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Social–ecological challenges in the Yellow River basin (China): a review

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Abstract

The human–environment relationship within the Yellow River basin has a long history, because favorable environmental circumstances allowed the early emergence of societies along the river banks, and hence, the Yellow River basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization. On the other hand, the Yellow River is “China’s sorrow” due to the constant occurrences of flooding events throughout history. In recent decades, the Yellow River basin is facing a spectacular economic boom, but mainly achieved at the expenses of the environment by over-exploiting the natural resources provided within the basin, which causes various challenges on ecology and society. Water scarcity, pollution, and ecosystem degradation accompanied with biodiversity decline have been further aggravated by anthropogenic-induced climate change. To address the pressing socio-ecological challenges, various conservation and management plans and strategies have been issued, often consulted by international bodies. This article is a comprehensive overview of the current state and recent developments that have occurred in the Yellow River basin and presents and discusses current and pressing socio-ecological challenges. Additionally, we address different policy and management instruments that have been launched to ensure a long-term sustainable development within the basin.

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Acknowledgments

This study was undertaken in the context of the DELIGHT Project (http://www.delight.eoc.dlr.de/), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF, by the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China, 2012DFG22050 and in cooperation with the Project RCEIS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Company for Remote Sensing and Environmental Research (SLU), Kohlsteiner Str. 5, 81243, Munich, Germany

    Christian Wohlfart

  2. German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Muencher Str. 20, 82234, Wessling, Germany

    Claudia Kuenzer

  3. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Cui Chen

  4. Sino-German Research Centre for Environmental Information Science (RCEIS), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Cui Chen

  5. State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 11A Da Tun Road, An Wai, Beijing, 100101, China

    Gaohuan Liu

Authors
  1. Christian Wohlfart
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  2. Claudia Kuenzer
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  3. Cui Chen
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  4. Gaohuan Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Wohlfart.

Additional information

This article is part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on “Environment and Health in China II,” guest edited by Tian-Xiang Yue, Cui Chen, Bing Xu, and Olaf Kolditz.

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Wohlfart, C., Kuenzer, C., Chen, C. et al. Social–ecological challenges in the Yellow River basin (China): a review. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1066 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5864-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5864-2

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