Twenty-five years of reclamation dynamics and potential eco-environmental risks along the Tarim River, NW China

The ever-increasing land reclamations along the Tarim River caused by human activities have resulted in a series of potential eco-environmental risks. This paper reveals the spatial and temporal dynamics of reclamation and the associated potential eco-environmental risks. The results indicated that 70.30% of grasslands, 9.80% of woodlands and 16.04% of bare land were reclaimed during 1990–2015. Majority of the reclaimed land was mainly within the upper and middle reaches of Tarim River, especially within the 0–5 km the river channel buffer. The consequent effect of these unexpected reclamations was regional water unbalance of agricultural and ecological water usages. The consequent limitations in ecological water, intense reclamation and cotton cultivation led to desertification, water and soil pollution, habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. This paper provides a scientific evidence for the planning of reclamation, cotton cultivation and allocations of agricultural and ecological water.