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Responding to China's major environmental challenges, researchers are increasingly exploring dynamics between international non-governmental organisations, the nation-state, and local communities. Much less understood are domestic environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs) and their interactions with actors across scales. This paper responds by exploring domestic eNGOs and interactions with institutional actors, including international donors, and with levels of Chinese government. The practices of eNGOs in China are influenced by interactions at various scales. Rather than being directly influenced by international partners and simply constrained by state regulations, Chinese eNGOs are embedded in more complex power relations. These interrelationships are exemplified in the operations of Green Watershed, a domestic eNGO working in Yunnan Province. Green Watershed has extensive interactions with international donors and various levels of government as a result of its national campaign and long-term local projects. Relationships between eNGOs’ international donors and the Chinese government are significant in influencing eNGO practice. NGO–government relations in China are inconsistent and constantly changing owing to the diverse interests and priorities of the various levels of government. The impacts of the local practice of Chinese eNGOs are deeply informed by their relationships both at and beyond the local level. Complex interrelationships make it difficult to achieve bottom-up, participatory resource management in China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

China, an upstream state and a regional hegemon in the Mekong River Basin, is commonly viewed as unilaterally exploiting water resources, irrespective of downstream states (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia). This view is derived mainly from China's unilateral exploitation of the upper watershed for hydroelectricity and navigation, raising concerns about negative socio-ecological impacts on the downstream states. However, recent empirical evidence shows that China is gradually getting involved in negotiations and processes with the downstream states, compromising with them little by little. Indications of this policy shift include: (a) its signing agreements for hydrological data exchange, (b) confidence-building with co-riparans in the Dialogue Meeting of the Mekong River Commission, and (c) multinational negotiation with co-riparians in framework of regional institutions. In light of this shift, this article argues that China is not fully enjoying its superior resources or its superior riparian position, contrary to the common view. The aim of this paper is to (1) explain and provide updated information on these negotiation mechanisms, which are attempting to resolve the upstream-downstream dispute in the Mekong River Basin, and (2) produce counterevidence against the Theory of Hegemonic Cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources are the basis for supporting the entire life system of the Earth. However, with the frequent global water crises—especially in the river basins of China—the issue of water resources has become a bottleneck that limits its development. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out relevant research. In this paper, we systematically analyzed different classification methods of the service functions of water ecosystems as well as factors that affect it. Results showed that climate, land cover, human activities, and their own endowment conditions were the main factors affecting the service functions of water ecosystems. Based on these, water resource management in China river basins was expounded from three aspects: water resources protection, allocation, and utilization. At the same time, the impacts of water resource management on land use in China were also summarized. Finally, the key trends of the next study were summarized as follows: improvement of the classification system of basin water ecosystem service functions, improvement of the mechanism of the basin water market; comprehensive tradeoff of water resource exploitation and protection in basins; and basin water resource management from the perspective of multidisciplinary crossing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing concerns have been given to parameter uncertainty in hydrological modeling because of the associated effects on water resource management. In this study two uncertainty analysis methods, the sequential uncertainty fitting algorithm (SUFI-2) and the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE), were employed to analyze the uncertainty of surface flow and sediment yield modeling results by the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model. The two methods were also compared in terms of the capability in quantifying parameter and prediction uncertainties and the computational efficiency. The results showed that the SUFI-2 method was capable of examining the uncertainty by using the Latin hypercube sampling scheme. It also demonstrated the advantages in analyzing the effects of uncertainties for distributed hydrological models with complex structure and high computational demands. The GLUE method is specialized in reflecting parameter correlations and uncertainties associated with parameters and predictants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion is a serious environmental problem in Guizhou Province, which is located in the centre of the karst areas of southwestern China. Unfortunately, Guizhou Province suffers from a lack of financial resources to research, monitor and model soil erosion at large watershed. In order to assess the soil erosion risk, soil erosion modeling at the watershed scale are urgently needed to be undertaken. This study integrated the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) with a Geographic Information System (GIS) to estimate soil loss and identify the risk erosion areas in the Maotiao River watershed, which is a typical rural watershed in Guizhou Province. All factors used in the RUSLE were calculated for the watershed using local data. It was classified into five categories ranging from minimal risk to extreme erosion risk depending on the calculated soil erosion amount. The soil erosion map was linked to land use, elevation and slope maps to explore the relationship between soil erosion and environmental factors and identify the areas of soil erosion risk. The results can be used to advice the local government in prioritizing the areas of immediate erosion mitigation. The integrated approach allows for relatively easy, fast, and cost-effective estimation of spatially distributed soil erosion. It thus indicates that RUSLE-GIS model is a useful and efficient tool for evaluating and mapping soil erosion risk at a large watershed scale in Guizhou Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater, as a precious resource hidden underground, is an important component of the global water system. Transboundary aquifers containing substantial amount of groundwater often carry crucial ecological and social implications. Yet, it is unfortunate that transboundary aquifers have hardly been in the forefront of political and scientific discussions, and have not received due attention by policymakers. This article attempts to summarize the investigation on the eight transboundary aquifers that China shares with the neighboring countries. An overview on the groundwater resources in China, including its distribution, exploitation and challenges is also provided. Hydrogeological condition of the Heilongjiang-Amur River Basin aquifer, which is one of the eight major aquifers, is further elaborated. Cooperative activities carried out by China and Russia on monitoring and management of this aquifer are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]