Abstract:

Yulin City was selected as the research area to study the development and utilization of water resources in a semi-arid climate area based on water resource statistics. This paper aimed to comprehensively evaluate the water ecological footprint and water ecological carrying capacity of Yulin City from 2000 to 2019 by using the emergy ecological footprint model, to obtain the change characteristics of water resource development and utilization in Yulin City, and to compare such characteristics with those of the traditional water ecological footprint model. Results show that (1) From 2000 to 2019, the annual average value of water resource emergy ecological footprint is 1.17 hm²·cap^-1; the annual average value of water resource emergy ecological carrying capacity is 0.49 hm²·cap^-1, and the ecological deficit of water resources in Yulin is evident and increasing. (2) In addition, the annual average value of Yulin’s water resource ecological pressure is 2.43, and it is in a semi-safe state all year round. (3) The annual average value of the water resource economic coordination index is 1.31, and the socio-economic coordination of the water resource ecosystem is relatively stable. In the traditional ecological footprint of water resources, the annual average of water footprint per 10000 yuan GDP decreased from 0.97 hm² per 10000 yuan to 0.04 hm² per 10000 yuan, indicating that the utilization efficiency of water resources is gradually improving. The state of water resource ecological security in Yulin City is relatively severe. Therefore, strengthening water conservation in agriculture and industry, innovating sewage treatment technology, advocating domestic water saving, and comprehensively improving the utilization efficiency of water resources are necessary to promote the sustainable development of water resources in Yulin City

Key words: emergy analysis, water resources ecological footprint, water resources ecological carrying capacity, sustainable utilization, Yulin City