Analysis of the Spatial Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Large-Scale Land Acquisition Projects in Southeast Asia

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

11. The introduction provides a relatively detailed background of the investment project, but there is a lack of introduction to the research progress on LSLAs projects. It is recommended to comprehensively enrich the related research progress.

22. The distinctions between intention projects, contract projects, and production projects should be clearly elaborated in the introduction or methodology section.

33. In the analysis of influencing factors, the differences among different types of projects should be considered. The reviewer suggested also analyzing the influencing factors of the other two types of projects.

 

44. It is recommended to separate the conclusions and discussion. In the discussion section, the contributions and implications of this paper should be discussed in more detail.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

 

1. The introduction provides a relatively detailed background of the investment project, but there is a lack of introduction to the research progress on LSLAs projects. It is recommended to comprehensively enrich the related research progress.

 

2. The distinctions between intention projects, contract projects, and production projects should be clearly elaborated in the introduction or methodology section.

3. In the analysis of influencing factors, the differences among different types of projects should be considered. The reviewer suggested also analyzing the influencing factors of the other two types of projects.

 

4. It is recommended to separate the conclusions and discussion. In the discussion section, the contributions and implications of this paper should be discussed in more detail.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Review: Analysis of the Spatial Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Large-scale Land Acquisitions Projects in Southeast Asia
The article offers a valuable contribution to the understanding of large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in Southeast Asia. By focusing on the spatial distribution and influencing factors of these projects, the authors have addressed a gap in the literature.

Employing the median center, kernel density estimation, and grey correlation methods demonstrates a robust methodological approach. Identifying the Indo-China Peninsula as a hotspot for LSLAs is a significant finding that aligns with existing research on the region's land-grabbing dynamics. The differentiation between LSLA's intention, contract, and production projects is a novel contribution, providing nuanced insights into the spatial patterns of these investment stages.

However, to fully assess the study's impact, additional information is required:

While the study identifies correlations between LSLAs and various factors, establishing causal relationships would strengthen the findings.

In principle, there is no scientific discussion in the article. The authors only commented on the results obtained. The discussion section should be expanded.

It would be valuable to indicate areas for new LSLA projects - the study is limited only to the spatial distribution of existing LSLA projects.

The authors should take into account the harmfulness (negative impact on human health) of palm oil. Palm oil certainly cannot be included in food security.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper explores a topic of great importance concerning global issues of food production related to national economic development.

Some remarks that the authors may consider are as follows:

1.      The definition presented for median center in equation (1) is the definition of the mean center. Median center is the location that minimizes overall Euclidean distance to the features in a dataset and the calculation is different than in equation (1).

2.      Which are the hypotheses concerning the factors influencing LSLA’s area according to which the indices are selected? Which of the 19 factors are expected to be of high importance and what is the direction of their influence? Are there any other indicators that could be correlated with the area of LSLA’s? The units of measurement are missing for several indicators. Was there any transformation before grey correlation?

3.      The conclusions in lines 519-530 do not seem related to previous analysis.

 

Some other suggestions are:

It would be useful to explain the various types of LSLA projects (lines 231-236)

In equations (3) and (6)-(9) some of the symbols are not explained. In line 217 “γ” is missing?

In Figure 1 the full names of countries would be useful

Lines 383-384: some acronyms of data sources need explanation

Typo in the natural disaster indicator (Table 2)?

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author has revised the paper in detail. I don't have any more comments.

Author Response

Thank you for recognizing our revised manuscript!