The oasis expansion and eco-environment change over the last 50 years in Manas River Valley, Xinjiang

The oasis expansion and economic development of the Manas River Valley is one of the most successful examples in Xinjiang. In this paper, the oasis spatial distribution pattern and dynamic change were examined using imageries of Landsat MSS, TM and ETM, land use and topographic maps in six different periods (such as 1949, 1962, 1976, 1989, 1999 and 2001) over the last 50 years in the valley. The oasis expansion process could be divided into two stages according to the annual rate of oasis area increase, the fast oasization stage (from 1949 to 1976) when the oasis area expanded from 156.385 km(2) in 1949 to 3,639.491 km(2) in 1976 because of rapidly increased population and quickly enlarged farmland area; and the urbanization stage (from 1976 to 2001) when the expansion ratio of farmland slowed down, and the urbanization process quickened, the total oasis area reached 5042.440 km(2) in 2001. With the continuous expansion of oasis and farmland, a large quantity of river water was drawn into irrigation ditch and plain lakes, so only a small quantity of river water could flow into lakes, as a result, the Manas Lake dried up, salization and basification problems happened in the low-lying oasis region. The natural swamp around the lake was shrunk greatly and biodiversity decreased significantly. The driving force analysis reveals that human activities, such as reclamation and population growth, played a major role in the oasis expansion and ecological deterioration in the Manas River Valley. So further efforts should be made to improve the efficiency of water resource utility and adjust layout of the regional agricultural and animal husbandry to keep the sustainable development of oasis economic belt of the northern slope of Tianshan Mts.