Practical Exploration of Ecological Restoration and Management of the Mountains-Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands System in the Irtysh River Basin in Altay, Xinjiang

doi:10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2021.06.005

Abstract

Abstract:

The Irtysh River Basin refers to a water conservation area and a vital ecological barrier in Xinjiang and also partially in Central Asia. Here, the technical solution for the ecological protection and the restoration of the Mountains-Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands system (MRFFLGs) pilot project in the Irtysh River Basin is refined, by complying with the core concept, i.e., “mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands are a community of life”. The solution stresses the specific characteristics of ecologically protecting and restoring MRFFLGs in the Irtysh River Basin, which aim to reduce ecological water use, soil erosion, forest and grassland degradation, the ecological destruction of mines, water environment pollution and other issues. With overall protection, system restoration, district policy, and problem orientation as the overarching ideas, 162 sub-items of 44 major items with seven categories have been designed and implemented in the project. In addition, some highlights of the management experience that are worth promoting when the pilot project is being implemented are also summarized (e.g., the use of laws to solve historical problems, scientific argumentation and third-party evaluation, proactive guidance for the engagement of people, modern information technology support, and integration with local sustainable development). Lastly, four policy suggestions are proposed: (1) Building a model of systematic protection and restoration by using basins as the basic geographic unit; (2) Establishing and optimizing key weak links of systems and mechanisms; (3) Focusing on remedying the shortcomings of regional talents, technology and capital; and (4) Promoting the MRFFLGs project to integrate “industry, city, people, and tourism” for carrying out a large-scale system project.

Key words: Mountains-Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands system, ecological restoration, functional zoning, management model, Irtysh River Basin

LIU Hanchu, FAN Jie, LIU Baoyin, WANG Li, QIAO Qin. Practical Exploration of Ecological Restoration and Management of the Mountains-Rivers-Forests-Farmlands-Lakes-Grasslands System in the Irtysh River Basin in Altay, Xinjiang[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2021, 12(6): 766-776.

Figures/Tables 2

References 31

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Target	Index	Current value	Target value
The ecological health of the “two rivers and one lake” has improved significantly	Water quality of the Irtysh River	Reach or better than class III	Not degenerate
	Water quality of Ulungur River	Reach or better than class III	Not degenerate
	Ecological water replenishment of Ulungur Lake (average for many years) (×10⁸ m³)	5.51	8
	Water quality of Ulungur Lake	Reach or better than class III	Not degenerate
The ecological service functions of Altai Mountain have been significantly improved	Comprehensive management area of mine environment (km²)	9.4015	50.46
	Forest cover rate (%)	22.65	22.76
	Forest stock volume (×10⁸ m³)	1.16	1.17
	Returning farmland to forest area (×10⁴ mu)*	47.97	56.77
	Soil erosion control rate (%)	14.8	16
The ecological well-being of farmers and herdsmen has greatly improved	Living environment improvement village (unit)	-	190
	Recovery rate of waste mulch film in farmland (%)	60	≥80
	Newly improved and restored area of degraded grassland (×10⁴ mu)*	-	75
	Water quality compliance rate of centralized drinking water sources (%)	≥90	100
	Grassland comprehensive vegetation coverage (%)	38.8	42.2
The ecological risk of human activities is significantly reduced	Centralized treatment rate of urban sewage (%)	51.79	98
	Centralized disposal rate of domestic waste (%)	19.2	100
	Compliance rate of the Irtysh River into the river section (%)	100	100
	Ecological migration/household	-	413
Effective protection of the ecological safety of the Silk Road	Natural wetland protection rate (%)	49	55
	Ecological environment monitoring and early warning capabilities	Initially available	Significantly improved
	Water quality of the section going abroad	Class II	Class II
	Construction of national ecological civilization demonstration zone	Started	Completed

Target	Index	Current value	Target value
The ecological health of the “two rivers and one lake” has improved significantly	Water quality of the Irtysh River	Reach or better than class III	Not degenerate
	Water quality of Ulungur River	Reach or better than class III	Not degenerate
	Ecological water replenishment of Ulungur Lake (average for many years) (×10⁸ m³)	5.51	8
	Water quality of Ulungur Lake	Reach or better than class III	Not degenerate
The ecological service functions of Altai Mountain have been significantly improved	Comprehensive management area of mine environment (km²)	9.4015	50.46
	Forest cover rate (%)	22.65	22.76
	Forest stock volume (×10⁸ m³)	1.16	1.17
	Returning farmland to forest area (×10⁴ mu)*	47.97	56.77
	Soil erosion control rate (%)	14.8	16
The ecological well-being of farmers and herdsmen has greatly improved	Living environment improvement village (unit)	-	190
	Recovery rate of waste mulch film in farmland (%)	60	≥80
	Newly improved and restored area of degraded grassland (×10⁴ mu)*	-	75
	Water quality compliance rate of centralized drinking water sources (%)	≥90	100
	Grassland comprehensive vegetation coverage (%)	38.8	42.2
The ecological risk of human activities is significantly reduced	Centralized treatment rate of urban sewage (%)	51.79	98
	Centralized disposal rate of domestic waste (%)	19.2	100
	Compliance rate of the Irtysh River into the river section (%)	100	100
	Ecological migration/household	-	413
Effective protection of the ecological safety of the Silk Road	Natural wetland protection rate (%)	49	55
	Ecological environment monitoring and early warning capabilities	Initially available	Significantly improved
	Water quality of the section going abroad	Class II	Class II
	Construction of national ecological civilization demonstration zone	Started	Completed