保水采煤理念是基于榆神府矿区开发初期采煤引起的潜水位下降、植被退化而提出的。经过多年理论研究和工程实践，已初步建立了保水采煤技术体系，有效指导了生态脆弱矿区煤炭资源开采和生态环境保护。在国家关于生态文明建设标准日益提高的格局下，我国西部干旱半干旱地区煤水资源共生区生态环境保护面临历史考验。首先综述了保水采煤技术取得的成果，认为地质条件探查、岩层移动、保水采煤方法等方面的研究基本解决了单煤层开采中存在的突出问题，而生态脆弱矿区水与生态约束和生态修复与重构方面的稍显滞后。其次探讨了保水采煤领域中5个紧密相关的科学问题，包括矿区依赖地下水的植被对煤层开采的约束程度的识别、量化及监测，大采高和重复采动条件下导水裂隙带高度探测与预测方法，有效隔水层厚度的量化与评价，大采高和重复采动条件下采动岩层(覆岩)控制及矿山生态环境影响机制、矿山生态损害监测与评价、矿山土地复垦与生态重建技术、生态修复策略及效果评价等。在新形势下，矿区生态环境保护的责任和任务重大，有待于投入更多研究来支撑我国西部矿山保水采煤理论与技术的突破，促进绿色矿区建设。

In Yushenfu mining area,the concept of water-preserved coal mining is based on the groundwater level de- cline and vegetation degradation caused by coal mining in the early stage. After theoretical research and engineering practice in many years,a key technical system for water-preserved coal mining has been initially established,which ef- fectively guides the exploitation of coal resources and ecological environment protection in the ecological fragile mining areas. Under the high standards for the construction of national ecological civilization,the ecological environment pro- tection of coal-water resources symbiosis areas in the arid and semi-arid regions of western China is facing a historical test. This paper reviewed the achievements of water-preserved coal mining technology,and concluded that the research on geological conditions,rock movement and water-preserved coal mining methods had basically solved the outstanding problems in single coal seam mining,while the investigation on water and ecological constraints on coal mining,and ecological restoration and reconstruction lagged slightly behind. By combing the relevant contributions,this paper ex- plores the scientific issues in the study of five water-preserved coal mining and related fields. This includes the ecologi- cal constraints identification,the quantification and monitoring of the groundwater dependent on the mining area,the detection and prediction of the water conducting fissure zone under the conditions of large mining height and repeated mining,the quantification and evaluation of the thickness of the effective aquiclude,the overburden control and ecolog- ical reconstruction and restoration. Under the new situation,the responsibility and tasks of ecological protection in min- ing areas are significant. More research is needed to support the water-preserved coal mining in western China and pro- mote the construction of green mining areas.