Water Conservation In China Research Articles

High Quality and Sustainable Development of Soil and water Conservation

Water and soil loss influences the soil and water resources of terrestrial ecosystem, ecological environment and ultimately the quality of life and high-quality development. China is the most serious soil erosion country in the world, especially in the Loess Plateau. After years of efforts, soil and water conservation in China has developed rapidly, and the surface runoff and soil loss in soil and water loss areas have decreased rapidly. However, with the increase in population and economic development, people’s living standards have been gradually improved, and higher requirements for soil and water conservation was put forward. However, the soil and water protection benefits cannot meet the needs of people’s good life for soil and water protection in the new era. In order to solve the problem; the high quality and sustainable management of soil and water conservation has been put forward. The results shows that the new and higher goal of soil and water conservation is to carry out the high quality and sustainable development of soil and water conservation, and obtain the maximum effect to meet the growing needs of people for soil and water protection and for a better life in the new era. The theoretical basis for high quality and sustainable development of soil and water conservation is the new theory of soil and water conservation. It includes that the soil and water loss is the process of transferring soil and water resources from one place to another; the impact of soil and water loss on the high-quality development of society includes positive and negative aspects; Soil and water conservation refer to use some methods or measures to reduce soil erosion to soil allowable loss. At the same time, make efficient use of the soil and water resources and minimize the loss of life and property; The high quality and sustainable management of soil and water conservation measures must be made to obtain the maximum effect and develop the economy and raise people’s income and meet the need of people’s requirements for soil and water conservation for a better life. The practice proof the theory is good.

Spatiotemporal variations and driving forces analysis of ecosystem water conservation in coastal areas of China

China's coastal zones, characterized by their ecological vulnerability and significant economic growth, demand effective water conservation management. Such management is pivotal not only for safeguarding water resources but also for ensuring ecological stability and promoting sustainable socio-economic development. In this study, based on the water balance model, the spatiotemporal dynamics of water conservation in the ecosystems of China's coastal areas from 2001 to 2021 were characterized by three dimensions: overall, zonal, and raster. The results show that: ① the distribution pattern of ecosystem water conservation in China's coastal areas from 2001 to 2021 is “high in the south and low in the north”, with a total amount of 117.726 billion m3/a, with the Pearl River Delta and Southwest Coastal Areas as the main high-value areas, and the overall water conservation and its capacity show a “ decreasing-rising-decreasing” pattern. The overall water conservation and its capacity show a fluctuating trend of “falling-rising-falling”. Additionally, water conservation capacity varied significantly among different vegetation types and across marine-terrestrial gradients, with the highest capacity recorded in evergreen coniferous forests and areas situated 140 km from the coastline. ②From 2001 to 2021, the water conservation capacity of China's coastal ecosystems exhibited significant temporal patterns and spatial differentiation along the marine-terrestrial gradient. The research suggests that these patterns of change are intricately linked with the stages of regional development strategies and ecological construction within these coastal zones. ③In China's coastal areas, a mere 11.63 % of the rasters showed significant changes in water conservation, dominated by highly significant and significant increases, mainly in the Southeast Coastal Area, the Pearl River Delta and Southwest Coastal Areas, and the Bohai Bay Coastal Area. This included areas such as the Yangtze River Delta silty coastal plain area, the Bohai Bay silty coastal plain area, the sandy silt coastal hilly terrace area of western Guangdong and Guinan, and other China coastal protection forest system construction projects. ④ Water conservation function within China's coastal ecosystems demonstrates a profound interconnection with both natural and socio-economic determinants. Natural elements such as elevation, slope, and precipitation positively correlate with water conservation metrics. Conversely, evapotranspiration and temperature are inversely related to conservation outcomes. In terms of social factors, water conservation has a significant negative correlation with GDP density and population density, with the highest negative correlation with the GDP2 density.

