Evaluation of water-land resources regulation potential in the Yiluo River Basin, China

Our study was designed to spatially assess the regulation potential of watershed water-land resources, and determine its regulation objectives for subsequent optimal allocation. We centred around the Yiluo River Basin, being a soil conservation demonstration plot in the middle course of the Yellow River Basin. In accordance with the criteria of the green development, the high efficiency and the safety, the evaluation system of water-land resources regulation potential was established. Then the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was applied to assess the watershed water-land resources during 2001-2020 and 2030-2050, and the evaluation results were represented by the eigenvalue T. The research findings pointed out that the assessment grade of watershed water-land resources was mainly moderate and better state, and presented significant spatial agglomeration features in the historical and forecast years. In the context of dual influences of climatic variation and water-land resources exploitation, the assessment eigenvalue T of watershed water-land resources increased by 6% in the historical periods, and decreased by 4.57 similar to 7.74% in the future periods. Based on the assessment results, it was recom-mended to restrict the water-land resources exploitation in the upstream, control the soil erosion in the midstream, and coordinate the relationship between the exploitation and protection of water-land resources in the lower reaches. Our study offers scientific evidence for the elaborate regulation of watershed water-land resources.