Environmental degradation problems in the Heihe River Basin, northwest China

Abstract

Abstract Environmental degradation in the Heihe River Basin of arid northwestern China is discussed in the paper. Under conditions of arid climate and unreasonable human activities, the processes of overuse of water resources by people in the basin have significant effects on the different kinds of environmental degradation, which include water environmental changes, land desertification and salinization, and vegetation degeneration. Furthermore, some proposals for environmental degradation research and control in the study site are put forward.