Study On Sustainable Development Of Eco-Environment In Hexi Region

Hexi corridor, an inland arid region, located in west of Gansu province, Northwest of China. It covers 27.1×104 km2 and is shared by Zhangye, Wuwei,Jinchang,Jianyuguan and Jiuquan cities, which include 20 counties. The population living in Hexi region is 480×104.Hexi spans over three major land form types of Qilianshan mountain in South, corridor basin in center and desert in north. There are 3 inland rivers, Shiyanghe, Heihe and Shulehe, which originate from Qilianshan, breeding 20 glorious oases.Because of adverse natural condition, the ecological environment in Hexi region is very fragile. In recent years, the eco-environment of Hexi has been degrading as a whole, caused by human unreasonable activities mainly. The water-bearing forest and soil-preserving forest in Qilianshan were destroyed heavily, some were turned into cultivated land and others became bald land. Water resource is a very important component of the eco-environment in Hexi. With forest being destroyed, the water-bearing function of forest is decayed, meanwhile with increasing in irrigation area of upper and middle reaches, the water flowing to lower reach becomes less, which causes large scale utilization of underground water, a great deal of sand vegetation died because of less and less ground water and deeper underground water. For this reason, some serious eco-environment problem occurs at the Hexi region, especially in the lower reaches of three inland rivers, such as speeding desertification, spreading of soil secondary salinity, degrading of natural grassland and vegetation, drying up of lakes. All these lead to natural calamity occurring frequently. Hexi region has become one of four sandstorm source in China.Because of shortage of water resource, more and more ecological water usage is used in agriculture and industry field. Through the analysis of model of water resources utilization at Hexi region in recent years and comparing with Israel, a country which water resources is used most efficiently in the world, the author draw a conclusion: The shortage of water resources in Hexi region is not shortage of total water resources at all, but the water use inefficiently. In order to meet the need of environment water usage, water-saving project must be put into effect as soon as possible. At the same time, the strategy of Hexi corridor commodity grain base should be abandon step by step by adjusting industry structure, decreasing grain growing area with proportion, developing grass industry and animalhusbandry greatly, strengthening water-saving and eco-agriculture system, developing sand industry energetically.The critical problems urge the author to seek approaches of ecological alleviation in Hexi region. Thus the following countermeasures are put forward: building water-bearing forest in Qilianshan, improving cultivated land windbreak belt in oasis and strengthening desert-control, accelerating urbanization process and constructing eco-city.