Trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services in Inland River Basins under the influence of ecological water transfer project: A case study on the Tarim River basin

Kaixuan Qian; Xiaofei Ma; Wei Yan; Jiaxin Li; Shixian Xu; Yuan Liu; Chun Luo; Wei Yu; Xiaotong Yu; Yahui Wang; Limin Zhou; Yonghui Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168248

Trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services in Inland River Basins under the influence of ecological water transfer project: A case study on the Tarim River basin

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jan 15:908:168248. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168248. Epub 2023 Oct 31.

Authors

Kaixuan Qian¹, Xiaofei Ma², Wei Yan³, Jiaxin Li⁴, Shixian Xu², Yuan Liu⁵, Chun Luo⁶, Wei Yu⁶, Xiaotong Yu⁴, Yahui Wang⁷, Limin Zhou⁸, Yonghui Wang⁹

Affiliations

¹ College of Geographic Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, China; Xinjiang Arid Area Lake Environment and Resources Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Utilization in Arid Zone, Urumqi 830011, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Utilization in Arid Zone, Urumqi 830011, China.
³ School of Geographic Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China.
⁵ College of Geography and Remote Sensing Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China.
⁶ College of Geographic Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, China; Xinjiang Arid Area Lake Environment and Resources Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, China.
⁷ Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
⁸ Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
⁹ College of Geographic Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, China; Xinjiang Arid Area Lake Environment and Resources Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, China. Electronic address: wyhsd_3011@xjnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37918740
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168248

Abstract

Ecosystem services (ESs) are the largest benefits that humans derive directly or indirectly from ecosystems. Inland river basins in arid zones have a variety of key ecosystem functions. At present, inland river basins are experiencing a decline in ESs, such as shrinking lakes, land degradation, and rapid biodiversity loss. In order to address these problems, several ecological restoration projects (ERPs) have been implemented. Therefore, this study selected the Tarim River Basin (TRB), which is highly affected by the ecological water transfer project (EWTP), as the study area, and quantified the differences in ESs caused by the implementation of the EWTP through different scenarios of simulation, and discussed the impact of the EWTP in changing the ESs of the basin. Compared to the pre-EWTP period (1990-1999), the major ESs within the basin showed varying degrees of improvement. Water yield increased by 18 %, carbon sequestration increased by 2 %, wind prevention and sand fixation increased by 13 %, habitat quality increased by 8 %, and food production increased by 35 %. EWTP has shown positive impacts by directly or indirectly affecting runoff, vegetation, evapotranspiration, and landscape patterns, which in turn improves the comprehensive benefits of ESs in the TRB. The implementation of EWTP plays an important role in restoring ESs in inland river basins, and this study provides a key reference for the restoration of ESs in inland river basins in arid zones.

Keywords: Ecological water transfer project; Ecosystem services; Inland River basins; Synergy; Trade-offs.