China, People's Republic of : Research of Ecological Water Security for Healthy River and Biodiversity Protection in the Lower Yellow River and Delta

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Agricultural policy, institutional and capacity development - Water-based natural resources management

The knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) cluster was approved on 28 October 2020. The overall TA cluster amount is $3.88 million, out of which $3.73 million is financed on a grant basis from the Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF-other sources) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and $0.15 million from the Climate Change Fund. The Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Division of ADB's East Asia Department is responsible for administration and coordination of the TA cluster. The National Development and Reform Commission, the leading agency for strategic development in the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the executing agency for the TA cluster to play a leading role to support knowledge sharing and coordinate with ADB for alignment of ADB lending and nonlending assistance in the Yellow River basin.

The TA cluster comprises a total of 13 subprojects, each focused on different aspects of river basin management. Ten subprojects are under implementation and three are under preparation. The TA cluster is part of ADB's Yellow River Ecological Corridor (YREC) program, a multisector approach which is aligned with the following impact: resilient ecological protection and security in the Yellow River basin achieved. The TA cluster and YREC program are supporting the PRC's Yellow River Basin Ecological Protection and High-quality Development Program, 20212035, which aims to strengthen water resources management and sustainable development in the basin.

Subproject context. Identifying the ecological water requirements of rivers is essential to maintaining river health. The lower reaches of the Yellow River are located within two provinces of the PRC, Henan and Shandong, and support freshwater and estuarine wetlands, agricultural lands, and rural and urban development. The river drains into a large, branching estuarine delta. The lower Yellow River and delta support the livelihoods of millions of people and globally important freshwater and marine biodiversity values. The continued maintenance of these values is largely dependent upon upstream flow and sediment inputs and are at risk from altered flows and water shortages, caused by multiple factors including excessive water extraction, dams and flow regulation, and climate change. Regulation of water use in the Yellow River is managed through a framework of national and provincial policies, but which requires supporting data to help ensure adequate flow allocation for different needs. There is a need to identify the ecological water requirements of the lower Yellow River and to develop technical and policy measures to achieve ecological water security in a balanced approach that considers multisector water needs.

Two subprojects under implementation in the TA cluster are partly addressing these issues. Under subproject 1, a basin-wide water resources profile is under preparation, to document existing water demand, supply, allocation and regulation for multiple sectors and strategies and actions to strengthen water resources management. Under subproject 9, a biodiversity strategy and action plan is under preparation for the portion of the Yellow River basin within Henan Province, and which includes a preliminary review of environmental flows. These works build upon long-term efforts by the government to strengthen water resources management of the Yellow River basin.

The TA will have the following outcome: planning for ecological water security of the lower Yellow River and delta improved. The TA is aligned with the expected outcome of the TA cluster: high-quality, green development opportunities in the Yellow River basin increased. The subproject will support the overall TA cluster outputs by (i) identifying the policy and institutional reforms and management actions required to strengthen ecological water security of the lower Yellow River and delta (TA cluster output 1), (ii) applying best practice methodologies to develop nature-positive solutions to address the identified issues (TA cluster output 2), and (iii) disseminating the TA results and strengthening the capacity of stakeholders to implement the management actions developed under the subproject (TA cluster output 3).

Output 1: Analysis of ecological water security requirements for the lower Yellow River and delta produced. The output will prepare a comprehensive analysis of the ecological water requirements of the lower Yellow River and delta (the TA area), based on field surveys, modeling, review of national and international best practice and expert consultation. The TA will: (i) facilitate a participatory process to specify the minimum targets (ecological, biodiversity, and hydrological) that will define ecological water security for the TA area; (ii) assess and quantify the key factors (including flow regimes and sediment loads) required to maintain and restore these targets under different modeling scenarios to account for seasonal and multi-year variation and climate change; (iii) compare existing and projected ecological water requirements for the TA area with dam operations and water allocation policies, and identify gaps especially for key wetland sites; (iv) design an independent river health monitoring program for the TA area including key indicators, and assess the status of these indicators; (v) review water policies and plans and identify regulatory gaps affecting the ecological water security of the TA area; and (vi) develop draft policy and technical recommendations to achieve ecological water security for the TA area, including changes to existing dam operations and flow allocations as needed.

Output 2: Ecological water security report for the lower Yellow River and delta prepared. The report will describe the policy and technical actions needed to maintain and restore the ecological water values of the TA area and will be based on the findings of output 1. The plan will be structured in a format that will enable the government and sector agencies to adopt relevant sections within basin and provincial sector policies and plans. It will include: (i) recommended flow regimes and quantitative flow targets to help protect and restore water ecosystems and achieve ecological water security for the TA area under different climatic, development and impact scenarios (including emergency' water releases from dams in years of low flow); (ii) proposed revisions to water allocation polices, regulations, guidelines, and technical standards; (iii) actions tailored to Henan and Shandong provinces and individual dams, as needed; (iv) draft management strategy for ecological water security for at least one key wetland site in each of these provinces (footnote 10), including technical and policy requirements tailored to site-specific needs; (v) draft river health monitoring program for the TA area; and (vi) stakeholder roles and responsibilities and time-bound steps and budget to implement the recommended actions.

Output 3: Institutional capacity and knowledge on ecological water security enhanced. The output will: (i) implement a training program on ecological water security and the TA findings for government agencies, dam operators and other key stakeholders that influence water resources management in the TA area; (ii) procure water analysis equipment for the design and testing of the river health monitoring program (outputs 1 and 2); (iii) support a domestic study tour for key agencies to strengthen understanding of key issues concerning ecological water security; (iv) facilitate two seminars to disseminate the TA findings and best practice for ecological water security; and (v) prepare at least one knowledge product (e.g., a policy brief) that describes the TA deliverables and lessons. The training program will be gender-inclusive, participatory (including to seek feedback on the draft TA deliverables) and tailored to the roles and capacity of stakeholders identified under output 1. To facilitate information exchange and collaboration, research agencies and other stakeholders will be invited to co-facilitate the training and seminars. Expert workshops will be conducted to seek review and feedback on the TA findings, recommendations, and draft deliverables.

Innovation, added value, and knowledge dissemination. The TA will provide a detailed assessment of ecological water security for the lower Yellow River and delta. It will introduce and apply best practice methodologies and lessons to identify the ecological water requirements of the TA area; and provide a benchmark for the preparation of ecological water security assessments for other parts of the Yellow River basin. The results of the TA will complement the water resource assessments being conducted under subprojects 1 and 9 of the TA cluster. To maximize the resources and impact of the TA cluster, the TA stakeholder consultations, workshops, and seminars will be planned in coordination with subprojects 1 and 9 and where possible, training and knowledge events will be combined. Subproject 1 includes the establishment of a stakeholder engagement mechanism and expert review workshops, and these will be utilized by the TA to strengthen consultative and participatory review of the TA findings and draft recommendations. To scale up the TA benefits, the TA will also coordinate with other ADB programs under implementation, including the regional flyway initiative. In addition to seminars and a knowledge product (output 3), the TA lessons will also be shared with ADB members through ADB-wide platforms, with guidance from ADB's media team to maximize dissemination to target audiences. Other opportunities for knowledge dissemination will be identified during TA implementation.

Resilient ecological protection and security in the Yellow River basin achieved

Planning for ecological water security of the lower Yellow River and delta improved

Analysis of ecological water security requirements for the lower Yellow River and delta produced

Ecological water security report for the lower Yellow River and delta prepared

Institutional capacity and knowledge on ecological water security enhanced