Prospects for Research on Technologies for Enhancing and Securing Water and Soil Resource Ecological Safety in the Arid Desert Oasis Regions of Northwest China.

Abstract: Background The arid desert oasis region in Northwest China, a vital part of the national sand prevention belt and the "Belt and Road" initiative, faces severe ecological challenges, including desertification, vegetation decline, soil salinization, and shrinking oases. To ensure its long-term stability, comprehensive research on desertification control and water resource management is essential. Methods The technologies for enhancing ecological safety in arid desert oasis regions cover ecosystem restoration, water resource optimization, sand barrier construction, farmland shelterbelt systems, and smart management. This includes using tree-ring analysis, isotope techniques, and ecological models to study vegetation dynamics, optimizing water allocation based on eco-hydrological processes, refining sand barrier structures through field surveys and wind tunnel tests, and enhancing farmland shelterbelts with point cloud data and multi-objective optimization. Additionally, a smart management platform integrates data management, technology application, and performance visualization, supporting large-scale technology deployment. Results The project clarifies the degradation and restoration mechanisms of desert oasis ecosystems under water resource constraints. It studies over 10 key technologies, including water resource optimization, near-natural sand-fixation vegetation restoration, shelterbelt renovation, and shelterbelt system construction. Four typical demonstration zones are established in the desert oasis region, covering a total area of over 32,000 acres. Among them: the water resource spatial optimization demonstration zone covers over 8,000 acres, improving water use efficiency by more than 15%; the near-natural sand-fixation vegetation restoration zone covers over 8,000 acres, with vegetation coverage increasing by 10%-15%, and soil wind erosion modulus reduced by 2,000-3,000 t/km²·year; the water-saving farmland shelterbelt renovation demonstration zone covers over 8,000 acres, with the shelterbelt retention rate increased from 70% to above 90%; the farmland shelterbelt system construction zone covers over 8,000 acres, with the species richness of the shelterbelt increased by 2-4 species per hectare, and soil wind erosion modulus reduced by 500-1,500 t/km²·year. Conclusions This project addresses key technological challenges in water resource optimization, near-natural sand-fixation vegetation restoration, and farmland shelterbelt system construction. It explores the mechanisms of desert oasis ecosystem degradation and restoration, proposing technologies for enhancing water and soil ecological security in these areas. Through demonstration zones, the effectiveness of these technologies in improving water efficiency, vegetation coverage, and soil quality has been validated. The study provides a solid foundation and technical support for desert oasis ecological security, desertification control, and sustainable water resource management.