Collaborative Research: Effects of Check Dams on Landscape and Society - A Catalyzing Visit to the Eco-Sensitive Shiwalik Foot Hills of India

CNIC的这一奖项支持“美印合作研究：拦河坝对景观和社会的影响——对印度生态敏感的Shiwalik山麓的催化性访问”。西伊利诺伊大学的PI Ranbir Kang和乔治华盛顿大学的Elizabeth Chacko将发起一项国际合作。来自旁遮普大学地理和地质系的迪安·考尔和K.P.辛格研究了旁遮普拦河坝的地球物理和社会经济影响。研究小组将收集拦河坝对河道形态、周围土地覆盖、地下水位和当地人口影响的数据。他们将利用政府和非政府组织关于农业、人口、水文、植被的官方数据，以及焦点小组和当地居民的数据，了解拦河坝对社会经济发展和生态变化的影响。本研究的新颖之处在于，它不仅分析了亚热带发展中地区拦河坝对人类环境的影响，而且分析了该地区人类与环境之间的反馈机制。两名美国研究生将参加在印度的实地研究。这项研究的结果将用于完善研究问题和假设，以提交给美国国家科学基金会地理和空间系统（GSS）计划的全面发展的研究计划。

This CNIC award supports the U.S.-India Collaborative Research: Effects of Check Dams on Landscape and Society-a Catalyzing Visit to the Eco-Sensitive Shiwalik Foothills of India. PI Ranbir Kang, Western Illinois University and collaborator Elizabeth Chacko, George Washington University will initiate an international collaboration with Drs. Dhian Kaur and K.P. Singh from the Departments of Geography and Geology at Panjab University to study the geophysical and socio-economic impacts of check dams in the Punjab. The research team will gather data on the effects of check dams on channel morphology, surrounding land cover, ground water levels, and local populations. They will use official government and NGO data on agriculture, demographics, hydrology, vegetation, as well as, focus groups and local inhabitants to understand the effects of check dams on socio-economic progress and ecological change. The proposed research is novel in that it will analyze not only the human-environment impacts of check dams in a sub-tropical developing area, but also the feed-back mechanisms between humans and the environment in such a locale. Two US graduate students will participate in the field research in India. Findings from this study will be used to refine research questions and hypotheses for a fully developed research proposal to be submitted to NSF's Geography and Spatial Systems(GSS)Program.