Research on the Training Approach and Practical Ability of Master of Civil Engineering and Water Conservancy in China

Chinese colleges and universities cultivate masters in civil engineering and water conservancy to meet the needs of the social construction industry for high-quality talents. Therefore, this paper expounds the current problems faced by colleges and universities in cultivating civil and water conservancy masters: weak independent learning ability of students, lack of improvement in the cultivation system of colleges and universities, weak teaching staff in colleges and universities, and single assessment methods for students, and then analyzes the lack of practical ability of civil and water conservancy masters. The factors are influenced by external factors and internal factors. Finally, the measures to improve the training methods and practical ability of civil and water conservancy masters include: strengthening the systematic practical ability training of colleges and universities, deepening school-enterprise training cooperation, and increasing the introduction of high-quality talents. Construct a multi-level training system and form cooperative teaching among different universities. In order to provide a reference for the cultivation of the practical ability of the master's degree in civil engineering and water conservancy in colleges and universities.

Landscape Pattern Vulnerability of the Eastern Hengduan Mountains, China and Response to Elevation and Artificial Disturbance

The eastern Hengduan Mountains are located in the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Sichuan Basin and are important for global biodiversity and water conservation in China. However, their landscape pattern vulnerability index (LVI) and its influencing factors have not been systematically studied. Therefore, the spatial distribution patterns, LVI, and the landscape artificial disturbance intensity (LHAI) of Ganzi Prefecture were analyzed using ArcGIS software based on landscape data and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) digital elevation data. Then, the LVI response to LHAI and elevation was discussed. The results showed that Ganzi Prefecture was dominated by low- and middle-LVI areas, together accounting for 56.45% of the total area. LVI values were highest in the northern regions, followed by the southern and eastern regions. Batang and Derong counties had the highest LVI values. Most areas in Ganzi Prefecture had very low- or low-LHAI values, accounting for 81.48% of the total area, whereas high-LHAI areas accounted for 2.32% of the total area. Both the LVI and LHAI of Ganzi Prefecture had clustered distributions. Spearman analysis indicated that when elevation exceeded 4500 m, it was the most important factor affecting LVI and LHAI. In the range of 4500–5400 m, the relationship between elevation and LVI shifted from a weak positive correlation to a negative correlation, whereas LHAI was positively correlated with elevation. In addition, LVI also responded significantly to LHAI. However, the relationship kept changing as elevation increased. Hence, the ecological vulnerability of high elevation areas above 4500 m deserves greater attention. In addition, pasture areas in the upstream reaches of the Yalong River in the northern region, the coastal area in the downstream reaches of the Jinsha River in the southern region, and the eastern mining area, should be prioritized for protection and restoration. This research provides a basis for appropriate environmental planning mechanisms and policy protections at the landscape level.

Environmental Concern, Environmental Knowledge, and Residents’ Water Conservation Behavior: Evidence from China

Water conservation represents a typical green behavior and a sustainable lifestyle. Understanding residents’ water conservation behaviors is a prerequisite for promoting more water savers. Using the snowball sampling technique, this study conducted a survey on a sample of 532 Chinese residents to investigate their water conservation behavior, i.e., reusing water in daily life. This study aims for examining psychological and knowledge factors on residents’ water conservation behavior in China using binary logistic regression. Results show that over half of the respondents (54%) have the habit of reusing water in their daily lives. Residents with stronger environmental concern and higher level of environmental knowledge are more likely to exhibit household water conservation in China. Additionally, environmental knowledge plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between environmental concern and water conservation behavior. Environmental knowledge serves as a catalyzer that facilitates the transformation from residents’ environmental concern into real water conservation behavior. Among the demographic variables, only income exerts significantly negative effect on residents’ water conservation behavior, and other variables (e.g., age and gender) fail to exert any influence on this behavior. This study contributes to the literature on environmental psychology and concludes with implications for water resource management.

