Ecological environment quality evaluation of the Sahel region in Africa based on remote sensing ecological index

Long-term monitoring of the ecological environment changes is helpful for the protection of the ecological environment.Based on the ecological environment of the Sahel region in Africa,we established a remote sensing ecological index(RSEI)model for this region by combining dryness,moisture,greenness,and desertification indicators.Using the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)data in Google Earth Engine(GEE)platform,this study analyzed the ecological environment quality of the Sahel region during the period of 2001-2020.We used liner regression and fluctuation analysis methods to study the trend and fluctuation of RSEI,and utilized the stepwise regression approach to analyze the contribution of each indicator to the RSEI.Further,the correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between RSEI and precipitation,and Hurst index was applied to evaluate the change trend of RSEI in the future.The results show that RSEI of the Sahel region exhibited spatial heterogeneity.Specifically,it exhibited a decrease in gradient from south to north of the Sahel region.Moreover,RSEI in parts of the Sahel region presented non-zonal features.Different land-cover types demonstrated different RSEI values and changing trends.We found that RSEI and precipitation were positively correlated,suggesting that precipitation is the controlling factor of RSEI.The areas where RSEI values presented an increasing trend were slightly less than the areas where RSEI values presented a decreasing trend.In the Sahel region,the areas with the ecological environment characterized by continuous deterioration and continuous improvement accounted for 44.02%and 28.29%of the total study area,respectively,and the areas in which the ecological environment was changing from improvement to deterioration and from deterioration to improvement accounted for 12.42%and 15.26%of the whole area,respectively.In the face of the current ecological environment and future change trends of RSEI in the Sahel region,the research results provide a reference for the construction of the"Green Great Wall"(GGW)ecological environment project in Africa.     

Spatiotemporal changes of eco-environmental quality based on remote sensing-based ecological index in the Hotan Oasis,Xinjiang

The rapid economic development that the Hotan Oasis in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China has undergone in recent years may face some challenges in its ecological environment.Therefore,an analysis of the spatiotemporal changes in ecological environment of the Hotan Oasis is important for its sustainable development.First,we constructed an improved remote sensing-based ecological index(RSEI)in 1990,1995,2000,2005,2010,2015 and 2020 on the Google Earth Engine(GEE)platform and implemented change detection for their spatial distribution.Second,we performed a spatial autocorrelation analysis on RSEI distribution map and used land-use and land-cover change(LUCC)data to analyze the reasons of RSEI changes.Finally,we investigated the applicability of improved RSEI to arid area.The results showed that mean of RSEI rose from 0.41 to 0.50,showing a slight upward trend.During the 30-a period,2.66% of the regions improved significantly,10.74% improved moderately and 32.21% improved slightly,respectively.The global Moran's I were 0.891,0.889,0.847 and 0.777 for 1990,2000,2010 and 2020,respectively,and the local indicators of spatial autocorrelation(LISA)distribution map showed that the high-high cluster was mainly distributed in the central part of the Hotan Oasis,and the low-low cluster was mainly distributed in the outer edge of the oasis.RSEI at the periphery of the oasis changes from low to high with time,with the fragmentation of RSEI distribution within the oasis increasing.Its distribution and changes are predominantly driven by anthropologic factors,including the expansion of artificial oasis into the desert,the replacement of desert ecosystems by farmland ecosystems,and the increase in the distribution of impervious surfaces.The improved RSEI can reflect the eco-environmental quality effectively of the oasis in arid area with relatively high applicability.The high efficiency exhibited with this approach makes it convenient for rapid,high frequency and macroscopic monitoring of eco-environmental quality in study area.     

Land use/land cover change responses to ecological water conveyance in the lower reaches of Tarim River,China

