Meta-watershed: a new research paradigm for river governance and protection

To address governance challenges in the implementation of China’s national river strategy, namely, difficulties in cross- sectoral coordination, limited multi-stakeholder participation, and inability to foresee complex system risks, a novel paradigm that bridges the physical watershed and human-social domain is urgently needed. By integrating theories and technologies such as the metaverse, artificial intelligence, and watershed sciences, this paper proposes the theoretical framework and technical system of the Meta-Watershed. The definition, connotation, and characteristics are elucidated. A "Six Bases and Three Elements" basic model is constructed, featuring a high-fidelity digital twin watershed as the digital foundation, integrating with virtual society, immersive interaction, and symbiotic intelligence hub. The operational mechanisms and core capabilities of the model are analyzed, and the directions for key technological breakthroughs are identified. The Meta-Watershed upgrades governance from "humans governing watersheds through tools" to "humans and intelligent agents co-governing watershed," establishing a parallel and interactive, bidirectional closed-loop collaborative governance mechanism between the physical watershed and the virtual society. This evolution drives core governance tasks—including water security, water resource allocation, and ecological protection—toward a new governance paradigm. With its novel concepts and technological innovations, the Meta-Watershed propels watershed governance from the data-driven fourth paradigm toward the intelligence-driven fifth paradigm, providing a theoretical framework and practical blueprint for modernizing China’s river governance system and capacity, ultimately achieving harmonious coexistence between human and water.