基于水源涵养参照系的中国生态系统水源涵养功能优劣评估

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于水源涵养参照系的中国生态系统水源涵养功能优劣评估 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202107161912 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家重点研究计划（2016YFC0500204）；中国科学院战略性先导专项（XDA20010202）；广西科技重大专项（桂科AA20161002-3） Evaluation of water conservation of China's ecosystems based on benchmark Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: the National Key Research & Development Program of China (2016YFC0500204) 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:为解决水源涵养优劣评估结果空间可比性差的问题，在拟合1990-2018年中国生态系统水源涵养动态数据基础上，构建基于参照系的水源涵养功能优劣等级评估方法体系，从全国和分区尺度揭示中国生态系统水源涵养功能优劣格局与演变规律，阐明该方法的优越性。结果表明：（1）2015年中国全国生态系统水源涵养功能以差级别占主导，约占总面积的44.8%，主要分布于西北、青藏高原、华北平原和东北平原。1990-2018年中国生态系统水源涵养功能中等级面积极显著降低，差等级面积显著增加，其余类型呈波动变化。（2）各气候区生态系统水源涵养优劣等级构成因气候、生态系统构成等差异而不同，一般为气候区愈湿润，其优良等级比重愈高。1990-2018年，共有10个气候区的优、良、中、低或差等级面积发生了显著变化，主要为优、良、中等级以显著降低为主，差等级全显著增加。（3）与其他方法相比，基于参照系的生态系统水源涵养功能优劣评估法因引入分区分类评估思想，评估结果更科学，空间可比性显著提高。 Abstract:Water conservation was one of the important ecological service function of terrestrial ecosystems, which covered the hydrological processes of water in vegetation, soil, atmosphere and animal systems. the change in water conservation of ecosystems was not only directly affected the regional ecosystem status (e.g., regional climate hydrology, vegetation and soil conditions), but also restricted the regional social, economic and ecological sustainable development. Therefore, the evaluation of regional ecosystem water conservation function has become an important part of ecological services research. Although there were many achievements in the researches on the conception, calculation of function and value, and transfer of of ecosystem water conservation, and its ecological compensation across regions. There was still no recognized method to evaluate the level of ecosystem water conservation function, therefore, there were no comparison between most of the previous studies on the level of water conservation function. Because the water conservation calculated based on water balance method was mainly restricted by meteorological conditions, the comparability of the level of water conservation function in different periods were also lower, all those factors greatly reduced the application value of the previous evaluation on the level of regional ecosytem water conservation function. In order to solve the problem of poor comparison in the pros and cons evaluation of water conservation, the evaluation method system of grade of water resource conservation function was constructed based on the water conservation benchmark after fitting the dynamic data of China's ecosystem water conservation from 1990 to 2018, and determining the water conservation benchmark of each evaluation unit. Then the pattern and evolution of the grade of water conservation function in the Chinese ecosystems were revealed on the national and regional scales, and its advantages and disadvantages were also illustrated. The main results were as follows:(1) the grade of water conservation of China's national ecosystem was dominated by poor grade, accounting for 44.8% of the total area, and mainly distributed in northwestern China, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, North China Plain and Northeast China Plain in 2015. The area of the medium grade of water conservation in China's ecosystem decreased significantly from 1990 to 2018, while the area of poor grade of water conservation in China's ecosystem increased significantly, and the areas of the others grades showed no significant regular fluctuations. (2) The grade composition of ecosystem water conservation was different between climate zones because of the differences in climate, ecosystem composition, human disturbance, and so on. Generally, the wetter the climate zone was, the higher proportion of the excellent grades was. There were 10 climate zones which area of the excellent, good, low, or poor grade of water conservation significantly changed from 1990 to 2018. The main performances were that the areas of excellent, good, and medium grades of ecosystem water conservation were significantly reduced, while the areas of poor grade were all increased. (3) Compared with the other two methods, the evaluation method of the ecosystem water conservation based of water conservation benchmark was more comparable and scientific due to the introduction of the research idea of subarea and classification. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Comprehensive analysis and application of Chinese Cyprinidae swimming ability

