Watershed protection and landscape enhancement by utilization of river water

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Zuo, Hua | Pei, Yuan-sheng^; | Hu, De-zhi | Luan, Zhao-kun

Affiliations: Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China | Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China

Abstract: A scheme for watershed protection and landscape enhancement (WPLE) by utilization of river water was proposed to renovate water resources and protect ecological environment in Qiongshan City, Hainan Province, China. Utilization of river water may diminish the drought and flood risks. The scheme is beneficial to solve the problems of water resources shortage, groundwater declines and saltwater intrusion in the watershed. The object of the WPLE scheme is to achieve a sustainable integrated development of environment, ecology, economy and society. A kind of physically beautiful and functionally vivid landscape may exert its synthetical function on the diversity of landscape and the enjoyment of inhabitants. Feasibility of the scheme will be demonstrated by more experiments and tests, as well as observations in a long term.

Keywords: watershed, landscape, water resources, eco-environment

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 487-493, 2003