RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR DEVELOPING LONG-TERM WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLANS

Comprehensive river basin management mast move beyond narrowly focused programs dealing with water quantity or water quality. A more comprehensive approach to river basin management recognizes that both flow quantity and water quality can be summarized as habitat measures. A number of well developed physical habitat analysis and prediction procedures are presently available. Several computerized systems available from the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service (Habitat Suitability Index - HSI and PHysical HABitat SIMulation - PHABSIM) provide macrohabitat definition. We have developed a water quality based habitat component which operates effectively for general analysis. With an emphasis on site specific management in the United States, the macrohabitat definition procedures may not meet all river basin management and planning requirements. This paper reviews the results of research which characterizes microhabitat in streams and rivers and provides a valuable extension to basin management procedures.

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What Price for Ecosystem Services in China?

Advances in Business Strategy and Competitive Advantage - Managerial Strategies and Solutions for Business Success in Asia ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-1886-0.ch010 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 176-198

Author(s):

Haixia Zheng ◽

Stale Navrud ◽

Shiran Shen

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Quality Improvement ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Resources ◽

River Basin ◽

Contingent Valuation Method ◽

Policy Instrument ◽

Miyun Reservoir ◽

Water Quality Improvement ◽

Value Of Water

Payment for Environmental Services (PES) in the watershed has been widely adopted as an important policy instrument to compensate upstream water users for providing water quality improvement for the whole river basin. In this paper, we use three independent valuation methods to determine the price of ecosystem service (ES), particularly water quality, in Miyun Reservoir, the main surface water source for Beijing. We find that the value of water quality is lowest using opportunity cost of limitation of development rights (OCLDR), highest with contingent valuation method (CVM), and water resources benefits assessment (WRBA) gives an in-between value. OCLDR determines the size of subsidies from those that benefit from water quality improvement from upstream. WRBA is a reference for compensation criteria to the upstream government and farmers when water resources are transferred across jurisdictional boundaries. CVM not only captures the direct value of water quality improvement, but also the indirect value of improvement in other ecosystem services as a result of improvement in water quality. Based on the results, we propose a multi-level ecological compensation system for the Miyun Reservoir river basin. We use OCLDR to determine subsides/ compensation to upstream farmers and other suppliers of the ES; WRBA set the price of water transfer; and CVM to figure out the size of payments for integrated water quality improvement.

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