Development Level Evaluation of Water Ecological Civilization in Yangtze River Economic Belt

Water ecological civilization (WEC) is a key component and basic guarantee of ecological civilization. This paper sets up an evaluation index system (EIS) for WEC development (WECD) level, which covers such three dimensions as social economic development, control over total water resources and water utilization efficiency, and synthetic environmental governance and adopts set pair analysis (SPA) to measure and analyze the WECD level in Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 2010 to 2019. The results show that (1) the score of each subsystem in YREB WECD grew continuously in the sample period and poised to increase in future, (2) in general, YREB WECD level steadily increased to a relatively high level, and (3) the good development trend of YREB WECD is inseparable from the fact that YREB stepped up its efforts in capital investment, water utilization, and water environment protection and recovery. Finally, pertinent measures were put forward to further improve the YREB WECD level.

Water Utilization Status and Water Saving Awareness Investigation

In this study, water utilization status and water saving awareness investigation were analyzed through a survey in Gwangju Metropolitan City. Consequently, it was observed that most water is wasted when showering and doing laundry. Therefore, it is necessary to supply water-saving washing machines and dishwashers along with water-saving devices. A total of 64% of the respondents conserve water in their daily lives, and the reasons are worries about the future and economic reasons. Water saving is not practiced because it is unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Therefore, methods are necessary to save water without inconvenience in daily lives. It is judged that the results of this study can be used to establish strategies for water demand management.

Driving Force Analysis of Agricultural Economic Growth Related to Water Utilization Effects Based on LMDI Method in Ningxia, Northwest China

Agricultural economy is usually studied by total factor analysis, while it is uncertain what factors affect agricultural production in the perspective of water utilization. The aim of this study was to investigate driving forces of agricultural economy related to water utilization effects in Ningxia during 2007 to 2017. The logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method was selected to decompose the driving forces of agricultural production value. Results showed that the agricultural production value increased significantly in 2007–2017 in all of Ningxia and in each city. In terms of the whole region, the effect of agriculture water efficiency played a leading and positive role in the increase of the agricultural production value. The effects of water stress, water utilization structure, and water resource endowment all showed a negative driving force, while population exerted a positive effect. For five cities, the effect of agriculture water efficiency and water utilization structure showed no spatial difference; whereas the other effects expressed different driving forces between cities in the northern plain area and southern hilly area due to varied natural conditions and agricultural activities. The results of this research suggested that the first and foremost strategy of agricultural development and water resource management in Ningxia should be to promote water-saving irrigation and optimize agricultural structure.

PENGGUNAAN KONSEP RULES-IN-USE OSTROM DALAM ANALISIS PERATURAN PEMANFAATAN AIR DI KAWASAN KONSERVASI: STUDI KASUS TAMAN NASIONAL GUNUNG GEDE PANGRANGO

This study aims to analyze the substantial weaknesses of water utilization regulations in wildlife reserves, national parks, forest parks, nature tourism parks, and their effects on individual or organizational decision-making and actions. The research location is in the area of Taman Nasional Gunung Gede Pangrango (TNGGP). The analysis of this research is limited to Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulations No. P.18/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/4/2019, Law No. 17 of 2019, and Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulations No. P.6/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/1/2020. Regulatory analysis is carried out by identifying the characteristics of content of the regulations and comparing them with the conditions of water utilization in TNGGP to find out the implications of regulations on participant behavior and performance. Issues and problems are collected through interviews with participants. Furthermore, the regulations are analyzed using Ostrom's rules-in-use concept. The findin , based on the concept is that there is a discrepancy in the three regulations that all regulate water utilization permits in the conservation areas. This is mainly due to weak institutional strengthening among decision makers as well as laws and regulations made according to the interpretation of the government which often do not consider the conditions of the community.

Dry-Season Fog Water Utilization by Epiphytes in a Subtropical Montane Cloud Forest of Southwest China

Fog water is generally considered to be an important water source for epiphytes in cloud forests because they cannot directly access ground-level water sources. However, the water use proportions of potential water sources and water use efficiency of epiphytes in the subtropical montane cloud forests (MCF) remain to be further explored. In this study, we investigated the water use pattern in the dry season and the intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) of four epiphyte groups (i.e., epiphytic lichens, epiphytic bryophytes, epiphytic ferns, and epiphytic seed plants) using stable isotope (δ2H, δ18O, and δ13C) techniques. Our results indicated that the water sources of epiphytes were significantly different among groups and species. The contribution proportions of fog water to epiphytic lichens, epiphytic bryophytes, epiphytic ferns, and epiphytic seed plants were 83.2%, 32.7%, 38.8% and 63.7%, respectively. Epiphytic lichens and epiphytic seed plants mainly depended on fog water whereas the epiphytic bryophytes and epiphytic ferns relied on both fog water and humus. This may be due to their differences in morphological and structural traits (e.g., thallus or leaves, rhizoid or roots). Additionally, the difference in was also significant among epiphyte groups and species, which could be related to their different water acquisition patterns. In conclusion, our study reveals the differentiation of water utilization in epiphytes and confirms the importance of fog water for epiphytes during the dry season.