The Tarim River is the longest inland river in China and is considered as an important river to protect the oasis economy and environment of the Tarim Basin. However, excessive exploitation and over-utilization of natural resources, particularly water resources, have triggered a series of ecological and environmental problems, such as the reduction in the volume of water in the main river, deterioration of water quality, drying up of downstream rivers, degradation of vegetation, and land desertification. In this study, the land use/land cover change (LUCC) responses to ecological water conveyance in the lower reaches of the Tarim River were investigated using ENVI (Environment for Visualizing Images) and GIS (Geographic Information System) data analysis software for the period of 1990-2018. Multi-temporal remote sensing images and ecological water conveyance data from 1990 to 2018 were used. The results indicate that LUCC covered an area of 2644.34 km² during this period, accounting for 15.79% of the total study area. From 1990 to 2018, wetland, farmland, forestland, and artificial surfaces increased by 533.42 km² (216.77%), 446.68 km² (123.66%), 284.55 km² (5.67%), and 57.51 km² (217.96%), respectively, whereas areas covered by grassland and other land use/land cover types, such as Gobi, bare soil, and deserts, decreased by 103.34 km² (14.31%) and 1218.83 km² (11.75%), respectively. Vegetation area decreased first and then increased, with the order of 2010<2000<1990<2018. LUCC in the overflow and stagnant areas in the lower reaches of the Tarim River was mainly characterized by fragmentation, irregularity, and complexity. By analyzing the LUCC responses to 19 rounds of ecological water conveyance in the lower reaches of the Tarim River from 2000 to the end of 2018, we proposed guidelines for the rational development and utilization of water and soil resources and formulation of strategies for the sustainable development of the lower reaches of the Tarim River. This study provides scientific guidance for optimal scheduling of water resources in the region.     

基于生态足迹的新疆可持续发展建设用地面积预测研究

运用生态足迹分析法分析新疆2000-2008年生态足迹和生态承载力的变化轨迹,寻找新疆可持续发展的平衡点;并运用SPSS软件对新疆人均生态承载力、单位生态足迹产出和单位建设用地产出进行回归分析和趋势预测,在此基础上构建研究新疆可持续发展建设用地容纳能力的方法,通过预测得出2015、2020和2030年新疆建设用地面积应...     

西部生态脆弱区典型县域农用地质量等别对比研究

以云南陆良、重庆丰都、陕西凤翔、新疆阿勒泰以及内蒙古达拉特为例,基于农用地分等成果,对五县农用地质量等别特征及其差异状况进行了对比研究,在此基础上,探讨了五县国家级自然质量等别、利用等别及经济等别与县域内标准耕作制度、农用地结构、土壤条件及灌排条件的相关关系,查明了农用地质量等别限制因素。结果表明:以上述五县为代表的西部地区农用地等别总体偏低,农用地多为中等地和低等地,高等地分布较少,优等地无分布;五县之间等别差异较明显,农用地质量从优至劣大致顺序为陕西凤翔、云南陆良、重庆丰都、新疆阿勒泰、内蒙古达拉特;五县国家级农用地等别与标准耕作制度、土壤条件以及灌排条件密切相关,应根据不同生态脆弱类型区的主导限制因素,制定相应的农用地质量提升策略。     

Assessing land transformation and associated degradation of the west part of Ganga River Basin using forest cover land use mapping and residual trend analysis

The west part of Ganga River Basin (WGRB) has experienced continuous land transformation since the Indus Valley Civilisation shifted from the Indus basin to the Ganga basin. Particularly in the last few decades the land transformation has increased many-folds due to the changing climate and rapid increase in population. In this paper, we assessed land transformation and associated degradation in the WGRB based on the forest cover land use (FCLU) mapping and residual trend analysis (RTA). The FCLU maps for 1975 and 2010 were generated using 216 Landsat satellite images and validated using 1509 ground points. We mapped 29 forest and 18 non-forest types and estimated a total loss of 5571 km² forest cover and expansion in settlement areas (5396 km²). Other major changes mapped include a decrease in wetlands and water bodies, while an increase in agriculture and barren lands with an overall mapping accuracy of 85.3% (kappa, 0.82) and 88.43% (kappa, 0.84) for 1975 and 2010, respectively. We also performed the RTA analysis using GIMMS-NDVI3g to identify areas of significant negative vegetative photosynthetic change as an indicator for land degradation. All the RTA models showed monotonic nature of the residual trends and resulted as moderately positive but highly significant (P<0.001). Land degradation in the form of barren land accompanied by a decline in vegetation quality and coverage was found prominent in the basin with a possibility of an accelerated rate of land degradation in future due to the rapid loss of permanent forest cover.     

