Study On Virtual Water In Heilongjiang Province

With the internationally common understanding of peace and development, the importance of the non-traditional security is becoming more and more prominent. Especially, the security of the strategic natural resources has already become the focus of the whole world. The water resource, as a kind of special natural resources, is not merely essential to the life, health and ecosystem, but also is one of the basic conditions of one nation's economic development. Now, water resource in China is facing many problems, such as water scarcity, water deterioration, water conflict among departments and regions and so on, while the population and the need of water are both increasing, and the quality of water environment is still deteriorating. The sustainable development of economy and ecosystem environment is seriously threatened by these problems.Virtual water is a new concept appeared in the process of solving the problems of water scarcity and water security. Recently, it becomes a hot topic in international conferences related to water. Virtual water has already become an important factor affecting the management of district water resource. Traditionally, China and other countries resorted to engineering and technique to solve the scarcity of water resource, rather than economic or system measures to which policy makers and managers have not pay attention. That is to say, the problems of water scarcity and water deterioration can be solved with economic measures. It needs a suitable concept and a useful tool urgently to measure the invisible transfer of water resource caused by product transaction. Virtual water just satisfies this need.This paper is firstly introduced the concept of virtual water and systematically summarized theories related to virtual water. Based on the comprehensive summary of the present situation of water resource and its exploitation in Heilongjiang province and the analysis of the efficiency of using water in various industrial departments, in order to calculate virtual water content of one unit of crop and livestock product in Heilongjiang province, the paper utilizes CROPWAT software and CROP database and CLIMATE database recommended by FAO. Then the paper is calculated total amount of virtual water consumed in cites and countries of Heilongjiang province in 2003 and the trade amount of virtual water in 2003. The amount of virtual water from import and export trade also has been calculated. It is advocated that Heilongjiang province should take measures to import the water-intensify products and export low water-consumed products. Finally, the paper is concluded that virtual water trade is a valid path to solve the scarcity of water resource and a new idea to ensure regional water security.