该研究利用学术论文数据库筛选出中国鲤科鱼类游泳能力相关论文115篇，并用Origin软件进行了数据统计分析，旨在归纳和分析中国鲤科鱼类游泳能力并建立估算方法，可为正处于规划阶段和可行性研究阶段的过鱼设施流速设计提供依据.结果表明：（1）鱼类游泳速度与鱼体长度具有显著的非线性相关关系，据此建立了一系列幂函数经验公式，可为游泳能力和过鱼设施研究及设计提供依据.（2）依据所得到的经验公式和协方差分析可知，喜流水型鲤科鱼类的游泳能力>广适型>喜静水型.根据该研究得到的经验公式并结合行业规范和文献资料，对正处于规划阶段和可行性研究阶段过鱼设施流速设计的建议如下：西南地区以裂腹鱼成鱼为主要过鱼对象的过鱼设施进鱼口吸引流速范围为0.61~0.76 m/s，通道内最高流速阈值为1.28 m/s；长江中下游以四大家鱼成鱼为主要过鱼对象的进鱼口吸引流速范围为0.76~0.93 m/s，通道内最高流速阈值为1.49 m/s，以四大家鱼幼鱼为主要过鱼对象的进鱼口吸引流速范围为0.42~0.62 m/s，通道内最高流速阈值可为0.82 m/s.;In order to provide an estimation method and basis for the fish swimming ability and for the flow velocity design of fish passing facilities in the planning stage and feasibility stage, by searching the papers related to the swimming ability of Chinese Cyprinidae from the internationally recognized academic paper network database, we selected 115 and then compared them with the critical swimming speed, burst speed and total length as describing indexes by using software Origin 9.0. Results indicated:(1) The relationship between fish swimming speed and fish length is allometric rather than isometric. It is recommended that the power function can be used to fit the correlation between fish swimming speed and total length. (2) Based on the empirical formula and the covariance analysis, swimming ability of rheophilic Cyprinidae > swimming ability of semi-rheophilic Cyprinidae > swimming ability of limnophilic Cyprinidae. According to the Design code for fish passage facilities in hydropower projects in China, Guideline for fishway in water conservancy in China and literature references about fish passage facility design, as well as the empirical formula in this study, the flows for fish passing facilities in the planning and feasibility stages in southwest China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were recommended as follows. In the southwest China, the attraction flow velocity range of the fish passing facility entrance with adult Schizothoracinae fishes as the target species is 0.61-0.76 m/s, and the maximum velocity of the passage and pool is 1.28 m/s. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the attraction flow velocity range of the fish passing facility entrance with adult four major Chinese carps as the target species is 0.76-0.93 m/s, and the maximum velocity of the passage and pool is 1.49 m/s. The attraction flow velocity range of the fish passing facility entrance with juvenile four major Chinese carps as the target species is 0.42-0.62 m/s, and the maximum velocity of the passage and pool is 0.82 m/s.

Tropical Pacific Forcing of Hydroclimate in the Source Area of the Yellow River

AbstractThe source area of the Yellow River (SAYR) contributes over one third of the basin discharge and bears disproportionate significance to water conservation in China. Hydroclimate changes in the SAYR, therefore, have potential far‐reaching socioeconomic consequences. However, the major drivers of the SAYR hydroclimate remain poorly understood, largely due to limited hydroclimatic records. Here, we analyzed the organic, carbonate contents and stable isotopes of 14C‐dated sediments from Ngoring Lake to reconstruct regional hydroclimate spanning the last ∼2,000 years. The results suggest that the SAYR experienced a near‐millennium‐long drying trend since the Medieval Warm Period, regardless of temperature changes and meltwater inputs. This trend, coherent with hydroclimate records from north China, is likely forced by a reduction in tropical Pacific zonal sea surface temperature gradient. Furthermore, our records have significant implications for other parts of the Tibetan Plateau that will likely develop similar hydroclimate conditions to the SAYR in the future.

