Mapping the evolution of the water-energy-food-ecosystem(WEFE)nexus:A comprehensive review of the methods,scales,and sustainability challengesOA
Worldwide crises related to water,energy,food,and ecosystems are expected in the future.Although a number of studies have focused on the water-energy-food-ecosystem(WEFE)nexus,a comprehensive review that integrates bibliometric patterns,methodological approaches,and multi-scale applications within a unified WEFE framework remains lacking.To address this gap,this study applies the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)systematic review protocol and conducts bibliometric and content analyses of publications from 2010 to 2024.The results show a steady increase in WEFE-related studies and a paradigm shift from the traditional water-energy-food(WEF)triad toward a four-component framework that explicitly incorporates ecosystems.Moreover,the WEF nexus remains a central research theme.Methodological approaches can be categorized into quantitative assessment,simulation and prediction,and integrated management;however,most rely on static analysis and therefore cannot sufficiently capture dynamic feedbacks.Scale-based analysis indicates that regional and urban studies dominate the field and focus on resource integration and internal resource management optimisation,respectively,whereas transboundary-scale research remains limited.This review is the first to systematically synthesize the conceptual evolution,methodological pathways,and scale-specific challenges of the WEFE nexus within a unified paradigm.Moreover,this review identifies key directions for future research,including framework standardization,multi-source data integration,and scale-appropriate governance strategies,thereby providing theoretical insights and empirical support for advancing sustainable WEFE nexus research.
Xiyan Wang;Weili Duan;Shan Zou;Zhonghao Zhang;Wei Wei;Meiqing Feng;Yanfeng Di;Chengkun Li
State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology&Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology&Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Utilization in Arid Zone,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China Ili Station for Watershed Ecosystem Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Xinyuan 835800,China Tianshan Snowcover and Avalanche Observation and Research Station of Xinjiang,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Xinyuan 835800,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology&Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China Aksu National Station of Observation and Research for Oasis Agro-ecosystem,Aksu 843017,ChinaCollege of Geography and Remote Sensing,Hohai University,Nanjing 211000,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology&Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China Barcelona Supercomputing Center,Barcelona 08034,SpainState Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology&Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology&Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,ChinaState Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology&Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Urumqi 830011,China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China
资源环境
Water-energy-food-ecosystem nexusComprehensive case studiesGeographic scaleSustainable developmentSystematic review
《Geography and Sustainability》 2026 (3)
P.6-18,13
supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDB0720400)the Xinjiang Tianshan Talent High Level Leading Talent Project(Grant No.2022TSYCLJ0012 and Grant No.2023TSYCLJ0050)the National Youth Talent Project(Grant No.E4150103)。
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