The Response of Water-Land Environment to Human Activities in Arid Minqin Oasis, Northwest China

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zailin Huo ◽  
Shaoyuan Feng ◽  
Shaozhong Kang ◽  
Xiaoqin Dai ◽  
Wangcheng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Activities ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Minqin Oasis

scholarly journals Development of a participatory Bayesian network model for integrating ecosystem services into catchment-scale water resources management

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Xue ◽  
Dongwei Gui ◽  
Jiaqiang Lei ◽  
Fanjiang Zeng ◽  
Rong Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Bayesian Network ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Oasis Area

Abstract. This paper proposes an ecosystem services–based integrated water resource management (IWRM) framework within which a participatory Bayesian network (BN) model that assists with the integration of IWRM is developed. The framework is divided three steps: (1) identifying water-related services of ecosystems; (2) analysis of the tradeoffs and synergy among users of water; and (3) ecosystem services–based IWRM implementation using the BN model. We present the development, evaluation and application of a participatory BN model with the involvement of four participant groups (stakeholders, water manager, water management experts, and research team) in Qira oasis area, Northwest China. As a typical catchment-scale region, the Qira oasis area is facing severe water competition between the demands of human activities and natural ecosystems. We demonstrate that the BN model developed provides effective integration of ecosystem services into a quantitative IWMR framework via public negotiation and feedback. The network results, sensitivity evaluation, and management scenarios are broadly accepted by the participant groups. The intervention scenarios from the model conclude that any water management measure remains unable to sustain the ecosystem health in water-related ecosystem services. Greater cooperation among the stakeholders is highly necessary for dealing with such water conflicts. In particular, a proportion of the agricultural water saved through improving water-use efficiency should be transferred to natural ecosystems via water trade. The BN model developed is appropriate for areas throughout the world in which there is intense competition for water between human activities and ecosystems – particularly in arid regions.

scholarly journals Impacts of human activities and climate variability on green and blue water flows in the Heihe River Basin in Northwest China

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 9477-9504 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Zang ◽  
J. Liu ◽  
L. Jiang ◽  
D. Gerten
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Green Water ◽  
Heihe River ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Water Flows ◽  
Green And Blue Water

Abstract. Human activities and climate factors both affect the availability of water resources and the sustainability of water management. Especially in already dry regions, water has become more and more scarce with increasing requirements from growing population, economic development and diet shifts. Although progress has been made in understanding variability of runoff, the impacts of climate variability and human activities on flows of both green water (actual evapotranspiration) and blue water (discharge accumulated in the river network) remain less well understood. We study the spatial patterns of blue and green water flows and the impacts on them of human activities and climate variability as simulated by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for an inland Heihe river basin located in Northwest China. The results show that total green and blue water flow increased from 1980 to 2005, mainly as a result of climate variability (upward precipitation trends). Direct human activities did not significantly change the total green and blue water flow. However, land use change led to a transformation of 206 million m3 from green to blue water flow, while farmland irrigation expansion resulted in a transformation of 66 million m3 from blue to green water flow. The synchronous climate variability caused an increase of green water flow by 469 million m3 and an increase of blue water flow by 146 million m3 at the river basin level, while the geographical distribution showed an uneven change even with reductions of water flows in western sub-basins at midstream. The results are helpful to benchmark the water resources in the context of global change in the inland river basins in China. This study also provides a general approach to investigate the impacts of historical human activities and climate variability on green and blue water flows at the river basin level.

scholarly journals Environmental policy evaluation from the perspective of farmers' perception in arid oasis ecosystem: Experiences of Minqin, Northwest China

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-299
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Policy Evaluation ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Ordinal Logistic Regression ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Oasis Ecosystem ◽  
Minqin Oasis

Effective eco-environment rehabilitation is an essential policy issue in arid oasis ecosystem. Since 2007, a policy which focuses on environment restoration and protection was implemented in the Shiyang River Basin of Gansu Province, China. Using Minqin oasis as a case, the effectiveness of policy impacts based on farmers’ perception was evaluated. In addition, an ordinal logistic regression model was used to explore the potential factors affecting farmers’ perception of policy effectiveness. Data were collected from household heads or spouses and other adults (age>18) separately in a random sample of 425 households. The results showed that positive outcomes were achieved, however, two policy measures—the water restrictions and the ecological migration project—were rated at a low level of satisfaction by the farmers. Moreover, 11 determinants were extracted by the logistic regression method, and indicating that economic factors including the ownership of the arable land and the availability of household income turned out to be the most significant. The results can help to establish eco-environmental restoration targets, encourage investments, and lead to the development of more applicable methods for assessing policy effects from the perspective of smallholders in ecologically fragile areas all over the world. Keywords: Environmental policy evaluation; Farmers’ perception; Ordinal logistic regression; Minqin oasis; Northwest China

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