A Study on Drivers of Water Consumption in China From a Complex Network Perspective

Water consumption has been one of the most important topics in the field of environment and economy. Even though the driving factors of water consumption have been well studied, it is still a daunting task to reveal the influence of the status of provinces in the entire supply chain. By combining the multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model and complex network theory, an inter-provincial virtual water transfer (V WT) network was constructed to analyze the overall structural characteristics of the network model and identify the structural roles of each province. The constructed inter-provincial V WT network exhibited the characteristics of a small-world network, that is, virtual water can be easily transferred from one province to another. Moreover, network analysis revealed that provinces with different positions in the V WT network played discrepant structural roles. Panel regression analysis was further used to quantify the impact of provincial structural roles on their water consumption. The results showed that water consumption in China largely depended on some structural role characteristics in the V WT network. Out-degree and out-strength characterizing the ability of direct exporting virtual water exerted significant positive influences, while in-closeness featuring the indirect virtual water importing rate had a significant negative effect on water usage. This indicated that adjusting the uneven provincial consumption structure, the direct production demand of downstream provinces and the indirect production activities in the supply chain would help reduce water consumption. Therefore, to come true the goal of water conservation in China, it would be necessary to improve the trade structure between direct and indirect exporters and importers in the entire supply chain.

Evaluation of soil and water conservation performance under promotion incentive based on stochastic frontier function model

With the increase of investment in soil and water conservation in China, its implementation has attracted much attention. There have been studies on soil erosion control and economic loss in previous studies, but the performance of soil and water conservation has rarely been evaluated by stochastic frontier function model. Based on the stochastic frontier function model and considering the change of local environmental managers, this study combined with the data of soil and water statistics to conduct time series analysis, and found that the environmental management under the pressure of promotion will improve the efficiency of water and land resources management.

Understanding and thinking of intelligent water conservancy in China under the background of informatization

In the new era of rapid development of information technology, intelligent water conservancy has become the inevitable trend of the development of water conservancy industry. This paper describes the development and status quo of smart water conservancy in China in recent years, analyzes and discusses the existing problems, and puts forward some suggestions for the corresponding problems, so as to provide a certain reference for the follow-up development of smart water conservancy in China.

Ecological Construction Mode of Soil and Water Conservation in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area

The Three Gorges Reservoir Area is an important ecological barrier and an important area of water conservation in China. Due to natural and man-made factors, the regional urbanization process is accompanied by soil erosion. In recent years, by actively implementing measures such as tree planting and afforestation, water and soil conservation projects, the forest coverage rate in the Chongqing Three Gorges Reservoir area has increased significantly, and soil erosion has been initially controlled. But the task of environmental protection in the Three Gorges Reservoir area is still arduous. This research analyzed the causes of soil erosion caused by the urban process, by collected and combed the data of soil erosion in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of Chongqing over the years. The causes of soil erosion in the Three Gorges Reservoir area caused by the urbanization process were deeply analyzed, we proposed to improve legislation and supervision; strengthen publicity and education of soil and water conservation; adopt new technology and technology and other governance countermeasures. The Three Gorges Reservoir is an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The control of soil erosion in the area has important ecological and social benefits for protecting the ecological environment of the Yangtze River Basin in China.

Can Water Rights Trading Scheme Promote Regional Water Conservation in China? Evidence from a Time-Varying DID Analysis

Using the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 1998 to 2017, we adopt a time-varying difference-in-differences (time-varying DID) model to estimate the impact of water rights trading scheme on regional water consumption. The results show that water rights trading can significantly promote water conservation in the pilot regions by 3.1% compared to that in the non-pilot regions, and a series of robustness tests show consistent results. Policy effects are mainly driven by improving water-use efficiency and adjusting water structure; that is, by transferring water resources from the agricultural sector to the other sectors, agricultural water efficiency is improved and water conflict among sectors is alleviated; thus, water saving is achieved. In addition, by constructing two indexes of regional water pressure and tradable water resources, our heterogeneity analysis shows that water rights trading performs better in areas with high water pressure and large tradable water resources. Under the high pressure of large water use and low water endowment, water rights trading will evidently reduce water consumption more so than in the low-pressure regions, and with water rights trading, it is hard to achieve a policy effect in regions without sufficient tradable water resources. This paper provides important policy implications for China for further promoting the water rights trading scheme in the field of resource conservation.

