Evolution of the human–water relationships in Heihe River basin in the past 2000 years

Abstract

Abstract. This paper quantitatively analyzed the evolution of human–water relationships in the Heihe River basin of northern China over the past 2000 years by reconstructing the catchment water balance partitioning precipitation into evapotranspiration and runoff. The reconstruction results provided the basis for investigating the impacts of human societies on hydrological systems. Based on transition theory the evolutionary processes of human–water relationships can be divided into four stages: predevelopment (206 BC–AD 1368), take-off (AD 1368–1949), acceleration (AD 1949–2000), and rebalancing (after AD 2000). The evolutionary process analysis revealed that there were large differences in the rate and scale of change and the period over which they occurred, and transition of the human–water relationship had no fixed pattern. This understanding of the dynamics of the human–water relationship will assist policy makers to identify management practices that require improvement by understanding how today's problems were created in the past, for more sustainable catchment in the future.