干旱地区生态移民土地利用变化生态风险 ——以宁夏红寺堡区为例

以全国最大的移民安置中心——红寺堡区为研究对象,基于1995、2000、2005、2010年和2015年五期遥感数据,采用RS和GIS技术,选取土地利用程度、耕地垦殖指数、景观多样性指数和景观破碎度等指数构建生态风险指数模型,并运用生态风险模型和空间分析方法对红寺堡区1995—2015年的土地利用变化及其生态风险的时空分布特征进行分析。结果显示：研究时段内草地面积下降明显,共减少29 494 hm²,耕地、林地、水域和建设用地面积呈上升趋势,其中建设用地面积增幅最大,而未利用地面积虽波动明显,但研究时段始末变化不大;1995—2015年研究区生态风险不断下降,生态风险指数由1995年0.3972下降至2015年的0.3235;红寺堡生态移民安置区各乡镇生态风险空间分布变化较大,不同类型区间均有转换,且不具有规律性,1995—2005年间以最高风险区和较高风险区为主,2005—2015年间以中等风险区和较低风险区为主。通过地理探测器对影响红寺堡生态移民安置区生态风险因子进行探测发现,林地、草地和植被覆盖度等指标因子对安置区生态风险具有较大影响,因此在通过扬黄灌溉工程和基本农田建设,增强农田生产能力,保障生态移民安置区经济发展和生态安全的同时,应注重安置区生态用地面积的增加与建设,以此来增加安置区植被覆盖度和降低其生态风险程度;生态保护、摆脱贫困和经济发展是生态移民的主要方向,因此红寺堡安置区在发展过程中在追求经济实力提升的同时,也要注重生态安全的保障,将生态安全放在全区发展的重要位置。     

1990—2010年高台县耕地生态足迹和承载力动态研究

为了了解高台县耕地资源的可持续发展状况,利用生态足迹模型对高台县1990—2010年耕地的生态足迹、生态承载力及生态赤字进行了分析研究。结果表明:1990—2010年,高台县人均耕地生态足迹由0.4745hm2/人增加到1.9271 hm2/人,而人均耕地承载力由0.7095 hm2/人降低到0.6651 hm2/人,可见耕地生态足迹与生态承载力呈反方向发展趋势;在1990、1991、1996年,高台县耕地资源为生态盈余,其中1995年出现生态赤字,人均生态赤字由1995年的0.0220hm2/人逐年增加到2010年的1.2620 hm2/人,截止2010年生态赤字达到最高值。分析结果表明,高台县人口对耕地资源的利用压力逐年增加,目前已超出了耕地生态系统的生态承载力范围,加之人口逐年增长,高台县耕地生态环境处于不安全状态,故对现有耕地资源的利用模式是不可持续的。     

基于退耕还草背景的科尔沁沙地生态环境质量评价

基干研究区2000、2005年土地利用图形数据、土地沙漠化监测数据、环境状况公报数据以及统计年鉴数据,依据<生态环境状况评价技术规范(试行)>(HJ/T 192-2006),从整个研究区及旗、县尺度上对科尔沁沙地送耕还草工程实施初期、实施5年后的生态环境状况及动态变化进行定量分析和评价.结果表明:退耕还草工程实施5年后...     

Impact of land use/land cover types on surface humidity in northern China in the early 21st century

In the context of global change, it is essential to promote the rational development and utilization of land resources, improve the quality of regional ecological environment, and promote the harmonious development of human and nature for the regional sustainability. We identified land use/land cover types in northern China from 2001 to 2018 with ENVI images and ArcGIS software. Meteorological data were selected from 292 stations in northern China, the potential evapotranspiration was calculated with the Penman-Monteith formula, and reanalysis humidity and observed humidity data were obtained. The reanalysis minus observation (RMO, i.e., the difference between reanalysis humidity and observed humidity) can effectively characterize the impact of different land use/land cover types (forestland, grassland, cultivated land, construction land, water body and unused land) on surface humidity in northern China in the early 21^st century. The results showed that from 2001 to 2018, the area of forestland expanded (increasing by approximately 1.80×10⁴ km²), while that of unused land reduced (decreasing by approximately 5.15×10⁴ km²), and the regional ecological environment was improved. Consequently, land surface in most areas of northern China tended to be wetter. The contributions of land use/land cover types to surface humidity changes were related to the quality of the regional ecological environment. The contributions of the six land use/land cover types to surface humidity were the highest in northeastern region of northern China, with a better ecological environment, and the lowest in northwestern region, with a fragile ecological environment. Surface humidity was closely related to the variation in regional vegetation coverage; when the regional vegetation coverage with positive (negative) contributions expanded (reduced), the land surface became wetter. The positive contributions of forestland and water body to surface humidity were the greatest. Unused land and construction land were associated with the most serious negative contributions to surface humidity. Affected by the regional distribution pattern of vegetation, surface humidity in different seasons decreased from east to west in northern China. The seasonal variation in surface humidity was closely related to the growth of vegetation: surface humidity was the highest in summer, followed by autumn and spring, and the lowest in winter. According to the results, surface humidity is expected to increase in northeastern region of northern China, decrease in northern region, and likely increase in northwestern region.     