New Theory of Soil and Water Conservation Conservation

Water and soil loss affects the carbon and nitrogen cycles of terrestrial ecosystems, forest vegetation ecosystem products and services, and ultimately the quality of life and sustainable development of the public. China has the most serious soil erosion in the world, notably on the Loess Plateau. After years of efforts, soil and water conservation in China has developed rapidly, the surface runoff and soil loss in soil and water loss areas have decreased rapidly, and people’s living standards have gradually improved. With these improved living standards, people have higher requirements for soil and water conservation. However, soil and water conservation lacks scientifi c theoretical guidance. In this paper, through comprehensive analysis of relevant literature, a new theory of soil and water conservation is proposed. The results shows that soil and water losses refer to the process of transferring soil and water resources from one place to another, and the consequences of these losses can be divided into positive and negative effects. Soil and water conservation is not only the use of some methods or measures to reduce soil erosion to soil allowable loss requirements, but also to make efficient use of soil and water resources. The construction standard of soil and water conservation measures must be based on the allowable amount of soil erosion and be applied using spatially optimal allocation, and the work of soil and water conservation should ensure regional ecological security and realize the sustainable development of soil and water conservation.

Regions and Their Typical Paradigms for Soil and Water Conservation in China

China is experiencing conflicts between its large population and scarce arable land, and between a demand for high productivity and the severe soil erosion of arable land. Since 1949, China has committed to soil and water conservation (SWC), for which eight regions and 41 subregions have been developed to improve the environment and increase land productivity. To obtain information from the regional planning and strategies for SWC and to explore whether SWC practices simultaneously contribute to soil conservation, ecosystem functioning, and the livelihoods of local farmers, and to summarize the successful experiences of various SWC paradigms with distinct characteristics and mechanisms of soil erosion, this paper systematically presents seven SWC regions (excluding the Tibetan Plateau region) and 14 typical SWC paradigms, focusing on erosion mechanisms and the key challenges or issues in the seven regions as well as on the core problems, main objectives, key technologies, and the performance of the 14 typical paradigms. In summary, the 14 typical SWC paradigms successfully prevent and control local soil erosion, and have largely enhanced, or at least do not harm, the livelihoods of local farmers. However, there remain many challenges and issues on SWC and socioeconomic development that need to be addressed in the seven SWC regions. China, thus, still has a long way to go in successfully gaining the win-win objective of SWC and human aspects of development.

The impact of soil and water resource conservation on agricultural production- an analysis of the agricultural production performance in Zhejiang, China

Water and soil resource are fundamental natural resources and one of the determinant factors of the ecological environment. Soil erosion not only affects economic development, but also triggers the occurrence of natural disasters that threaten people's property and lives. Therefore, it is necessary to take various and effective measures and technologies to protect water and soil resources, to promote rapid and stable economic development, and to protect people's livelihood. This paper explores the impact of related policies on soil and water conservation in China in recent years on domestic agricultural development, and analyzes the effects of investment in soil and water conservation and construction on agricultural production in 11 cities in Zhejiang Province, from 2007 to 2016. The empirical results show that the performance of soil and water conservation construction in Zhejiang over the years fell in the range between 0.4 and 0.6, and the overall efficiency value and productivity changes began to decline after the year of 2015. Secondly, mixed cross-sectional data analysis and panel data analysis showed that the performance of soil and water conservation construction had a significantly positive impact on the agricultural outputs (log (Output1)) in each city.

