Ecology and Environment ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (4): 556-569.DOI: 10.16258/j.cnki.1674-5906.2025.04.006

• Research Article【Environmental Science】 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics and Drivers of the Dynamic Evolution of Water Conservation Function in the Honghe River Basin (China Section) in the Last 40 Years

ZHANG Hongbo1(), YIN Ban1, LI Chunyong1, CUI Songyun2,3, HE Yan2,3, LI Xiaohong4, DENG Lixian2,3,*()   

  1. 1. College of Power Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, P. R. China
    2. Kunming Branch of Yunnan Hydrology and Water Resources Bureau, Kunming 650106, P. R. China
    3. Dianchi Lake Ecosystem Observation and Research Station of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650228, P. R. China
    4. Jiangsu Surveying and Design Institute of Water Resources Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210029, P. R. China
  • Received:2024-11-12 Online:2025-04-18 Published:2025-04-24
  • Contact: DENG Lixian

近40年红河流域(中国部分)水源涵养功能动态演变特征及驱动因素

张洪波1(), 尹班1, 李春勇1, 崔松云2,3, 和艳2,3, 李小红4, 邓丽仙2,3,*()   

  1. 1.昆明理工大学电力工程学院,云南 昆明 650500
    2.云南省水文水资源局昆明分局,云南 昆明 650106
    3.滇池湖泊生态系统云南省野外科学观测研究站,云南 昆明 650228
    4.江苏省水利勘测设计研究院有限公司,江苏 南京 210029
  • 通讯作者: 邓丽仙
  • 作者简介:张洪波(1979年生),男,讲师,博士,从事水文学及水资源方向研究。E-mail: zhanghongbo@kust.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    水灾害防御全国重点实验室“一带一路”水与可持续发展科技基金项目(2022490411)

Abstract:

Water conservation is a vital ecosystem service that plays a key role in regional ecological security and sustainable management of water resources. Understanding the spatial and temporal distributions, trends, and drivers of water conservation is of significant theoretical and practical importance for scientific planning and for advancing regional ecological protection and restoration. In this study, the InVEST model was employed to calculate the water conservation function of the Honghe River Basin (China section) over eight time intervals (every five years) from 1981 to 2020. Spatial and temporal variations, along with their internal differences, were analyzed using the Sen+Mann-Kendall test and natural discontinuity method. Subsequently, the GeoDetector model was applied to analyze the driving factors affecting the water conservation function, including precipitation, actual evapotranspiration, land use type, elevation, and slope. The findings of this study provide significant theoretical support for understanding the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of water conservation functions and their drivers in the Honghe River Basin (China). The results of the study indicate that: 1) the average depth of water conservation in the study area is 68.7 mm, and the volume of water conservation is 5.77×109 m3. Over the past 40 years, the depth of water conservation has declined at an average rate of −0.097 mm·a−1, and the volume of water conservation has decreased at an average rate of −7.5×106 m3·a−1. From the second period onwards, the fluctuations in the water conservation function compared to the adjacent previous period were large, with specific fluctuation values of −11.0%, 4.48%, 11.1%, −7.74%, −6.54%, −5.76%, and 8.78%. The results of the Sen+Mann-Kendall analysis showed that the trend of change in water conservation function was primarily characterized by areas with little change, slight decreases, and slight increases, which collectively accounted for nearly 99.25% of the total area. By contrast, areas with significant increases and severe decreases were minimal, accounting for only 0.75% of the total study area. Woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands were the primary contributors to water conservation, accounting for 74.5, 13.8, and 7.93%, respectively. Regression trend analysis revealed a decreasing trend in water conservation in woodland areas over the past 40 years, with a rate of change of −5.18×106 m3·a−1. The overall change in water conservation in wetlands, bare land, and waterbodies was minimal. Cultivated land and grassland exhibited a significant inverse change in water conservation capacity. Although the areas of cultivated land and grassland increased, water conservation decreased substantially, primarily because of increased land-use intensity, soil structure changes, and vegetation degradation. The primary conservation areas were concentrated within an elevation range of 400‒2400 m and on slopes ranging from 5° to 35°. The spatial distribution followed a pattern of high conservation in the southeast, and low conservation in the northwest. In addition, areas with high precipitation and relatively low evapotranspiration exhibited significantly higher water conservation capacities than the other areas. The need to reduce water conservation functional zones is reflected in various aspects, such as revealing spatial heterogeneity, supporting decision making on ecological protection, facilitating the optimal allocation of resources, supporting the ecological compensation mechanism, and addressing ecological and environmental challenges. This process not only helps to comprehensively understand the spatial pattern of regional ecosystem service functions, but also provides a scientific basis for watershed water resource management and ecological protection, and is an important means of achieving sustainable regional ecological development. In this study, the differences in the water-sourcing capacity of each functional area were primarily influenced by multiple factors such as topography, soil type, vegetation cover, and the intensity of human activities. 2) The results of the analysis of functional areas delineated using the natural intermittent point method indicated that the area of the most important water conservation zone was the smallest, covering 8240.27 km2 (10.8% of the total study area). However, its water conservation volume accounts for 20.2% of the total volume, with a water conservation rate as high as 1.53×105 m3·km−2. The area of the generally important water conservation zone is the largest, covering 46049.26 km2, which constitutes 60.3% of the total study area, but its water conservation volume is only 41.9% of the total, and the water conservation rate is only 9.91×104 m3·km−2. For areas with weak water conservation capacity, such as general functional zones, water conservation can be gradually improved through measures, such as returning farmland to forests, vegetation restoration, and scientific land-use planning. For areas with high water conservation capacity such as important functional zones, protective measures should be strengthened to enhance their water conservation capacity. Similarly, for areas with high conservation capacity, such as important functional zones, protection measures should be enhanced to minimize the potential impact of human interference on ecological functions and ensure the stability of their ecosystem service capacity. By implementing differentiated management, the coordinated development of water conservation functions on a regional scale can be promoted, thereby contributing to the sustainable enhancement of ecosystem services. 3) In this study, a GeoDetector approach was employed to systematically analyze the drivers of changes in the water conservation function from 1981 to 2020 in the study area. This approach includes both single-factor and interaction analyses to explore the influence of each driver on the spatial heterogeneity of the water conservation function. In the single-factor analysis, the independent effects of key factors, such as climate, topography, and land use, on water conservation functions were quantified to reveal their contributions to the spatial distribution. In the interaction analysis, the effects of factor interactions were further analyzed to identify the combined influence of these drivers on the spatial heterogeneity of water conservation. The results of the GeoDetector analysis showed that among the single-factor drivers, precipitation was the primary driver of changes in the water conservation function in the study area, and it had significant explanatory power for spatial heterogeneity. Land use type and actual evapotranspiration had the second-largest effects on water conservation, whereas elevation and slope had weaker effects. The results of interaction detection revealed that each driving factor exhibited either a two-way enhancement or a non-linear enhancement in pairwise interactions. In other words, any single factor can significantly enhance the explanatory power of the spatial heterogeneity in water conservation when interacting with other factors. Specifically, the interactions between precipitation and land-use type, as well as between precipitation and actual evapotranspiration, significantly influenced the spatial heterogeneity of regional water conservation. These findings suggest that the synergistic effects of climatic factors and human activities dominate the spatial heterogeneity of the water conservation functions in the study area. These results provide a crucial basis for the further optimization of regional water management, planning, and ecological protection. Conclusion: An in-depth analysis of the main factors influencing water conservation is of great value in land use planning, strengthening water conservation measures, and promoting sustainable development in the region. The water conservation function of the Honghe River Basin (China section) exhibits significant temporal evolution characteristics and spatial distribution differences, with precipitation and land use playing key driving roles in the spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Our findings have important practical implications for regional water management and ecological protection.

