The impact of new urbanization on water ecological resilience: An empirical study from central China

Daxue Kan; Lianjv Lv

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0313865

Peer Review History

Original SubmissionJuly 10, 2024
9 Oct 2024 Decision Letter - Balaji Etikala, Editor PONE-D-24-28533 The Impact of New Urbanization on Water Ecological Resilience: An Empirical Study from Central China PLOS ONE Dear Dr. Kan, Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process. Please submit your revised manuscript by Nov 23 2024 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org. When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file. 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If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice. Additional Editor Comments: Dear authors, the script is very well written and relevant. However, following comments shall be addressed for betterment of the script. Reviewer 1: The manuscript presents a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between new urbanization and water ecological resilience (WER) in central China. The study is timely and relevant, given the increasing global concern for sustainable urban development and the protection of water ecosystems. The authors have employed a robust methodology, utilizing various econometric models such as the STIRPAT model, dynamic panel models, and panel threshold effect models to test their hypotheses. The use of a quasi-natural experiment based on comprehensive pilot projects for new urbanization adds a valuable layer to the analysis. The manuscript is well-structured, with a clear abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion. The arguments are well-supported by empirical evidence, and the data analysis is thorough. The authors have also addressed potential endogeneity issues through the use of system GMM estimation, which strengthens the reliability of their findings. In terms of minor suggestions for improvement: 1. The authors may consider providing a more detailed discussion on the policy implications of their findings, particularly how the results can inform future urban planning and water resource management strategies in central China. 2. It would be beneficial to include a comparison of the study's findings with other regional or global studies to contextualize the results within a broader framework. Overall, the manuscript is of high quality and makes a significant contribution to the field of urbanization and environmental sustainability. I have no reservations in recommending this paper for acceptance in PLOS ONE. Reviewer 2: Dear editor, the script is well written and passion must be appreciated, however, I have following major and minor comments which needs to be addressed before it is considered for publication in this journal. 1. In general groundwater contains large freshwater reserves than surface water, but the authors given contradictory statement such as “In 2021, the total water resources in central China were 617.95 billion m3 including 586.54 billion m3 of surface water and 167.8billion m3 of groundwater reserves. Check once. 2. Legend in Figure 1 is not visible. Increase the font size. 3. Recheck the equations. 4. Is it typographical error “STIRPAT model---a stochastic” or it is correct expression. Check once. 5. There were several studies on STIRPAT model, emphasize this model among other models and justify selecting this model in introduction part and introduction shall end by aim of the study. 6. Is the proposed methodology can be adopted globally or it has any limitations? It shall be clearly reflected in the manuscript. 7. Comparison with other studies shall enlighten the script to further extent. 8. The authors state that “regions with low levels of NU in central China, the stress effect of NU on WER is more pronounced and regions with high levels of NU in central China, NU has a significantly positive impact on WER. IS NU stops at high level? What happens at intermediate level and what are the future implications? What is the current NU scenario in central China (high, low, or intermediate)? Shall reflect in the manuscript. [Note: HTML markup is below. Please do not edit.] Reviewers' comments: Reviewer's Responses to Questions Comments to the Author 1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions? The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ******** 2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ****** 3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available? The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ****** 4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English? PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here. Reviewer #1: Yes Reviewer #2: Yes ****** 5. Review Comments to the Author Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters) Reviewer #1: The manuscript presents a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between new urbanization and water ecological resilience (WER) in central China. The study is timely and relevant, given the increasing global concern for sustainable urban development and the protection of water ecosystems. The authors have employed a robust methodology, utilizing various econometric models such as the STIRPAT model, dynamic panel models, and panel threshold effect models to test their hypotheses. The use of a quasi-natural experiment based on comprehensive pilot projects for new urbanization adds a valuable layer to the analysis. The manuscript is well-structured, with a clear abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion. The arguments are well-supported by empirical evidence, and the data analysis is thorough. The authors have also addressed potential endogeneity issues through the use of system GMM estimation, which strengthens the reliability of their findings. In terms of minor suggestions for improvement: 1. The authors may consider providing a more detailed discussion on the policy implications of their findings, particularly how the results can inform future urban planning and water resource management strategies in central China. 2. It would be beneficial to include a comparison of the study's findings with other regional or global studies to contextualize the results within a broader framework. Overall, the manuscript is of high quality and makes a significant contribution to the field of urbanization and environmental sustainability. I have no reservations in recommending this paper for acceptance in PLOS ONE. Reviewer #2: Dear editor, the script is well written and passion must be appreciated, however, I have following major and minor comments which needs to be addressed before it is considered for publication in this journal. 1. In general groundwater contains large freshwater reserves than surface water, but the authors given contradictory statement such as “In 2021, the total water resources in central China were 617.95 billion m3 including 586.54 billion m3 of surface water and 167.8billion m3 of groundwater reserves. Check once. 2. Legend in Figure 1 is not visible. Increase the font size. 3. Recheck the equations. 