RBMP initiated expedition to the Yellow River Source

(Photo:The Yellow River Source)

With the support of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission, the EU-China River Basin Management Programme (RBMP) initiated a ten-day expedition to the Yellow River Source from August 19, 2008. During the expedition, the potential impact of climate change on the Yellow River source area will be discussed and exchanged with local government sectors and Chinese experts. This will provide recommendations for river basin planning to adapt to climate change in the Yellow River basin pertinently.
The source of the Yellow River is in Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province, from where the Yangtze River also originates . However, the global warming in recent years has resulted in negative impacts to the vulnerable eco-system in the source area, glacier melting and retreating, lake shrinking and grassland degrading. Researches indicate that the annual precipitation and runoff of the Yellow River has been reducing during last fifty years.
Numerous studies have been undertaken worldwidely on the impact of climate change on water resources. The Chinese government also pays great attention to it. A number of major national scientific and technological projects were funded which related to the climate subjects during the period from the Chinese seventh five-year plan to the tenth five-year plan . And the Yellow River basin has always been a key area.

Climate change is included in Yellow River IRBM Policy and Strategy , one of the key activities in the Yellow River component of the EU-China River Basin Management Programme. It has the purpose to study possible climate change scenarios and adaptive strategies.
Officials, experts and scientists from the EC delegation, the Ministry of Commerce, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Yellow River Conservancy Commission, the Changjiang Water Resources Commission and the Beijing Normal University take part in the expedition. The expedition team will meet with local government agencies and research institutes in the Yellow River source area. At the same time, a workshop will be held to discuss the development of various scenarios in connection wit climate change.

EU-China River Basin Management Programme (EU-China RBMP) is a joint programme initiated by European Commission and Chinese Government, with the purpose to exchange European and Chinese experiences in water resources management and establish integrated river basin management models in the Yellow and Yangtze River basins. The programme was officially launched on October 16, 2007 during the 3rd International Yellow River Forum in Dongying.