Modeling the integrated framework of water resources system considering
socioeconomic development, ecological protection, and food production: A
practical tool for sustainable water uses
Abstract. The accelerated consumption of water resources caused by the rapid increase of population and urbanization is intensifying the negative interactions of water uses across socioeconomic development, ecological protection, and food productivity (SEF), which causes an imbalance between water supply & demand, ecological and food vulnerability, and further water unsustainability. To solve this problem, this study developed an integrated modeling framework to better identify the dynamic interaction and coevolution process of the nexus across SEF systems in the context of sustainable water uses by coupling two models: system dynamic model (SD) and multi-objective optimization model. First, the SD model is used to simulate both the dynamic interaction of each agent and the coevolution process of the whole system under external changes. Next, the multi-objective optimal model is used to generate the optimal scheme by iteration process with the initial scheme of SD, further identifying the dynamic interaction and coevolution process in terms of sustainable water use. Finally, the model uncertainty considering different weighting factors is analyzed. The framework is applied to the Upper Reaches of Guijiang River Basin, China. Results show that: (i) the rapid economic growth intensifies the ecological awareness and cannot support such rapid development because it rises the conflict between environment and economic water uses, resulting in more water shortages of socio-economy and food agent. (ii) Once the economic growth rate decreased, water resources are able to support economic development with decreased overload index and stable crop yield, which further contributes to water sustainability. (iii) The river ecological agent is the critical factor that affects the robustness of the model. (iv) The equal consideration of each water usage is the most beneficial to sustainable development. These results highlight the importance of water resources management considering the tradeoffs across multiple stakeholders and give a strong reference to policymakers for comprehensive urban planning.