most dominant LULCC, accounting for 86% of the MRB area. Overall, cropland expansion and forest loss (CEFL) were more dominant in the DA, while cropland fallow and forest restoration (CFFR) had an advantage in the MA. Indeed, CEFL was mainly seen in the plains below a 200 m elevation level, while CFFR tended to occur in the highlands. Our basin-scale study can enrich the existing pan-regional results of LULCCs, and facilitates the understanding of the dynamics and related mechanisms of CFER and CFFR in the tropics.