Interaction characteristics and development pattern of sustainability system in BHR (Bohai Rim) and YRD (Yangtze River) regions, China

•This paper tracked interaction characteristics between human and environment.•Five stages were divided according to framework of sustainability barometer.•This paper proposed green development index to reflect regional development pattern.•This paper constructed new comprehensive index system of sustainability system.•The regional sustainability index and regional coordination index were developed.

The well-run structure, function and dynamics of complex regional sustainability system are critical for maintaining regional sustainability stability, so exploring the interaction characteristics and development pattern of the system should be considerably significant. Based on the new comprehensive index system of sustainability system, the indices of social, economic and eco-environmental dimensions and nine thematic indices are firstly presented for BHR (Bohai Rim) and YRD (Yangtze River) regions during the period 2001-2010, and then the regional sustainability changes are further tracked by regional sustainability index (RSI) and regional coordination index (RCI). Furthermore, we mainly focus on the dynamic interaction characteristics and propose green development index (GDI) to reflect the development pattern of BHR and YRD from the perspective of taking all indicators into account. The study results show that: the average annual growth rates of the indices of social, economic and eco-environmental dimensions of the BHR region are 10.00%, 19.11% and 0.37% during the study period, while the ones of YRD region are 7.32%, 20.25% and 0.46%, respectively, demonstrating that economic progress is the fastest-improving pillar for RSI of the two regions; the standard deviations of the indices of three dimensions that can construct a triangle diagram and the amount of that failed to construct are both decreasing from 2001 to 2012, showing that the RCI of two regions have made some progresses; BHR have stayed in some positions where eco-environmental level gradually decreases (from 0.50 to 0.45) with the progression of socioeconomic situations (from 0.20 to 0.50), while BHR in a position where eco-environmental level gradually increases (from 0.53 to 0.57) with the progression of socioeconomic situations (from 0.25 to 0.55), revealing dynamic interaction characteristics, and then in their evolution trajectories, YRD has been principally at the intermediate sustainable development stage while BHR always at the potentially unsustainable one; the green social or economic development degree, associated with the uneven resource utilization and eco-environment occupancy among provinces, should contribute most to regional development pattern. The study guides a direction where the policy makers need to improve in regional sustainability management.