Key words: water conservation, Honghe River Basin (China section), InVEST model, Sen+Mann-Kendall, GeoDetector

摘要: 水源涵养是生态系统的重要服务功能,对维持区域生态安全和水资源的可持续利用至关重要。明确水源涵养的时空分布特征、变化趋势及驱动因素,对于科学制定水资源保护规划、推进区域生态保护与修复具有重要的理论和实践价值。基于InVEST模型计算红河流域(中国部分)1981-2020年8个时段(每5年为1个时段)的水源涵养功能,采用Sen+Mann-Kendall及自然间断点法分析时空变化特征及其内部差异,并结合地理探测器方法分析其驱动因素。结果表明,1)红河流域(中国部分)多年平均水源涵养深度为68.7 mm,涵养量为5.77×109 m3。近40年间,水源涵养深度以−0.097 mm·a−1的平均速率波动下降、水源涵养量以−7.5×106 m3·a−1的平均速率波动下降。Sen+Mann-Kendall分析结果显示,水源涵养功能变化趋势以基本不变、轻微降低和轻微上升为主。林地、灌木林地和草地在水源涵养中占据主导地位,分别贡献了74.5%、13.8%和7.93%的水源涵养量。主要涵养区域集中在高程400-2400 m和坡度5°-35°的区间,空间分布呈现东南高、西北低的格局。2)自然间断点法分析结果显示,水源涵养重要区面积为8.24×103 km2,占研究区总面积的10.8%,但其水源涵养量占总量的20.2%,水源涵养率高达1.53×105 m3·km−2。3)地理探测器分析结果显示,降水量是水源涵养功能变化的主要驱动因素,土地利用变化则为次要因素。降水量与土地利用类型的交互作用对水源涵养功能空间异质性具有显著影响,超过任何单一因素或其他交互因素。红河流域(中国部分)水源涵养功能呈现出显著的时间演变规律和空间分布特征,降水与土地利用共同构成其时空异质性的关键驱动因素。

关键词: 水源涵养, 红河流域(中国部分), InVEST模型, Sen+Mann-Kendall, 地理探测器

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