Dynamic Assessment and Sustainability Strategies of Ecological Security in the Irtysh River Basin of Xinjiang, China

Abstract

The drylands of China are extensive, and they are home to more than one-third of the country's population. However, the watershed territories of the drylands, where the majority of human activities are concentrated have long experienced strained human-land relationships, culminating in ecological security concerns. Correspondingly, it is essential to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the ecological security of dryland watersheds and to identify the key factors influencing ecological security in order to formulate strategies that ensure the sustainability of drylands. Premised on the Driving-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model, this study developed an ecological security index and applied it to the Irtysh River Basin of Xinjiang, China, from 2000 to 2020. The obstacle degree model was applied to reveal the obstacles in two dimensions: criterion level and indicator level. The findings suggested that the ecological security comprehensive index in the Irtysh River Basin has increased significantly from 2000 to 2020, irrespective of the fact that it decreased during the study period and then increased. The ecological security level changed from 'critically safe' in 2000 to 'general safety' in 2020, with the state subsystem and pressure subsystem becoming ecological security weaknesses. The primary factors influencing the ecological security of the study area were water consumption, the area of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation, the proportion of wetland area, vegetation coverage, and livestock population. The ecological security of different counties in the basin varies greatly, whereas the factors that influence ecological security showed both similarities and differences among the counties. In light of on the findings, we proposed that future strategies for ecological security enhancement should concentrate on enacting the policy of localizing spatial differentiation, optimizing industrial structure, strengthening scientific and technological support in the field of water conservation, bolstering the treatment capacity of environmental facilities, and implementing the Mountains-Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands System to support the sustainable development of dryland watersheds.

Assessment of Crop Water Footprint and Actual Agricultural Water Consumption in Arid Inland Regions: A Case Study of Aksu Region

“…Agricultural water use is the main disturbance behavior in the development and utilization of water resources and has a significant impact on ecosystems [1,2]. Scientifically quantifying agricultural water use is essential for the development, utilization, and rational allocation of water resources [3].…”

A Comprehensive Assessment of the Ecological State of the Transboundary Irtysh River (Kazakhstan, Central Asia)

“…As mentioned above, there are currently only two small villages in the Kazakh part of the Black Irtysh floodplain, and their influence on the river ecosystem can be assessed as weak. At the same time, the Chinese part of the Black Irtysh basin is densely populated; industry and agriculture are developed here [57]. Thus, the water quality of this section of the Irtysh River is determined mainly by the transboundary transport of pollutants from the territory of the People's Republic of China.…”

Assessing Land Resource Carrying Capacity in China’s Main Grain-Producing Areas: Spatial–Temporal Evolution, Coupling Coordination, and Obstacle Factors

“…Population growth and economic development are the most fundamental drivers [41], because a growing population and economy lead to increasing demand and consumption of land resources [33,42]. The natural population growth rate and urbanization rate are commonly used to measure population growth [43][44][45]. GDP growth rate, GDP per capita, and share of tertiary industry could be used to measure economic development [43][44][45][46].…”

“…The natural population growth rate and urbanization rate are commonly used to measure population growth [43][44][45]. GDP growth rate, GDP per capita, and share of tertiary industry could be used to measure economic development [43][44][45][46]. In addition, according to Gao et al (2022) and Fan et al (2023), the value of agricultural output per capita, livestock and poultry population per capita, and value of industrial output per capita could reflect the unique economic characteristics of an MGPA [44,47].…”