BEIJING, July 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on suggestions for NW China’s arid region in water resources and ecological environment protection:
Since water resources problems are prominent in the arid region of northwest China, the intensity of extreme climate and hydrological events have increased, and the ecological environment is still fragile, it is necessary to further explore the water resources potential of this region, improve the water resources management, and enhance ecological protection and restoration efforts for better adaptation to the possible risks of climate change. Chen Yaning, senior researcher of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), notes in an article released by the Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (BCAS, in Chinese), a think tank journal supervised and sponsored by CAS, which focuses on strategic and decision-making research.
Based on field survey and released state bulletins, this paper systematically analyzes the basic characteristics of water resources and ecological environment in the arid region of northwest China, reveals the potential of glacier and snow against the background of climate change, studies the carrying capacity of water resources and the risk of water supply and demand, and puts forward suggestions for sustainable utilization of water resources and ecological environment protection.
The ecological system of the arid region of northwest China features landform with mountains and basins alternated and a mountain-oasis-desert. However, its ecological environment is extremely fragile. Water shortage is the most critical natural factor limiting the high-quality economic and social development and ecological security in the arid region of northwest China.
In the plain area, conflicts are sharp in water consumption for production, living and ecological purposes. The area of artificial oasis is less than 10%, but it bears about 98% of the population and produces 95% of the gross domestic product (GDP). It is mainly where human activities and economic and social development are undertaken in the arid region of northwest China.
The arid region of northwest China, remote from the ocean, with dry climate and scarce precipitation, mainly consists of mountains and deserts which accounts for about 80% of the total in the country. The region suffers from the most serious water shortage, with its amount of water resources accounting for only 3.46% of the national total. Meanwhile, water resource scarcity is the most critical natural factor limiting its social and economic development.
Global warming has an important impact on water resources and ecosystems in the arid region of northwest China, as Chen states in the article. In June this year for example, there were at least two regional high-temperature weather periods from June 14 to 18 and from June 21 to 24 in northwest region, with high temperature days reaching 9.5 a month in average, according to the meteorological administration. Meanwhile, at least 185 red alerts for high temperatures were issued across China including Xinjiang, Ningxia, Gansu and other northwest provinces on June 23 this year, according to media reports. The persistent occurrence of extreme heat can further contribute to the development of compound meteorological disasters, affecting local agricultural and industrial production, water resources, ecological environment, energy supply as well as people’s daily life.
Chen points out that realizing water-economy-ecology coordinated development and ensuring regional water and ecological security in the arid region of northwest China are the key to the building and promotion of the “Silk Road Economic Belt,” an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013. “In order to provide scientific and technological support for promoting green ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ and realizing the high-quality regional economic and social development, we need to develop scientific plans and make thorough preparations.”
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the awareness of ecological environment protection has been greatly enhanced, the level of water resources conservation, utilization and management has been continuously raised, the structure of economic and social water use has been gradually optimized, and the problem of structural water shortage has been gradually improved.
The last decade has seen great improvement in ecological environment in northwest China. Taking Xinjiang as an example, during the past 10 years, the areas of cultivated land, construction land, high-coverage grassland and water area have increased by 28.36%, 69.79%, 6.90% and 24.30%, respectively. The area of forest vegetation in Xinjiang trends to increase as well.
After analyzing the basic characteristics of water resources and ecological environment in the arid region of northwest China, the paper puts forward three suggestions on water resources utilization and ecological environment protection：
First, in view of the water security risks caused by global change and the problems of resource-based water shortage and engineering water shortage faced by the arid region of northwest China, efforts should be made to lay a solid foundation for water storage, make good use of water diversion and supplement, explore ways to increase water quantity, and optimize the water security pattern.
Second, to further improve the level of water resources management, an alternative economic development model between water resources and energy needs to be actively explored and constructed to supplement water, pump water and store energy, step up the development of clean and green water energy, and realize the coordinated development of water, energy and grain. Major water diversion and key water source projects should be promoted, and water network projects are to be facilitated to cope with the increasing extreme hydrological events caused by climate change in the future.
Third, efforts should be made to further reinforce ecological protection and restoration. For instance , to tackle serious water shortage and fragile ecological environment in the arid areas of Xinjiang, pace should be stepped up for the connectivity between rivers, lakes, reservoirs and trunks and tributaries, strengthen the closure and protection of desert-oasis transitional zones, enhance the ecological barrier function of natural vegetation in desert areas, comprehensively improve the quality of forest and grass and the carbon sink capacity of forest and grass systems in the arid region of northwest China, and provide assistance and support for the realization of the “carbon sink and carbon neutrality” goals and the promotion of “beautiful Xinjiang.”
Suggestions for NW China’s arid region in water resources and ecological environment protection
