Collaborative management of water-agriculture-energy-ecology nexus for increasing carbon sequestration to sustainable development: A case study in inland river Northwest China

Xiaoyu Tang, Yue Huang, Xiaohui Pan, Yunan Ling, Chanjuan Zan, Jiabin Peng, Xi Chen and Tie Liu

Agricultural Water Management, 2025, vol. 318, issue C

Abstract: The coordinated management of the water-agriculture-energy-ecology (WAEE) nexus can significantly contribute to sustainable development. However, the inherent interactions among water storage for cascade reservoir hydropower generation, water consumption for agricultural irrigation, and water demand for ecological restoration have not been systematically quantified. This study proposes a WAEE nexus co-optimization model based on mixed-coding multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (EMCMO). The model incorporates multiple objectives and constraints into its framework, encompassing agricultural economic efficiency optimization, cascade reservoir hydropower production, carbon sequestration through agricultural practices, and ecological security as a key constraint. The model aims to elucidate the trade-offs and coordinating roles among hydropower generation, irrigated agriculture, and ecological restoration within the water usage system, as well as the efficiency of water usage, agricultural economics, hydropower generation conversion, ecological restoration, and carbon sequestration capacity of agricultural activities. We applied the model to the Yanqi Basin (YB) in the arid regions of northwestern Xinjiang, China, where water usage conflicts are particularly pronounced, and the ecology is vulnerable. The results indicate that (1) the magnitude of natural runoff is a major cause of local water usage conflicts, (2) agricultural economic benefits are negatively correlated with carbon sequestration in agricultural cultivation, (3) water allocation schemes with strong constraints on ecological water demand are conducive to local ecological self-restoration, and (4) optimization results promote agricultural economic benefits, carbon sequestration, and restoration of ecosystems. In wet years, hydropower generation increased by 17.11 %, agricultural economic benefits increased by 8.09 %, and carbon sequestration increased by 4.38 %. In normal years, hydropower generation decreased by 4.68 %, agricultural economic benefits increased by 5.64 %, and carbon sequestration increased by 1.03 %. In dry years, hydropower generation decreased by 30.02 %, agricultural economic benefits increased by 4.36 %, and carbon sequestration increased by 3.99 %. These findings help decision-makers gain insight into the interrelationships between water utilization, agricultural irrigation, hydropower generation, and ecological restoration and make decisions for collaborative management of the WAEE nexus, contributing to achieving carbon neutrality and ecosystem sustainability in arid areas.

Keywords: WAEE nexus; EMCMO; Optimization model; Bosten lake; Inland river (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:318:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425004275

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109713

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