高台县所辖乡镇耕地生态足迹动态分析

基于生态足迹模型,对高台县所辖8个乡镇2005—2010年耕地资源的生态足迹进行了动态分析。结果表明:8乡镇的人均耕地生态足迹均呈现波动变化,整体上均呈上升趋势,但各乡镇所经历的变化阶段及幅度有所差异;8乡镇的人均耕地生态承载力也均呈波动变化,其中6个乡镇的人均耕地生态承载力整体呈上升趋势,2个乡镇整体呈下降趋势;8个乡镇中,人均耕地生态赤字呈波动变化的有7个乡镇;8乡镇的耕地生态超载指数几乎全部为正值,说明8个乡镇的耕地资源处于超负荷利用状态,且大部分乡镇的耕地资源超负荷利用状况呈加重态势。     

基于熵权法的城市化进程中土地生态安全研究

运用熵权法,利用P-S-R模型,从人口变动、土地利用以及产业结构三个方面,构建城市化驱动下土地生态安全评价指标体系,对吉林省进行实证研究。结果表明：近20年吉林省土地生态安全指数1989-1993年处于恶化级、1994-2004年处于风险级、2005-2008处于敏感级,虽总体呈波动上升趋势,但基本上处于不安全状态;土...     

Assessing land transformation and associated degradation of the Indian Ganga River Basin using forest cover land use mapping and residual trend analysis

The Indian Ganga River Basin(IGRB) has experienced continuous land transformation since the Indus Valley Civilisation shifted from the Indus basin to the Ganga basin. Particularly in the last few decades the land transformation has increased many-folds due to the changing climate and rapid increase in population. In this paper, we assessed land transformation and associated degradation in the IGRB based on the forest cover land use(FCLU) mapping and residual trend analysis(RTA). The FCLU maps for 1975 and 2010 were generated using 216 Landsat satellite images and validated using 1509 ground points. We mapped 29 forest and 18 non-forest types and estimated a total loss of 5571 km~2 forest cover and expansion in settlement areas(5396 km~2). Other major changes mapped include a decrease in wetlands and water bodies, while an increase in agriculture and barren lands with an overall mapping accuracy of 85.3%(kappa, 0.82) and 88.43%(kappa, 0.84) for 1975 and 2010, respectively. We also performed the RTA analysis using GIMMS-NDVI3 g to identify areas of significant negative vegetative photosynthetic change as an indicator for land degradation. All the RTA models showed monotonic nature of the residual trends and resulted as moderately positive but highly significant(P<0.001). Land degradation in the form of barren land accompanied by a decline in vegetation quality and coverage was found prominent in the basin with a possibility of an accelerated rate of land degradation in future due to the rapid loss of permanent forest cover.     

Conversion of communal grazing land into arable land and its impacts on soil properties and vegetation cover

With rapid population growth and absence of agricultural intensification, smallholders need more land to grow crops. This resulted in communal grazing land conversion to cultivated land. This study, therefore, aimed at exploring the magnitude of communal grazing land conversion and its influence on soil properties and vegetation cover change. Ecological time line approach was used to measure the magnitude of change. Plants and soil samples were taken from open grazing land, seasonal grazing land, 6 years old cultivated land, 16 years old cultivated land and 20 years old cultivated land. Moreover, 95 respondents were selected to assess their perception on the subject. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis system software. Results showed that grazing land declined by 41.88%, while cultivated land increased by 56.80% in the years between 1992 and 2012. Plant attributes showed significant (P?P?相似文献   

Spatial-temporal variations of ecological vulnerability in the Tarim River Basin,Northwest China

