Analyzing the synergistic relationship of FWEE-SDGs in the inland river basins using bi-level fuzzy multi-objective optimization: a case study of the Aral Sea Basin
Chen C. Hu Z. Liu T. Chen X. Kazhigulovich K.A. Yimamaidi D. Guo W. Han Y.
2026Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Environment, Development and Sustainability
2026
The healthy synergistic development of the Food-Water-Energy-Ecosystem (FWEE) nexus is crucial for maintaining basin ecological security and economic growth. However, achieving synergistic FWEE development within inland river basins remains a significant challenge to attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this study proposes an integrated analytical framework designed for the synergistic management of multiple FWEE-related SDGs. Using the Aral Sea Basin as a case study, it develops models for each relevant SDGs and designs twenty-seven scenarios. These scenarios vary in water resource availability, food demand, and irrigation efficiency. A bi-level fuzzy multi-objective programming approach is applied to manage the interlinkages between different SDGs. The results show that (1) agricultural irrigation efficiency significantly impacts overall system benefits. As irrigation efficiency improves, the amount of water allocated to the ecological sector increases significantly. Hence, expanding drip irrigation coverage or enhancing water conservancy facilities is crucial for the basin’s sustainable development. (2) Optimizing the planting structure of wheat and maize can further help reduce water use in agriculture. (3) The power sector has low water use but provides significant system benefits for each unit of water. Therefore, stronger cooperation among upstream and downstream countries is crucial to secure water for power generation. These findings improve policymakers’ understanding of the connections between SDGs objectives within the FWEE nexus and offer solutions for promoting sustainable development.
Aral sea basin , Optimization modeling , Sustainable development goals , Water resources , Water-energy-food-ecology nexus
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College of Tourism, Wuyi University, Nanping, 354300, China
School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
College of Geoinformatics, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China
National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
Kazakh National Agrarian University, Almaty, 050010, Kazakhstan
College of Tourism
School of Global Health
College of Geoinformatics
National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakh National Agrarian University
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Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026