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›› 2015, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (5): 1014-1021.

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Ecological and Economic Impacts of Water Conservancy Construction in Minqin Oasis of more than 50 years

WEI Xuan1,2, ZHOU Li-hua1, MA Yong-hua3, HUANG Shan1,2, LU Hui-ling1,2, CHEN Yong1   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China;
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    3. Information Center of Ministry of Land and Resources of People's Republic of China
  • Received:2015-01-17 Revised:2015-04-16 Online:2015-09-25

Abstract: In recent 50 years, the incoming surface water to Minqin Oasis has decreased continuously. In order to meet the demand for water resource, a series of water conservancy projects were built. Based on more than fifty years'economic and eco-environmental data of Minqin County, Gansu Province, China, ecological and economic changes happened during over 50 years in studied area were compared and analyzed through diagrams, from the perspectives of agricultural development, industrial structure adjustment and eco-environmental elements. Therefore, the two aspects of impacts of water conservancy engineering constructions on Minqin County were studied concurrently. Results show that:In the context that the incoming water in 2012 is 32.3% less than that in 1956, which is the year just before the construction of the above water conservancy projects, water conservancy constructions supported the development of agriculture in Minqin Oasis. Water conservancy projects also insured that the industrial structure changed towards the direction of water-saving recycling type, and the ratio of output value of primary industry to secondary industry to tertiary industry changed from 14.9:3.2:1 in 1956 to 1.2:1.1:1 in 2012. Water conservancy constructions, however, had negative impacts on the ecological environment of Minqin Oasis, and exacerbated the ecological problems including the falling of groundwater level, the deterioration of water quality, vegetation degradation, land desertification and salinization.

Key words: water conservancy construction, ecological economy, Minqin Oasis, impact analysis

CLC Number: 

  • F062.2