Does the trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises generate a stress effect?

Whether the trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises produces a stress effect is a major issue concerning the green, sustainable, and high-quality development of resource-rich areas in the mid-west of China. Using the system engineering concept and socioeconomic statistics, in combination with a theoretical analysis and empirical testing, this study analyzed the functional characteristics of the natural environment in the region and clarified the mechanism characteristics by which a natural environment functional stress effect could be caused by the trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises. Resource-orientated industry data from 2000 to 2015 in the three mid-western provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Guizhou were selected for empirical testing. Several key findings were made. (1) The trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises had a significant strengthening effect on the five stress indicators of land subsidence, solid waste, waste water, waste gas, and dust in the three provinces of mid-west China. (2) The trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises led to the restoration of the natural environment in mining areas, which was coordinated by relevant governments and enterprises, resulting in a significant weakening of the land subsidence, solid waste, and waste water stress in the three provinces of the mid-west, as well as a significant weakening of the waste gas stress in Shaanxi Province and dust stress in Guizhou Province. (3) The trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises had a higher positive intensification effect than a negative weakening effect on the natural environment functional stress in the three provinces of the mid-west. (4) In a comparison of the effects of natural environment function stress due to the trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises there were large differences among the three provinces in terms of the intensifying and weakening flows of stress. The conclusions provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of relevant policies to regulate the trans-regional transfer of resource-oriented enterprises and reduce the stress effect.