Considering aquatic habitat properties in integrated river basin management - an ecohydrological modelling approach

摘要

Integrated water resources management is a step by-step process of managing water resources in a harmonious and environmentally sustainable way by gradually uniting stakeholders and involving them in planning and decision-making processes, while accounting for evolving social demands due to such changes as population growth, rising demand for environmental conservation, changes in perspectives of the cultural and economic value of water, and climate change (UNESCO, 2009). Yet in practical application the aspect of ecological habitat quality is often neglected and attempts to implement this aspect into integrated river basin modelling are very scarce as human needs are considered with a much higher priority. Neither the implications of river hydrology and hydraulics for aquatic habitats are fully understood nor the impact of ecology on hydrology and water quality nor are there any suitable modelling tools available to simulate the close interaction and feedbacks between ecology and hydrology.