Analysis on Superior Features and Development Value of Water Tourist Resource in Jiangsu Province of China

In view of the fact that water resource had been taken as the focus of tourism development in Jiangsu Province, the paper had analyzed superior features of water tourist resource in Jiangsu Province, and summarized geographic features and plentiful water resources in Jiangsu. It emphasized that water resource was large in amount and river flew through most cities; that water resource was widely distributed and national AAAAA and AAAA scenic areas (spots) with water resource spread all over the province; that water resource was diversified in types and it could be divided into reaches, natural lakes and pools, springs, waterfalls, river mouths and lake surfaces; that water tourist resource was high in taste, strong in function and high in overall quality; and that water resource played a distinct role in landscape structure, which could not only constitute the main feature in isolation, but also lend people the sense of beauty through multiple landscaping factors. Based on the comprehensive evaluation on superior features of water resource in Jiangsu Province, it had proposed practical value for water tourism development, which was providing reference for scientific tourism planning, offering tourists abundant tourist products, shaping tourism brand image with distinct personality, creating a new growth pole and enhancing the protection of water resource.

Carrying Capacity and Coupling Coordination of Water and Land Resources Systems in Arid and Semi-arid Areas: A Case Study of Yulin City, China

Quantitatively assessing the carrying capacity of water and land resources systems in arid and semi-arid areas is crucial for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.In this work,taking Yulin City in China as a case study and employing the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation(CRITIC)method,a modified model of coupling degree was developed to evaluate the car-rying capacity of water and land resources systems endowment and utilization,as well as their coupling coordination degree from 2013 to 2020.Our findings indicate that the water and land resources of Yulin are diminishing due to declines in agriculture,higher industrial water use,and wetland shrinkage.However,reallocating domestic water for ecological sustainability and reducing sloping farmland can mitigate this trend of decline.Temporally,as the coupling coordination between water and land resources system endowment in Yulin continuously improved,the coupling coordination between water and land resources system utilization first decreased and then in-creased with 2016 as the turning point.Spatially,the carrying capacity of water and land resources systems,the coupling coordination degree between water and land resources system endowment,and the coupling coordination degree between water and land resources system utilization in Yulin exhibited the same pattern of being higher in the six northern counties than in the six southern counties.Improving the water resources endowment is vital for the highly efficient use of water and land resources.

Climate change, water resources and sustainable development in the arid and semi-arid lands of Central Asia in the past 30 years

The countries of Central Asia are collectively known as the five "-stans": Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. In recent times, the Central Asian region has been affected by the shrinkage of the Aral Sea, widespread desertification, soil salinization, biodiversity loss, frequent sand storms, and many other ecological disasters. This paper is a review article based upon the collection, identification and collation of previous studies of environmental changes and regional developments in Central Asia in the past 30 years. Most recent studies have reached a consensus that the temperature rise in Central Asia is occurring faster than the global average. This warming trend will not only result in a higher evaporation in the basin oases, but also to a significant retreat of glaciers in the mountainous areas. Water is the key to sustainable development in the arid and semi-arid regions in Central Asia. The uneven distribution, over consumption, and pollution of water resources in Central Asia have caused severe water supply problems, which have been affecting regional harmony and development for the past 30 years. The widespread and significant land use changes in the 1990 s could be used to improve our understanding of natural variability and human interaction in the region. There has been a positive trend of trans-border cooperation among the Central Asian countries in recent years. International attention has grown and research projects have been initiated to provide water and ecosystem protection in Central Asia. However, the agreements that have been reached might not be able to deliver practical action in time to prevent severe ecological disasters. Water management should be based on hydrographic borders and ministries should be able to make timely decisions without political intervention. Fully integrated management of water resources, land use and industrial development is essential in Central Asia. The ecological crisis should provide sufficient motivation to reach a consensus on unified water management throughout the region.

