Abstract: Water ecological civilization is an important component and basic guarantee of ecological civilization. Under the background of water ecological civilization construction, the composition and change of total water footprint in the Yangtze River economic belt were calculated by investigating data of production water consumption, domestic water consumption, ecological water consumption and imports and exports of provinces and cities in the region in 2007, 2012 and 2017. The evolution of regional water footprint supply and demand structure was analyzed, and the regional water resource pressure and water use efficiency were also evaluated. Results demonstrated that the growth of regional water footprint attenuated remarkably after the construction of water ecological civilization, and the total water footprint was effectively controlled; in particular, the water saving effect in three central provinces was most notable. Population and economic scale exerted evident impact on water footprint. Agricultural water consumption constitute the main part of water footprint, while ecological water use accounted for a small proportion, and the reducing effect of virtual water trade was gradually weakened. The water saving effect on industrial water was apparent, whereas the efficiency of agricultural and domestic water use needed to be further improved. Regional water resources were mainly self-sufficient. Eastern provinces’ dependency on water resources import was higher than that in western and central provinces. The regional demand for water resources increased steadily, and the demand structure remained relatively stable. The pressure on regional water resources was generally small, increasing from the west to the east. The regional water use efficiency has been gradually improved, particularly in central and western provinces. The research findings can be used as a supplement to the “three red lines” of the most stringent water resources management system, and be taken as a reference for the development, utilization and protection of water resources in the Yangtze River economic belt.

Key words: water footprint, Yangtze River economic belt, spatial-temporal variations, water ecological civilization, water resource