New patterns in China’s water footprint: Analysis of spatial and structural transitions from a regional perspective

Abstract China faces a major challenge to support the operation and development of an enormous economy with limited water resources. Decoding the way that the final demand influences water consumption patterns is helpful for understanding the discrepancy between water supply and demand. Especially in the current time, when China has experienced socioeconomic transition and its government has proposed a series of water conservation policies over the years, exploring the transition in the water consumption pattern is necessary for further water conservation in China. Meanwhile, there exist distinct economic levels and stages of development among provinces, making it necessary to develop more refined water management strategies in the various provinces. This study comprehensively investigates the trend, spatial distribution and structure of the water footprint in mainland China. Furthermore, it explores the effects of socioeconomic factors on transitions in water footprint patterns with the aid of multi-regional input–output analysis, structural decomposition analysis, and linear regression. The results show that the water footprints of almost all the provinces were decoupled from economic growth from 2007 to 2012. Several northern provinces dramatically increased their water footprints, further enlarging the difference between north and south. The north also showed a wider urban–rural gap in per capita water footprint than did the south. From the viewpoint of structural transitions, household consumption (as the primary contributor) remained stable while an obvious increase in the water footprint was induced by fixed capital formation, in which agriculture and strategic emerging manufacturing played important roles. From the perspective of driving forces, water intensity improvement and changes in the final demand structure saved water. However, these effects were counteracted by the change in the final demand level and the composition of the final products. By identifying China’s water footprint patterns and its transitions, our results clarify China’s strategic water demand pattern and provide refined insights for future water conservation.

Index System Research on Environmental Impact Assessment of Ecological Project in Xishui River

The problems were analyzed about the environmental impact in the construction projects of water conservancy in China. Some relevant data and relevant guidelines were combined with the actual work which were referred to several environmental impact assessment reports. An index system was proposed about environmental impact assessment of ecological improvement project in Xishui River.

The influence of silviculture investment in fixed assets on forest water conservation in China

Abstract Forests play an important role in water conservation. It is important to study the relationship between forest water conservation (FWC) and forestry investment. Based on official statistics and ecological network observation data in China from 1999 to 2013, this paper for the first time uses correlation analysis and regression analysis methods to analyze the relationship between FWC and forest silviculture investment in fixed assets (FSIFA). Results show that FWC and FSIFA have a strong correlation and a strong influence, correlation coefficient is around 0.96. The amount of annual forest water conservation is increased with an increase in investment in fixed assets. The study also found that FSIFA affecting annual FWC lags more than 1 year, showing that FSIFA cannot play a role in water conservation immediately. The research also discussed other affecting factors on FWC, such as forest coverage rate, economic development level and forest quality improvement, etc. Their effects were also found to lag 1–5 years. Finally, the paper predicts the amount of annual FWC from 2014 to 2020 and gives some suggestions to strengthen investment in forest fixed assets and improve management of forest resources so as to promote the development of benefits of FWC.

Evaluation of Regionalization of Soil and Water Conservation in China

This paper evaluates the regionalization of soil and water conservation in China, decades after its widespread implementation across the country. The authors mainly address two questions. First, to what extent could achievements in soil erosion and water management be attributed to regionalization? Statistics and cases show that enhancement of research on soil erosion and ecology, popularization of technologies and mathematical methods and more complete databases are the main improvements to theoretical research; the distribution of region-specific measures and monitoring sites and the development of a responsibility system are the main impacts on practice. Second, is there any weakness to regionalization? Econometric and management methods are currently not well integrated into the process of regionalization; indicators used for division lack standardization, thus weakening the accuracy of regionalization; also, there are limits to its implementation. Using scenario analysis, the authors discuss the possibility of involving economics and management science in the process of regionalization and the approach to combine qualitative analysis with quantitative analysis, while also arguing the importance of establishing an effective cooperation mechanism between different government departments and between government and actors. For government, the evaluation could be helpful to recognize the success, strengths and weaknesses of regionalization of soil and water in China and hence to take further steps to formulate region-specific policies dealing with complex environmental and economic problems in different regions.