4. Is it typographical error “STIRPAT model---a stochastic” or it is correct expression. Check once. 5. There were several studies on STIRPAT model, emphasize this model among other models and justify selecting this model in introduction part and introduction shall end by aim of the study. 6. Is the proposed methodology can be adopted globally or it has any limitations? It shall be clearly reflected in the manuscript. 7. Comparison with other studies shall enlighten the script to further extent. 8. The authors state that “regions with low levels of NU in central China, the stress effect of NU on WER is more pronounced and regions with high levels of NU in central China, NU has a significantly positive impact on WER. IS NU stops at high level? What happens at intermediate level and what are the future implications? What is the current NU scenario in central China (high, low, or intermediate)? Shall reflect in the manuscript. ****** 6. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files. If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public. Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy. Reviewer #1: No Reviewer #2: No ******** [NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.] While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org. Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step. Attachments Attachment Submitted filename: Review comments.pdf https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313865.r001
Revision 1
21 Oct 2024 Author Response Author's Reply to the Review Report1 We sincerely appreciate all valuable comments and suggestions, which helped us to improve the quality of the manuscript. 1.The authors may consider providing a more detailed discussion on the policy implications of their findings, particularly how the results can inform future urban planning and water resource management strategies in central China. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised the conclusions and policy recommendations in lines 684-692 and 698-705 as follows: (1)At the same time, it is essential to comprehensively implement the strategy of ecological civilization, effectively and solidly advance the construction of water ecological civilization, integrate the management of water resources, water environment, and water ecology, timely enhance regulations on the water ecological environment, improve the efficiency of regulatory implementation, and strive to elevate the standards of water ecological protection. This approach will ensure that while pursuing NU development, we effectively promote the restoration and enhancement of WER and achieve harmonious coexistence and coordinated development between humanity and nature. (2)Therefore, for regions with lower levels of NU, it is essential to not only strengthen NU construction and focus on improving its quality and efficiency but also actively transform the mode of economic growth by improving comprehensive resource utilization and facilitating the development of a circular economy. Additionally, it is important to enhance population structure through refined fertility policies and population mobility strategies, optimize investment structures by increasing investments in new energy infrastructure and digital infrastructure, and adjust the foreign trade development model by leveraging digital technologies to promote digital trade. 2. It would be beneficial to include a comparison of the study's findings with other regional or global studies to contextualize the results within a broader framework. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised analysis of empirical results in lines 455-467 and the conclusions and policy recommendations in lines 729-734 as follows: (1)This result is similar to the study by He et al. (2024) and Zhao and Luo (2024). The former found that the coupling and coordination degree of urbanization and ecological resilience in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area remained basically unchanged, mainly at the stage of “slight imbalance”, “impending imbalance”, “reluctant coordinated” or “intermediate coordination”, most of which showed uncoordinated types of lagging ecological resilience or being hindered from urbanization. The latter found that, from the perspective of coupling and coordination, the grinding effect between the urbanization system and the ecological environment system in China at city level continues to be good, the number of cities with mild or lower levels of dysregulation and coordination development types is constantly decreasing. Overall, China has stepped into the stage of transformation and development. However, there is an emerging trend towards lagging ecological environments, with varying spatial distribution from south to north. (2)The findings of this study can enhance the level of WER in the promotion of NU within central China. Furthermore, these results serve as a reference for other developing countries and regions akin to central China, aiming to elevate their WER during the advancement of NU. This paper improves the analysis of the impact of NU on WER and enriches the theory of NU and ecological resilience. The econometric model and empirical methodology employed in this study can be applied on a global scale. Author's Reply to the Review Report2 We sincerely appreciate all valuable comments and suggestions, which helped us to improve the quality of the manuscript. 1. In general groundwater contains large freshwater reserves than surface water, but the authors given contradictory statement such as “In 2021, the total water resources in central China were 617.95 billion m3 including 586.54 billion m3 of surface water and 167.8billion m3 of groundwater reserves. Check once. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we once again consulted the statistical yearbook to ensure that the data was accurate. We also checked relevant data from China, as follows: In 2022, the total water resources in China were 27088.1 billion m3 including 25984.4 billion m3 of surface water and 7924.4 billion m3 of groundwater reserves. 2. Legend in Figure 1 is not visible. Increase the font size. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised Figure 1. 3. Recheck the equations. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we rechecked the equations. 4. Is it typographical error “STIRPAT model---a stochastic” or it is correct expression. Check once. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised the model construction in lines 287-289 as follows: Consequently, researchers have proposed an alternative methodology referred to as the STIRPAT model—a stochastic framework for assessing environmental impacts, specifically designed to capture the intricate dynamics underlying environmental influences. 5. There were several studies on STIRPAT model, emphasize this model among other models and justify selecting this model in introduction part and introduction shall end by aim of the study. