School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada,
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2013 Oct;20(10):6907-16. doi: 10.1007/s11356-012-1438-3. Epub 2013 Jan 5.
The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China has created a major reservoir in which the water level fluctuates annually by about 30 m, generating a drawdown zone of up to 350 km(2) in summer. Since construction of the dam, there has been scientific and public interest in how to use the drawdown zone resources in environmentally sustainable ways. To this end, and with government support, an international conference was held in Chongqing Municipality (China) in October 2011 on the subject of conservation and ecofriendly utilization of wetlands in the Three Gorges Reservoir. The conference proceedings were subsequently published in the Journal of Chongqing Normal University. The proceedings reports are reviewed here in the context of other relevant literature. The proceedings included papers on ecology, ecodesign and ecological engineering, erosion control, plant production and carbon sequestration, phytoremediation of pollution, hydrosystem management, and others. Several of the reports derive from experimental work conducted at a research field station on the Three Gorges Reservoir situated in Kaixian County, Chongqing Municipality. Plant communities in the drawdown zone are declining in diversity and evolving. Experimental plantings of flood-tolerant edible hydrophytes in a dike-pond system reveal their potential to provide economic returns for farmers, and flooding-tolerant trees, such as cypresses, also show promising results for stabilizing soils in the drawdown zone. Flood-tolerant natural plant communities vary strongly with depth and their composition provides useful indicators for revegetation strategies. In the region surrounding the reservoir, remnant natural broad-leaved evergreen forests are most effective in sequestering carbon, and within the drawdown zone, carbon is mostly stored below ground. There is strong interest in the potential of aquatic plants for removal of pollutants, notably N and P, from the reservoir water by means of floating beds. Other examples of applying ecodesign and ecological engineering strategies for restoration and management of rivers and lakes are also given. Scientific studies have provided valuable advice for ecofriendly utilization of the reservoir drawdown zone and further studies of the evolving condition of the reservoir can be expected to pay additional practical dividends.
中国长江三峡大坝在夏季形成了一个主要水库，其水位每年波动约 30 米，产生了一个长达 350 公里（2）的退水区。自大坝建成以来，科学界和公众一直对如何以环境可持续的方式利用退水区资源感兴趣。为此，在中国重庆市于 2011 年 10 月举行了一次国际会议，主题是保护和环保利用三峡水库湿地。会议论文随后在《重庆师范大学学报》上发表。本文在其他相关文献的背景下对会议记录进行了审查。会议记录包括生态学、生态设计和生态工程、侵蚀控制、植物生产和碳固存、污染植物修复、水系统管理等方面的论文。其中几份报告源自位于重庆市开县的三峡水库研究野外站进行的实验工作。退水区的植物群落多样性正在下降并在演变。在堤坝-池塘系统中种植耐洪水食用水生植物的实验表明，它们有潜力为农民带来经济回报，耐洪水的树木，如柏树，也为稳定退水区的土壤提供了有希望的结果。耐洪水的自然植物群落随深度变化很大，其组成对植被恢复策略提供了有用的指标。在水库周围地区，残留的天然阔叶常绿林是固碳最有效的，而在退水区，碳主要储存在地下。水生植物去除水库水中的氮和磷等污染物的潜力引起了强烈的兴趣，方法是使用浮床。还介绍了其他应用生态设计和生态工程策略来恢复和管理河流和湖泊的例子。科学研究为水库退水区的环保利用提供了宝贵的建议，可以预期进一步研究水库的演变情况将带来更多实际利益。
