Integrated study of the water–ecosystem–economy in the Heihe River Basin

The ecological water diversion project in the Heihe River Basin is the irst successful case in China in which the ecological systems in a river basin have been rescued. his project serves as a valuable example for the management of ecosystems in other inland river basins. his paper reviews the integrated studies of the water–ecosystem–economy relationship in the Heihe River Basin and concludes that sustainable development in inland river basins requires the basin to be considered as a whole, with the relationships between the upstream, midstream and downstream areas of the basin coordinated appropriately. Successful development in these basins will be relected in an improved output per cubic meter of water and the implementation of integrated river basin management practices.