Sustainable Management of River Oases along the Tarim River, P.R. China (SuMaRiO) and the Ecosystem Services Approach.
2013
In north-western China, the
endorheic Tarim River is running along the
northern rim of the Taklamakan desert. It is the
solely water source for the oases in the region
as precipitation is low. The river is mainly fed
from water of snow and glacier melt, causing
floods in the summer months. Due to global
climate change the annual water discharge
is increasing. However, not sufficient water
flows downstream, as the region is the main
production area of cotton in China, and much
water is needed for irrigation. A conflict arises
between water users of the upper reaches
and water users of the lower reaches of
the Tarim River as well as with the natural
vegetation. The central question of the
Sino-German SuMaRiO project (Sustainable
Management of River Oases) is how to
manage land use, i.e. irrigation agriculture
and utilization of the natural ecosystems, and
water use in a very water-scarce region, with
changing water availability due to climate
change, such that ecosystem services and
economic benefits are maintained in the best
balance for a sustainable development. The
overall goal of the project is to support oasis
management along the Tarim River under
conditions of climatic and societal changes
by: i) developing methods for analyzing
ecosystem functions/ecosystem services,
and integrating them into land and water
management of oases and riparian forests; ii)
Involving stakeholders in the research process
to integrate their knowledge and problem
perceptions into the scientific process;
iii) Developing tools (Decision support
system) with Chinese decision makers that
demonstrate the ecological and socio-
economic consequences of their decisions in
a changing world.
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