Ejin Oasis Land Use and Vegetation Change between 2000 and 2011: The Role of the Ecological Water Diversion Project

Bibliographic Details
Title: Ejin Oasis Land Use and Vegetation Change between 2000 and 2011: The Role of the Ecological Water Diversion Project
Authors: Xiaoli Hu, Ling Lu, Xin Li, Jianhua Wang, Xuegang Lu
Source: Energies, Vol 8, Iss 7, Pp 7040-7057 (2015)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2015.
Publication Year: 2015
Collection: LCC:Technology
Subject Terms: land use change, SINDVI, EWDP, change detection, water resource management, sustainable development, Heihe River Basin, Technology
More Details: Ejin Oasis, located in the lower reaches of the Heihe River Basin (HRB), has experienced severe ecosystem decline between the 1960s and 1990s. In response, the Chinese Government implemented the Ecological Water Diversion Project (EWDP) in 2000. To evaluate the effects of the EWDP, this study monitored changes in land use and vegetation in the Ejin Oasis since 2000 and examined driving factors behind such changes. Results demonstrated that the Ejin Oasis ecosystem generally improved between 2000 and 2011. Water body area significantly increased. Lake area of once dried-up Sogo Nuur increased to 45 km2. Accordingly, vegetation cover restoration has also significantly increased. For example, the Seasonally Integrated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (SINDVI) has shown that 31.18% of the entire study area experienced an increase in vegetation area. On the other hand, even though the EWDP has been successful in driving vegetation recovery and lake restoration, farmland reclamation has counteracted such restoration initiatives. Farmland area almost doubled between 2000 and 2011. Thus, farmland expansion management is necessary for the full restoration of the Ejin Oasis ecosystems as well as HRB sustainable development. The results of this study can provide a reference for the management of the HRB.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1996-1073
Relation: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/8/7/7040; https://doaj.org/toc/1996-1073
DOI: 10.3390/en8077040
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/8ad5bcf376db4ae2b35996ce3b9671d2
Accession Number: edsdoj.8ad5bcf376db4ae2b35996ce3b9671d2
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:19961073
DOI:10.3390/en8077040
Published in:Energies
Language:English