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised the introduction in lines 72-85 as follows: Currently, the academic community mainly uses the Kaya Identity, the LMDI model, and the traditional STIRPAT model to study the influencing factors of ecological environments. However, the individual factors in the decomposition of the Kaya Identity equation need to be analyzed annually or by time periods, and are subject to the constraint of maintaining an equal relationship. The LMDI model cannot examine the elasticity of each factor, while the traditional STIRPAT model only considers three aspects of population scale, wealth level and technical level, and cannot fully describe the impact of social and economic factors on ecological environments. In contrast, the STIRPAT model allows the impact of each factor to be estimated as a parameter, enabling researchers to extend the model according to their research objectives. Therefore, in order to achieve the research objectives of this paper, we use the extended STIRPAT model to analyze the impact of NU on WER in the central China, thereby providing scientific basis for formulating policies to enhance WER in the central China and other similar regions of the world. 6. Is the proposed methodology can be adopted globally or it has any limitations? It shall be clearly reflected in the manuscript. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised the conclusions and policy recommendations in lines 729-734 as follows: The findings of this study can enhance the level of WER in the promotion of NU within central China. Furthermore, these results serve as a reference for other developing countries and regions akin to central China, aiming to elevate their WER during the advancement of NU. This paper improves the analysis of the impact of NU on WER and enriches the theory of NU and ecological resilience. The econometric model and empirical methodology employed in this study can be applied on a global scale. 7. Comparison with other studies shall enlighten the script to further extent. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised the conclusions and policy recommendations in lines 684-692 and 698-705 as follows: (1)At the same time, it is essential to comprehensively implement the strategy of ecological civilization, effectively and solidly advance the construction of water ecological civilization, integrate the management of water resources, water environment, and water ecology, timely enhance regulations on the water ecological environment, improve the efficiency of regulatory implementation, and strive to elevate the standards of water ecological protection. This approach will ensure that while pursuing NU development, we effectively promote the restoration and enhancement of WER and achieve harmonious coexistence and coordinated development between humanity and nature. (2)Therefore, for regions with lower levels of NU, it is essential to not only strengthen NU construction and focus on improving its quality and efficiency but also actively transform the mode of economic growth by improving comprehensive resource utilization and facilitating the development of a circular economy. Additionally, it is important to enhance population structure through refined fertility policies and population mobility strategies, optimize investment structures by increasing investments in new energy infrastructure and digital infrastructure, and adjust the foreign trade development model by leveraging digital technologies to promote digital trade. 8. The authors state that “regions with low levels of NU in central China, the stress effect of NU on WER is more pronounced and regions with high levels of NU in central China, NU has a significantly positive impact on WER. IS NU stops at high level? What happens at intermediate level and what are the future implications? What is the current NU scenario in central China (high, low, or intermediate)? Shall reflect in the manuscript. In response to the reviewer’s comment, we revised the Estimation results of dynamic panel mediation effect model in lines 544-602. The 80 prefecture-level cities in central China were categorized based on the threshold value of the NU level. Prefecture-level cities with NU≤0.697 were classified as regions with a lower NU level (approximately 76% of the sample size), while those with NU>0.697 were classified as regions with a higher NU level (approximately 24% of the sample size). Attachments Attachment Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313865.r002
1 Nov 2024 Decision Letter - Balaji Etikala, Editor The impact of new urbanization on water ecological resilience: An empirical study from central China PONE-D-24-28533R1 Dear Dr. Kan, We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements. Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication. An invoice will be generated when your article is formally accepted. Please note, if your institution has a publishing partnership with PLOS and your article meets the relevant criteria, all or part of your publication costs will be covered. Please make sure your user information is up-to-date by logging into Editorial Manager at Editorial Manager® and clicking the ‘Update My Information' link at the top of the page. If you have any questions relating to publication charges, please contact our Author Billing department directly at authorbilling@plos.org. If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org. Kind regards, Balaji Etikala, Ph.D., Academic Editor PLOS ONE Additional Editor Comments (optional): Reviewers' comments: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313865.r003
Formally Accepted
25 Nov 2024 Acceptance Letter - Balaji Etikala, Editor PONE-D-24-28533R1 PLOS ONE Dear Dr. Kan, I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now being handed over to our production team. At this stage, our production department will prepare your paper for publication. This includes ensuring the following: * All references, tables, and figures are properly cited * All relevant supporting information is included in the manuscript submission, * There are no issues that prevent the paper from being properly typeset If revisions are needed, the production department will contact you directly to resolve them. If no revisions are needed, you will receive an email when the publication date has been set. At this time, we do not offer pre-publication proofs to authors during production of the accepted work. Please keep in mind that we are working through a large volume of accepted articles, so please give us a few weeks to review your paper and let you know the next and final steps. Lastly, if your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org. If we can help with anything else, please email us at customercare@plos.org. Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access. Kind regards, PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff on behalf of Dr. Balaji Etikala Academic Editor PLOS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313865.r004

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