Coordinated development of the water resources-economic-ecosystems nexus in Shaanxi section of the Yellow River Basin
XU Xuefei
WANG Shunsheng
XING Yuanxiao
Abstract：[Objective]The section of the Yellow River Basin in Shaanxi Province faces challenges in balancing water resources management,economic development and ecological protection.Coordinating these interdependent systems is critical for implementing the ecological protection and high-quality development strategy of the Yellow River Basin.This paper evaluates the coordinated development of the water resources-economy-ecology nexus in the Shaanxi section of the basin and identifies its key influencing factors.[Method]We constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system for the water resources-economy-ecology nexus from 2003 to 2022 in the study region,with the weights of each index determined using the combined weight method.The coordinated development of the nexus was assessed using a coupled coordination degree model,and the key factors that constrain its coordinated development were identified using an obstacle degree model.[Result]①The comprehensive evaluation index of the water resources-economy-ecology nexus in the Shaanxi section of the Yellow River Basin showed fluctuations but an overall increasing trend from 2003 to 2022,with the water resources subsystem playing a key restricting role in the composite system.②The coupled coordination degree increased from 0.457,indicating an almost imbalanced state in 2003,to a well-coordinated level of 0.844 in 2022,although it varied spatially across the region.③Industrial output modulus and water resources per capita were identified as the primary factors limiting coordinated development,while the impact of ecological indicators,such as ecological water use efficiency,became increasingly important.[Conclusion]Optimizing industrial structure,improving water use efficiency and innovating ecological compensation systems are the key strategies to alleviate the conflicts between resource availability and industrial growth and to sustain the development of the Shaanxi section of the Yellow River Basin.
Keywords：water resources-economy-ecosystemcoupled coordination degreeobstacle factorsYellow River Basinhigh-quality development
Publication Date：2026-02-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 91-99 )