FACILITATING REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED MULTI-OBJECTIVE UTILIZATION, MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE LANCANG-MEKONG RIVER BASIN

The Lancnag Mekong River is the most important international river across China and Southeast Asia, If it is developed according to 'Great Mekong Subregional Cooperation Plan' [9] prepared by ADB, the area directly affected will be up to over 2.32 million km 2, the population over 220 million, and the natural environment, and socio-economic conditions within a large area will be greatly changed. 'Agreement on Cooperation for Sustainable Development of Mekong Basin' signed by the four riparian countries along the lower Mekong River on April 5, 1995 provides a new opportunity for sustainable development of the Basin. According to preliminary analysis, if the multipurpose utilization of the water resources is the target for carrying out integrated planning and management, and the efforts are made 1) to focus on energy exploitation on the Lancang River Mainstream and the tributaries of the lower Mekong River; 2) to build gated weirs at Tonle Sam; 3) to construct spillways at the Mekong Delta; 4) to facilitate flood dykes in big cities and on both banks of the mainstream which are concentrated with population and farmland and liable to be flooded, and 5) to strengthen networks for forecasting hydrological and meteorological conditions, then all problems such as power demand, irrigation, flood, salt water intrusion as well as acid water erosion to soil could be solved without constructing large cascaded stations and dams on the lower Mekong Mainstream. This will not only avoid input of great number of fund, large scale resettlement and land inundation, but also prevent aquatic organisms living in Mekong River from being injured due to dam construction, and promote the sustainable development of the Basin.

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES OF WATER AND LAND RESOURCES IN THE HEXI REGION,CHINA

Hexi region is located in the northwest arid zone in China,being both the base of industry and agriculture,and the prop of developing northwestern China on a large scale in the next century.On the basis of the study on exploitation and utilization process of water and land resources in past 40 years,and present productivity,this paper approaches the utilization trend and development potential of water and land resources;analyses the characteristics,problems and directions of resource utilization in the future;and proposes the countermeasures of rational development of water and land resources.

THE UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCE AND THE OASIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ARID LAND—A CASE STUDY OF TURPAN BASIN

Turpan Basin is a unique geographic region in China. The topography of the Basin is closed and the climate is extremely dry. The shortage of water resource has been restricting the existence and development of the oasis in Turpan Basin. This paper briefly analyzes the characteristics of the basin's water resources, and expounds the processes of their utilization and regional development. It points out that the exploration of water resource is close to the limit and the utilization of water resource is unreasonable. So it is nonrealistic to follow the traditional exploration pattern. According to the transforming pattern between runoff and groundwater in the basin, an overall planning of the utilization of the water resource is advanced. Based on the relation between the maintenance of Aydingkol Lake and the existence of the oasis, the amount of water resource used must be controlled in order to guarantee the existence of the lake. The orientation of the utilization of water resource is to improve the management level of water resource, and to apply advanced water saving technology. Building up an economic system which can effectively use water resource is the orientation of the oasis sustainable economic development.

Benefits Evaluation of Water Resources Used for Ecosystem in Shiyang River Basin of Gansu Province

Among the numerous inland river basins in the arid northwest China,Shiyang River basin is known for its most serious water shortage that constrains its social and economic developments and for some of the worst ecological and environmental deterioration in China.The research on the value of water resources used for ecosystem is the basis for reasonable allocation of water resources between users of ecosystem and economic system.In this paper the concept of dynamic value for the ecosystem services is proposed.A modified coefficient for the ecosystem service value per unit area is proposed according to the cover degrees of biomes combined with expert consultation.Based on the developmental stage coefficient and scarcity of ecological resources,a dynamic evaluation method is proposed.The theoretical formula and simple calculation formula of the sharing benefits coefficient and benefits per unit ecological water utilization are proposed.The result shows that the benefit of unit ecological water utilization in the lower reach was greater than that in the upper reach in the Shiyang River basin.

Interactions between water-land resources and oasis urban development at the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains,Xinjiang,China

Urban development in arid and semi-arid regions is largely constrained by fragile physical environ- ments. The characteristics of an urban settlement are different from those in other regions of China. This paper analyses the coupling characteristics and spatio-temporal variations for oasis urban development and water-land resources at the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains by principal component analysis and a coupling degree model. The result shows that the degree and change in regional use of water and land resources are different among the studied cities/counties during their development. The built-up areas of these cities/counties have changed little with increasing populations and urbanization levels, which well reflects that the urban development in arid and semi-arid regions is limited by oasis areas. Per capita amount of water supplied, however, presented a trend of slowed growth with increasing levels of urbanization. Water consumption gradually increased with urban development and the improvement of people＇s living standards, accompanied by enhanced water use efficiency. The level of urbanization can be assessed through the coupling degree between oasis urban development and the use of water and land resources. A high coupling degree represents a high level of comprehensive urban devel- opment and use of water-land resources. Alternatively, a low coupling degree denotes a low level of urban devel- opment and water-land resource use.

