Enlightenment on sustainable management of water resources from past practices in the Bositeng Lake basin, Xinjiang, China

This paper addresses the problem of water resources management for the Bositeng Lake basin in the inland region of northwestern China. Experience and lessons learned from past management practices are summarized. A quantifying methodology is developed to evaluate sustainability related to the case study. It shows that a compromise between economic development and ecosystem protection can be established to obtain a sustainable water resource management strategy