Arid Zone Research ›› 2025, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (7): 1313-1322.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2025.07.14

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Ecological management zoning in the Ili River Valley based on supply and demand of water supply services

HU Jiran1(), YAO Juan1(), XIONG Changjiang2   

  1. 1. School of Economics and Business, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, Xinjiang, China
    2. College of Agricultural and Rural Development, Henan University of Finance and Economics and Law, Zhengzhou 450016, Henan, China
  • Received:2024-11-13 Revised:2025-04-23 Online:2025-07-15 Published:2025-07-07
  • Contact: YAO Juan E-mail:hujiran123@163.com;409454654@qq.com

Abstract:

Water supply services sustain the survival and development of human society and are key to promoting the construction of China’s ecological civilization and the high-quality development of river basins. As a significant component of ecosystem services, it is central to ensuring the stability of watershed ecosystems and promoting the construction of ecological civilization in arid and semi-arid regions. This study focuses on the Ili River Valley in Xinjiang, analyzing the equilibrium characteristics of water supply and demand from 2005 to 2020. Using statistical yearbook and remote-sensing data, we apply models of water supply services, the water resources security index (FSI), and supply-demand matching analysis. The results indicate: (1) The FSI of the Ili River Valley fluctuates from “rising to falling,” and the supply-demand balance exhibits a three-stage evolution from “general deficit to general surplus to deficit persistence.” The spatial difference is significant: five counties and cities continue to deficit (i.e., Yining City, Yining County, Huocheng County, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, and Xinyuan County), while three counties and one city (i.e., Nilek County, Tekes County, Zhaosu County, and the city of Horgos [2020]) maintain the surplus that appeared in 2010 during the surplus inflection point. (2) The match between water supply and demand presents three dominant types: “low supply-high demand,” “low supply-low demand,” and “high supply-low demand.” The spatial distribution of supply-demand matching types is differentiated by gradients in the east, middle, and west. Counties and cities with the same matching types display spatial agglomeration and industrial convergence. They are significantly driven by the regional economic structure, which manifests in the following ways: the livestock areas with superior ecological fundamentals maintain a high supply capacity, while the arable land-intensive agricultural areas continue to face high demand pressure. To support regional sustainable development, this study analyzes county-level water supply-demand matching in the Ili River Valley, considering socioeconomic and natural geographic factors. Based on the analysis, ecological management zones—conservation, control, and improvement—are defined to promote integrated development, ecosystem sustainability, and efficient water resource use.

Key words: water supply services, supply-demand relationship, ecological zoning, Ili River Valley