As the largest inland river basin of China, the Tarim River Basin (TRB), known for its various natural resources and fragile environment, has an increased risk of ecological crisis due to the intensive exploitation and utilization of water and land resources. Since the Ecological Water Diversion Project (EWDP), which was implemented in 2001 to save endangered desert vegetation, there has been growing evidence of ecological improvement in local regions, but few studies have performed a comprehensive ecological vulnerability assessment of the whole TRB. This study established an evaluation framework integrating the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy method to estimate the ecological vulnerability of the TRB covering climatic, ecological, and socioeconomic indicators during 2000-2017. Based on the geographical detector model, the importance of ten driving factors on the spatial-temporal variations of ecological vulnerability was explored. The results showed that the ecosystem of the TRB was fragile, with more than half of the area (57.27%) dominated by very heavy and heavy grades of ecological vulnerability, and 28.40% of the area had potential and light grades of ecological vulnerability. The light grade of ecological vulnerability was distributed in the northern regions (Aksu River and Weigan River catchments) and western regions (Kashgar River and Yarkant River catchments), while the heavy grade was located in the southern regions (Kunlun Mountains and Qarqan River catchments) and the Mainstream catchment. The ecosystems in the western and northern regions were less vulnerable than those in the southern and eastern regions. From 2000 to 2017, the overall improvement in ecological vulnerability in the whole TRB showed that the areas with great ecological improvement increased by 46.11%, while the areas with ecological degradation decreased by 9.64%. The vegetation cover and potential evapotranspiration (PET) were the obvious driving factors, explaining 57.56% and 21.55% of the changes in ecological vulnerability across the TRB, respectively. In terms of ecological vulnerability grade changes, obvious spatial differences were observed in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the TRB due to the different vegetation and hydrothermal conditions. The alpine source region of the TRB showed obvious ecological improvement due to increased precipitation and temperature, but the alpine meadow of the Kaidu River catchment in the Middle Tianshan Mountains experienced degradation associated with overgrazing and local drought. The improved agricultural management technologies had positive effects on farmland ecological improvement, while the desert vegetation in oasis-desert ecotones showed a decreasing trend as a result of cropland reclamation and intensive drought. The desert riparian vegetation in the lower reaches of the Tarim River was greatly improved due to the implementation of the EWDP, which has been active for tens of years. These results provide comprehensive knowledge about ecological processes and mechanisms in the whole TRB and help to develop environmental restoration measures based on different ecological vulnerability grades in each sub-catchment.     

Land cover change and eco-environmental quality response of different geomorphic units on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Land cover in the Chinese Loess Plateau has undergone dramatic changes since the late 1980s.Revealing the trend in land cover change and eco-environmental quality response of different geomorphic units in this stage is a realistic requirement for promoting sustainable development of the Chinese Loess Plateau.Based on the data of geomorphic units and land cover in 1990,2000,2010 and 2018 of the Chinese Loess Plateau,we studied the trend of land cover change and eco-environmental quality response of different geomorphic units by using a significance index of land cover change,a proportion index of land cover change and an eco-environmental response model.The results indicated that from 1990 to 2018,the areas of forestland and construction land substantially increased,whereas those of cropland,grassland,wetland and unused land considerably decreased.Land cover change exhibited large geomorphic differences,and the main conversion of land cover was from cropland into other land types.Unstable trend of land cover change in the loess tablelands and sandy loess hills declined,whereas the unstable trends in the other geomorphic units enhanced.Eco-environmental quality varied among different geomorphic units.The expansion of construction land and degradation of forestland,grassland and wetland resulted in the deterioration of eco-environmental quality.The conversion of cropland and unused land into forestland and grassland,and the conversion of grassland into forestland were the main factors that drove the improvement of eco-environmental quality.The findings of this study may provide theoretical reference and support decision making for the optimization of land use structure and the improvement of eco-environmental quality on the Chinese Loess Plateau.     

Response of ecosystem service value to land use/cover change in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains,Xinjiang, China

Land use/cover change (LUCC) is becoming more and more frequent and extensive as a result of human activities, and is expected to have a major impact on human welfare by altering ecosystem service value (ESV). In this study, we utilized remote sensing images and statistical data to explore the spatial-temporal changes of land use/cover types and ESV in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China from 1975 to 2018. During the study period, LUCC in the study region varied significantly. Except grassland and unused land, all the other land use/cover types (cultivated land, forestland, waterbody, and construction land) increased in areas. From 1975 to 2018, the spatial-temporal variations in ESV were also pronounced. The total ESV decreased by 4.00×10⁸ CNY, which was primarily due to the reductions in the areas of grassland and unused land. Waterbody had a much higher ESV than the other land use/cover types. Ultimately, understanding the impact of LUCC on ESV and the interactions among ESV of different land use/cover types will help improve existing land use policies and provide scientific basis for developing new conservation strategies for ecologically fragile areas.     

