Ecological flow is an important basis for maintaining the structure and function of river ecosystems, and ensuring the sustainable development of economies and societies in river basins. In order to solve the problems of unclear concepts of ecological flow, difficulty in adapting to dynamic changes in demands, and the hydrological conditions and poor operability of calculated results of a practical application, a variable interval analysis method (VIAM) was proposed to calculate the ecological flow. The method comprehensively considered a variety of variable factors, such as spatial–temporal scale changes, hydrological condition changes, ecological service object changes, and calculation method changes. On the basis of a relatively fixed ecological base flow, a variable lifting amount was added to determine the ecological flow, and the ecological flow was a variable interval. Taking the Wei River as an example, the VIAM was validated and applied. With the support of a knowledge visualization integrated platform, the ecological flow simulation system of the Wei River was constructed. The results show that: (1) the VIAM makes the ecological flow calculation more scientific and reasonable, and the ecological flow of the Wei River from the upper reaches to the lower reaches increases gradually under the influence of water inflow, sewage discharge, and erosion and deposition of sediment, and the annual total water demand of the upper limit of ecological flow in a dry year is 1.04 billion m3, 1.63 billion m3, 2.29 billion m3, 4.09 billion m3, and 4.66 billion m3; (2) the variable interval is used to describe the ecological flow, which has strong applicability and operability; (3) the simulation system can quickly adapt to the demand changes in practical application, and provide visual decision support for managers. The VIAM provides new ideas and references for comprehensively promoting the control of the ecological flow.
In traditional ecological operation, it is difficult to coordinate the balance among the interests of stakeholders, and stakeholders find it difficult to accept the operation scheme. To address these problems, this study proposed a method of multi-stakeholder coordinated operation of reservoir (MSCOR). By comprehensively considering the interest demands of stakeholders, the multi-stakeholder interval coordination mechanism (MSICM) for reservoir operation was established. The multi-stakeholder coordinated operation model (MSCOM) was constructed. The multi-stakeholder solution algorithm based on the MSICM, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II, and the approach of successive elimination of alternative schemes based on the k-order and p-degree of efficiency (MSIC-NSGA-II-SEABODE) were applied to solve the MSCOR problem. The coordination mechanism, model construction, multi-stakeholder optimization, and multi-attribute decision making were coupled to establish a multi-stakeholder coordinated operation method, comprising the whole process of mechanism–modeling–optimization–decision making. Taking Baojixia Reservoir as an example, the performance of the coordinated operation method was compared with that of the traditional optimal operation method, and the relationship between the irrigation benefits and ecological benefits of the reservoir was explored. The results show that: (1) On the premise of the same satisfaction degree of basic irrigation interests, the ecological AAPFD value of coordinated operation decreased by 0.184, 0.469, and 0.886 in a normal year, dry year, and extraordinary dry year, respectively. The effect of coordinated operation on balancing various stakeholders was more obvious with the decrease in water inflow. (2) The MSICM ensures that the multi-stakeholder operation of the reservoir conforms to the principles of comprehensiveness, balance, and sustainability. (3) The coordination scheme obtained by the MSIC-NSGA-II-SEABODE algorithm is more reasonable and feasible. The research results provide a new idea and method to address the MSCOR problem.
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