(2024年1月25日)
全球快速城市化增加了对淡水及其相关生态系统服务的需求,这种需求常常通过基础设施建设来满足。提供淡水生态系统服务的自然基础设施解决方案已经增加,但很少有研究探讨过全球城市提供淡水生态系统服务的建成基础设施和自然基础设施之间的复杂关系。
研究结果
1. 自然基础设施的作用
研究结果还显示,保护区湿地覆盖率较大的流域淡水供应量较大,这意味着受保护的湿地可以为城市提供地表水。在城市中,IWS的存在与四种淡水生态系统服务中的任何一种均无显著性差异(P<0.05),仅在P=0.053水平上与淡水供应负相关。许多城市在淡水供应不足的情况下采用了IWS计划,部分原因是水资源与水源流域的冲突。在高水位冲突城市中采用IWS计划可能是改善向城市提供淡水的有用工具,但还需要进一步研究以更好地确定IWS计划的效果。
2. 城市和流域特征
在全球范围内,2000-2016年流域新建大型水坝和保护区的空间分布不均(图2)。
结果表明,34.1%的淡水源流域和56.1%的水电流域建立了新的保护区,而没有新建大型水坝,这些流域主要分布在北美和欧洲。同时,4.8%的淡水源流域和2.8%的水电流域不仅建立了新的保护区,而且新建了大型水坝。然而,2.9%的淡水源流域和3.8%的水电流域,没有新建大坝和自然保护区。
个人评价
本文探究了为全球城市提供淡水生态系统服务的建成基础设施和自然基础设施之间的复杂关系,可以为在城市用水需求快速增长的时代追求可持续城市水资源管理的决策提供参考。文章通过网络分析将不同类型的邻近和遥远的水源流域联系起来,为更好地理解自然基础设施在城市供水网络中的作用和制定城市淡水资源可持续利用最优策略提供帮助。但是该研究可能低估了自然基础设施在城市水电生产中的作用,并且未考虑到在实际生产中,大坝的运行强度和工作时间。
Natural infrastructure in sustaining global urban freshwater ecosystem services
Abstract:
Rapid urbanization throughout the globe increases demand for fresh water and the ecosystem services associated with it. This need is conventionally met through the construction of infrastructure. Natural infrastructure solutions have increased to provide freshwater ecosystem services, but little global research has examined the intricate relationships between built and natural infrastructure for providing freshwater ecosystem services to cities across the globe. Using network analysis, here we examine the interrelationships between built and natural infrastructure in 2,113 watersheds for 317 cities worldwide, focusing on four key freshwater ecosystem services: freshwater provision, sediment regulation, flood mitigation and hydropower production. Our results indicate that protected wetlands contribute to sustaining freshwater provision to cities. Forest cover in protected areas can improve the capacity of large dams in reducing sediment loads and producing hydropower, but cities mainly depend on reduced impervious surfaces and more green spaces within urban areas for flood mitigation. Improved understandings of the role of natural infrastructure in urban water networks must underpin strategic decision-making to sustainably provide freshwater ecosystem services to global cities.
Citation:
Chung, M.G., Frank, K.A., Pokhrel, Y. et al. Natural infrastructure in sustaining global urban freshwater ecosystem services. Nat Sustain 4, 1068–1075 (2021).
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