中国退耕还林(草)驱动力的多尺度分析

退耕还林(草)作为当前生态建设的重要内容,其实质是通过调整土地利用方式,恢复重建地表自然覆盖,建立生态安全条件下的土地利用/覆盖格局。研究不同尺度下退耕还林(草)的驱动力,可以为构造典型区域土地可持续利用结构与优化模式提供依据。该文从国家-省区-县域-农户尺度上分析了中国退耕还林(草)的驱动力,国家尺度上驱动力是生态环境安全、粮食结构调整和西部大开发,以生态安全为主;省区驱动力分为产业结构调整、水源地保护、防洪、保护三峡工程、减少入黄泥沙和防治风蚀沙化6种类型,经济状况居于主导地位;县域驱动力归纳为12种类型,以产业结构调整、发展主导产业、增加农民收入和改善农业生产条件为主;农户的退耕还林(草)是国家政策满足农户需求,个体利益最佳化为主要驱动力。     

Development of a large-scale remote sensing ecological index in arid areas and its application in the Aral Sea Basin

The Aral Sea Basin in Central Asia is an important geographical environment unit in the center of Eurasia.It is of great significance to the ecological protection and sustainable development of Central Asia to carry out dynamic monitoring and effective evaluation of the eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin.In this study,the arid remote sensing ecological index(ARSEI)for large-scale arid areas was developed,which coupled the information of the greenness index,the salinity index,the humidity index,the heat index,and the land degradation index of arid areas.The ARSEI was used to monitor and evaluate the eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin from 2000 to 2019.The results show that the greenness index,the humidity index and the land degradation index had a positive impact on the quality of the ecological environment in the Aral Sea Basin,while the salinity index and the heat index exerted a negative impact on the quality of the ecological environment.The eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin demonstrated a trend of initial improvement,followed by deterioration,and finally further improvement.The spatial variation of these changes was significant.From 2000 to 2019,grassland and wasteland(saline alkali land and sandy land)in the central and western parts of the basin had the worst ecological environment quality.The areas with poor ecological environment quality are mainly distributed in rivers,wetlands,and cultivated land around lakes.During the period from 2000 to 2019,except for the surrounding areas of the Aral Sea,the ecological environment quality in other areas of the Aral Sea Basin has been improved in general.The correlation coefficients between the change in the eco-environmental quality and the heat index and between the change in the eco-environmental quality and the humidity index were–0.593 and 0.524,respectively.Climate conditions and human activities have led to different combinations of heat and humidity changes in the eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin.However,human activities had a greater impact.The ARSEI can quantitatively and intuitively reflect the scale and causes of large-scale and long-time period changes of the eco-environmental quality in arid areas;it is very suitable for the study of the eco-environmental quality in arid areas.     

A general multi-objective programming model for minimum ecological flow or water level of inland water bodies

Assessment of ecological flow or water level for water bodies is important for the protection of degraded or degrading ecosystems caused by water shortage in arid regions, and it has become a key issue in water resources planning. In the past several decades, many methods have been proposed to assess ecological flow for rivers and ecological water level for lakes or wetlands. To balance water uses by human and ecosystems, we proposed a general multi-objective programming model to determine minimum ecological flow or water level for inland water bodies, where two objectives are water index for human and habitat index for ecosystems, respectively. Using the weighted sum method for multi-objective optimization, minimum ecological flow or water level can be determined from the breakpoint in the water index–habitat index curve, which is similar to the slope method to determine minimum ecological flow from wetted perimeter–discharge curve. However, the general multi-objective programming model is superior to the slope method in its physical meaning and calculation method. This model provides a general analysis method for ecological water uses of different inland water bodies, and can be used to define minimum ecological flow or water level by choosing appropriate water and habitat indices. Several commonly used flow or water level assessment methods were found to be special cases of the general model, including the wetted perimeter method and the multi-objective physical habitat simulation method for ecological river flow, the inundated forest width method for regeneration flow of floodplain forest and the lake surface area method for ecological lake level. These methods were applied to determine minimum ecological flow or water level for two representative rivers and a lake in northern Xinjiang of China, including minimum ecological flow for the Ertix River, minimum regeneration flow for floodplain forest along the midstream of Kaxgar River, and minimum ecological lake level for the Ebinur Lake. The results illustrated the versatility of the general model, and can provide references for water resources planning and ecosystem protection for these rivers and lake.