| The inland river basins of Gansu Province are important ecological security barriers for the northwest and even the country. To calculate the water footprint of inland river basins of Gansu Province by the water footprint method from 2007 to 2023, evaluate the level of water resource pressure, and quantitatively analyze the main driving factors of water footprint changes using the IPAT-LMDI model. Research has found that the total water footprint of the watershed showed an overall upward trend from 2007 to 2023, with an average annual volume of 9.014 billion cubic meters and an average annual increase of 348 million cubic meters. Among them, the agricultural water footprint, ecological water footprint, urban public water footprint, export water footprint, and import water footprint all showed an upward trend, while the industrial water footprint and domestic water footprint showed a downward trend. The average annual agricultural water footprint was 7.564 billion cubic meters, accounting for the highest proportion (83.91%) among all types of water footprints, showing a fluctuating upward trend. But the overall intensity of agricultural water footprint showed a significant downward trend. In the past 17 years, in terms of agricultural water footprint, the grain water footprint was 3.468 billion cubic meters, accounting for the largest proportion (45.85%). The water resources in the inland river basins of Gansu Province are facing significant usage pressure. The per capita water footprint was higher than the national average and showed an upward trend annually. The water footprint pressure index (1.157) was relatively high, while the overall economic benefits of water resources (34.89 yuan/m3) were relatively low. The center of gravity of water footprint and agricultural water footprint had shifted to the northwest by 13.00 km and 12.57 km respectively. The trajectory of the center of gravity had always been within Shandan County and Minle County, without significant structural changes. Among the driving factors of water footprint changed in the inland river basin of Gansu Province, the economic and population factor had a significant driving effect, with a high contribution value from economic effects and a suppressive effect from technological effects. |