Terraced farmland is a unique agricultural landscape and high-quality farmland resource in mountainous areas, with great production and ecological functions, which makes it a valuable livelihood asset for rural households. As a type of farmland resource, the high-quality of terraced farmland originates from the substantial investment of labor force and materials in land improvement processes such as terracing projects, which results in higher "landesque capital". The economic essence of landesque capital is land appreciation. In recent years, the phenomenon of farmland asset devaluation has been widespread in mountainous areas, yet how the landesque capital value of terraced farmland change remains unclear. Therefore, based on land capital theory, this study clarifies the definition of the landesque capital value of terraced farmland, constructing a comprehensive diagnostic framework from the dual perspectives of land economic productivity and land marginalization. Using data from national rural household surveys and literature synthesis in China's mountainous areas, the study reveals the trends and regional differences of landesque capital value. The findings demonstrate that in recent decades, the landesque capital of terraced farmland in China has devalued, with the trend being particularly pronounced in the eastern region. From 1996 to 2020, the differential rent reflecting the landesque capital value of terraced farmland decreased from 793.2 yuan per ha to 441.88 yuan per ha (a 44.29% drop), based on 1995 constant prices. The grain yield increase effect of terraced farmland relative to sloped farmland has been declining, with the rocky mountainous areas in Northern China showing a more significant downward trend than the Loess Plateau region. The economic benefits derived from the landesque capital of terraced farmland are increasingly unable to cover the costs of maintaining their unique functions. Therefore, it is recommended to actively explore optimal utilization approachs for existing terraced farmland while cautiously implementing new terracing projects in China's mountainous areas.

Border areas have emerged as an important region for global land use change (LUC) due to geopolitical-economic factors. The borderlands of southwestern China, which shares borders with Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, serves as the forefront of China's southward expansion of the "Economic Corridor of mainland Southeast Asia". Since the 1980s, China has instituted over 40 geopolitical-economic mechanisms with Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, profoundly influencing LUC in borderlands. In this paper, we combine GLC_FCS30 land use data and GDELT news media data to quantitatively assess the impact of geopolitical-economic relations on LUC in the borderlands. The results show that: (1) since 1985, there has been a general expansion of construction land in the borderlands of Southwest China, with cropland reclamation coexisting with abandonment and the conversion of farmland to forests and grasslands. Cropland and forested land have slightly declined along the Vietnam and Myanmar borders, while the Laos border has witnessed a significant retreat of cropland near forests. (2) The geopolitical-economic relations between China and the other Southeast Asian countries have a significant positive impact on the changes of agricultural and construction land in the borderlands, and a significant negative correlation with the changes of forest land; the analysis of the mechanism reflects the fact that the infrastructure construction and the population are the intermediary variables driving the changes of the border land use, and that the intermediary effect is obvious, but the transmission mechanism is heterogeneous for different land use types. (3) With the development of geopolitical-economic relations, the disparity between the scale of agricultural land and construction land in the borderlands of Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam and that of China is diminishing, and the index of land use similarity on both sides of the borders is increasing to varying degrees. The agricultural land in the China-Myanmar and China-Vietnam borderlands is changing in the direction of the borderlands, while that of the China-Laos borderlands is developing along the border lines. This study offers research perspectives and methodological insights for exploring the human-land relationship in borderlands and fosters the development of border geography.

A comprehensive understanding of the impacts of human activities on the living environment is crucial for achieving harmonious coexistence between humans and nature during modernization on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. However, existing research on the dynamics and quantitative relationships between human activities and the living environment of plateaus remains insufficient. We develop an assessment framework to evaluate these impacts based on human activities, ecological conditions, and human settlement data. The spatiotemporal features of human activities and the living environment on the plateau from 2000 to 2020 were then analyzed via models such as the coupling coordination model, geographical detector model, and four-quadrant analysis model; we further identify key factors affecting the living environment and assess the overall impact of human activities. We found that human activity across the plateau has remained relatively low but has increased by 15.41% over the past two decades, primarily in the northern Xizang Plateau and eastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The spatial patterns of the plateau's living environment quality improved from northwest to southeast; 61.14% of the regions remained stable, whereas 18.47% exhibited slight improvements. The coupling coordination between human activity intensity and living environment quality has consistently improved, with areas classified as highly and moderately coordinated increasing by more than 9%. Precipitation and urban-rural construction activities were identified as the primary influencing factors for living environment quality. The impacts of human activities on the plateau's living environment are characterized primarily by coordinated development (40.44%) and development conflicts (38.35%), with smaller areas exhibiting environmental enhancement or synchronous degradation. These findings provide critical insights and a theoretical basis for safeguarding environmental security and promoting high-quality regional development on the plateau.

The origin of civilization marks a milestone in the development of human society. Here, we review the symbols of civilization, analyze the origin and formation of civilizations in high-altitude regions, and preliminarily summarize the meaning of high-altitude civilization and its regional evolution process. The results show that: (1) With prehistoric human colonization of high-altitude regions, 2500 m above sea level, high-altitude civilization formed through the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, social stratification, and the emergence of kingdoms and kingship. (2) The Kingdom of Aksum (Ethiopian Plateau), Tiwanaku and Wari (Andean Altiplano), and Zhang Zhung and Yarlung (Tibetan Plateau) indicate the formation of high-altitude civilization since 80 CE. (3) In high-altitude civilizations, the harsh natural environment and human adaptation were prerequisites; agriculture and nomadism were the basis of origin; external communication and control of trade were the drivers of development; and the emergence of kingdoms and royal states were signs of formation. However, our understanding of high-altitude civilization is still limited by the number of archaeological sites and excavated materials. We expect that future studies will promote understanding of key issues, such as the timing of civilization formation, social responses to climate change, and the role of high-altitude civilizations in global civilization exchange.