STAGES AND POTENTIALITY OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT INARID NORTHWESTERN CHINA

The processes of water resources exploitation and utilization can be divided into three stages by water resources transformation, and the history, present situation and future trend of water resources development in piedmont areas around high mountains of arid northwestern China. The three stages are: the stage of surface water development (the first stage), the stage of comprehensive development of surface and ground water (the second stage) and the stage of economical development of water rare (the third stage). The three stages link each other and show the law and processes of water resources exploitation and utilization associated with social and technological progess. The economical water policy should run through the three stages. On this point, however, the third stage differs from the others, particularly, refering to irrigated agriculture. The third stage has more progressive significance because it breaks the traditional ideas on water resources development. According to our investigation and calculation, under present conditions of water resources development, the net used water is about 160 × 108 m3, accounting for 18% of the total water resources of northwestern China. The water resources have not ben fully develop. If the first stage is finished, the exploitable water can be increased by 91 %. After the second stage, furthermore, it can be increased by 216%.

Landscape Architecture Development Path of Water Resource-Scarcity Cities: Summary of Jinchang City's Efforts in Constructing National Garden City

Jinchang City, a city with scarce water resources, has developed through 32 years of efforts from a small town in the Gobi desert into a medium modern city, and green coverage ratio of the downtown area has risen from 2.6% before the founding of the city to 36.11%. This paper summarized the measures adopted by Jinchang City for building national garden city.

Development and Utilization of Water Resources and Countermeasures:A Case Study of Yuan'an County of Yichang City in Hubei Province

[Objective] To study current development and utilization of water resources in Yuan'an County and countermeasures. [Method] On the basis of analyzing basic characteristics of water resources in Yuan'an County as well as its current development and utilization, problems in the development and utilization of water resources in the study area were pointed out, and feasible countermeasures were proposed correspondingly. [Result] The county is endowed with rich water resources, but the overall use efficiency is low. There are many problems in the development and utilization of local water resources, such as pollution of water source, water and soil loss and so on. [Conclusion] In view of the problems, feasible suggestions were given to provide scientific support for the reasonable development and utilization of water resources in Yuan'an County.

STUDY ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF WETLAND RESOURCES IN THE USSURI /WUSULI RIVER BASIN

The Ussuri/Wusuli River basin joins the border between the Northeast region of Heilongjiang Province of China and the Far East region of Russia. The watershed consists of approximately 26 000 000 ha and the shared border stretches more than 1100 km. The Ussuri River forms part of the border between Russia and China. Two thirds of the watershed ecosystem is in Russia, one third in China. Khanka / Xingkai Lake is the border Lake of Russia and China, with the area of 4380 km2. The Ussuri / Wusuli River Basin is rich in wetland resources, including surface water resources and wetlands. There are about more than 100 rivers belonging to one and two branch rivers, wetlands are mainly distributed in the Sanjiang Plain in China, which is the largest marsh area in China, with an area of 114 million ha. Human activities and agriculture reclamation for many years have led to many environment problems: 1)decreasing of wetland area led to loss of wetland environment functions, decreasing of biodiversity and increasing the number of natural disasters such as disastrous drought and waterlogging, which affect directly sustainable utilization of resources and economical development. 2) water supply is not evenly distributed, water pollution in rivers, marshes and lakes are more serious than before. Based on above study, some suggests of sustainable development in the basin have been made, which include: 1) developing the international wetland natural reserve and domestic comprehensive protected area to prevent wetlands from destruction and disturbance by human activities, 2) strengthening the protection and management of wetlands in lake shorelines and riparian zones (rivers and streams) to prevent water quality of rivers and lakes from pollution, 3) restoring the destroyed marsh in riparian zones and the  island like forests" of wetlands 4) developing positively transnational ecological tourist trade to promote the economic development in the river basin scope, 5) developing international cooperation research to promote sustainable utilization and protection of wetland resources.

