西北干旱区生态需水研究

Study on Ecological Water Demand in Arid Area of Northwestern China

西北干旱区是水资源稀缺和生态环境相对脆弱的区域。以人类需求为中心的传统水资源开发利用及评价忽视了水资源与生态环境系统之间的关系,引发了众多的生态环境问题。日益恶化的生态环境使得生态需水量受到广泛关注,生态需水量研究由此成为干旱区生态水文学研究新的增长点。文章在综述国内外生态需水研究现状及其面临挑战的基础上,分析西北干旱区水资源转化特点,结合Falkenmark水资源分类,突出生态需水在水分流中的地位,提出保障生态需水的策略,即:①生态环境稳定性界定;②绿水的保护与高效利用;③虚拟水战略,旨在为平衡人类需水与自然需水提供重要的理论基础。

Socioeconomic development has been accompanied by expanding environmental degradation in northwestern China where water is scarce for climatic reasons. Water is a significant constraint on economic devel opment and eco-environment protection. The conventional approach to meeting water-use needs has focused on human water demand. The ecological water requirement has been neglected, which has resulted in many problems in this region. To maintain sustainable development in arid area of northwestern China, water resource management will not only have to incorporate straightforward technological efforts but must also respond to the problems and benefits caused by the evident links between land use and water, between upstream and downstream regions, and between water and ecosystems. As attention has turned increasingly to eco-nvironmental security, a better understanding of ecological water demand is required. This is what this approach is all about. Based of the overview of the progresses and challenges of ecological water demand approach, this paper addressed the function of ecological water in water cycle in the study area. To balance water for humans and nature and secure the ecological water demand, some strategies have been suggested including potential vegetation prediction, productivity of green water increase and virtual water strategic application.