Study on Ecological Compensation Policy among the Micro Subjects on Water Energy Resources Development

The subjects of ecological compensation involve the nation, society, development enterprises of wa-ter-energy resources, as well as the location of resource itself. This paper systematically studies on how to make “water energy sources market compensation policy”, “the economic compensation policy for relevant interest subjects” and “the ecological compensation policy of basin ecological water.” So, it is necessary to exert the complementary function between market compensation and government compensation by the means of economic compensation and to establish the ecological compensation policy of basin ecological water, which is beneficial to coordinating the stakeholders’ interests of cross-region or inter-basin. And it is important and significant to establish constantly perfected ecological compensation policy among the micro subjects on water energy resources development, so as to coordinate interest relationships among various subjects and finally reach the aim of sustainable use of water energy resources and environmental protection as possible.

Water Resources of Uganda: An Assessment and Review

Water resources of a country constitute one of its vital assets that significantly contribute to the socio-economic development and poverty eradication. However, this resource is unevenly distributed in both time and space. The major source of water for these resources is direct rainfall, which is recently experiencing variability that threatens the distribution of resources and water availability in Uganda. The annual rainfall received in Uganda varies from 500 mm to 2800 mm, with an average of 1180 mm received in two main seasons. The spatial distribution of rainfall has resulted into a network of great rivers and lakes that possess big potential for development. These resources are being developed and depleted at a fast rate, a situation that requires assessment to establish present status of water resources in the country. The paper reviews the characteristics, availability, demand and importance of present day water resources in Uganda as well as describing the various issues, challenges and management of water resources of the country.

Optimization of water-urban-agricultural-ecological land use pattern:A case study of Guanzhong Basin in the southern Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province,China

Extensive land use will cause many environmental problems.It is an urgent task to improve land use efficiency and optimize land use patterns.In recent years,due to the flow decrease,the Guanzhong Basin in Shaanxi Province is confronted with the problem of insufficient water resources reserve.Based on the Coupled Ground-Water and Surface-Water Flow Model(GSFLOW),this paper evaluates the response of water resources in the basin to changes in land use patterns,optimizes the land use pattern,improves the ecological and economic benefits,and the efficiency of various spatial development,providing a reference for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.The research shows that the land use pattern in the Guanzhong Basin should be further optimized.Under the condition of considering ecological and economic development,the percentage change of the optimum area of farmland,forest,grassland,water area,and urban area compared with the current land use area ratio is+2.3,+2.4,-6.1,+0.2,and+1.6,respectively.The economic and ecological value of land increases by14.1%and 3.1%,respectively,and the number of water resources can increase by 2.5%.

An Integrated Approach to Evaluate Benefits and Costs of Wastewater and Solid Waste Management to Improve the Living Environment: The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia

Absence of wastewater and solid waste facilities impacts the quality of life of many people in developing countries. Implementation of these facilities will benefit public health, water quality, livelihoods and property value. Additional benefits may result from the potential recovery of valuable resources from wastewater and solid waste, such as compost, energy, phosphorus, plastics and paper. Improving water quality through implementation of wastewater and solid waste interventions requires, among others, an analysis of i) sources of pollution, ii) mitigating measures and resource recovery potentials and their effect on water quality and health, and iii) benefits and costs of interventions. We present an integrated approach to evaluate costs and benefits of domestic and industrial wastewater and solid waste interventions. To support a policy maker in formulating a cost and environmentally effective approach, we quantified the impact of these interventions on 1) water quality improvement, 2) resource recovery potential, and 3) monetized benefits versus costs. The integration of technical, hydrological, agronomical and socio-economic elements to derive these three tangible outputs in a joint approach is a novelty. The approach is demonstrated using the heavily polluted Indonesian Upper Citarum River in the Bandung region. Domestic interventions, applying simple (anaerobic filter) technologies, were economically most attractive with a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 3.2, but could not reach target water quality standards. To approach the target water quality, both advanced domestic (nutrient removal systems) and industrial wastewater treatment interventions were required, leading to a BCR of 2. We showed that benefits from selling recovered resources represent here an additional driver for improving water quality and outweigh the additional costs for resource recovery facilities. While included benefits captured some of the major items, these may have been undervalued. Based on these findings, water quality interventions justify their costs and are socially and economically beneficial.