Parsimoniously modelling perennial vegetation suitability and identifying priority areas to support China's re-vegetation program in the Loess Plateau: Matching model complexity to data availability

McVicar, Tim R.; Niel, Tom Van; Li, Lingtao; Wen, Zhu; Yang, Qinke; Li, Rui; Jiao, Feng

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.05.002

Cited by 105 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The soil water replenishment by rainfall during rainy seasons was not sufficient to fully recharge the soil water storage in Loess Plateau, Yellow River basin. McVicar et al (2010) reviewed 13 studies of paired catchments in Yellow River, and found that streamflow mainly decreased with afforestation, which was consistent with the results from the Yangtze River. In spite of the same change direction, the sensitivity of streamflow to forest changes is different between two large basins.…”

Section: Implications For Management and Adaptation Strategiessupporting

confidence: 64%

Impacts of forest changes on hydrology: a case study of large watersheds in the upper reaches of Minjiang River watershed in China

Cui

Liu

Wei

2012

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Quantifying the effects of forest changes on hydrology in large watersheds is important for designing forest or land management and adaptation strategies for watershed ecosystem sustainability. Minjiang River watershed, located in the upper reach of the Yangtze River basin, plays a strategic role in the environmental protection and economic and social well-being for both the watershed and the entire Yangtze River basin. The watershed lies in the transition zone from Sichuan Basin to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with a size of 24 000 km 2 . Due to its strategic significance, severe historic deforestation and high sensitivity to climate change, the watershed has long been recognized as one of the highest priority watersheds in China for scientific research and resource management. The purpose of this review paper is to provide a state-of-the-art summary on what we have learned from several recently completed research programs (one of them known as "973 of the China National Major Fundamental Science" from 2002 to 2008). This summary paper focused on how land cover or forest change affected hydrology at both forest stand and watershed scales in this large watershed. Inclusion of two different spatial scales is useful, because the results from a small spatial scale (e.g. forest stand level) can help interpret the findings on a large spatial scale. Our review suggests that historic forest harvesting or land cover change has caused significant water yield increase due to reduction of forest canopy interception and evapotranspiration caused by removal of forest vegetation on both spatial scales. The impact magnitude caused by forest harvesting indicates that the hydrological effects of forest or land cover changes can be as important as those caused by climate change, while the opposite impact directions suggest their offsetting effects on water yield in the Minjiang River watershed. In addition, different types of forests have different magnitudes of evapotranspiration (ET), with the lowest in old-growth natural coniferous forests (Abies faxoniana Rehd. et Wils.) and the highest in coniferous plantations (e.g. Picea asperata Mast.) among major forest types in the study watershed. This suggests that selection of different types of forests can have an important role in ET and consequently water yield. Our synthesis indicates that future reforestation and climate change would likely produce the hydrological effects in the same direction and thus place double the pressure on water resource as both key drivers may lead to water yield reduction. The findings can support designing management strategies for protection of watershed ecological functions in the context of future land cover and climate changes.

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Section: Implications For Management and Adaptation Strategiessupporting

confidence: 64%

Impacts of forest changes on hydrology: a case study of large watersheds in the upper reaches of Minjiang River watershed in China

Cui

Liu

Wei

2012

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…When trees are planted where they lack sufficient water or nutrient resources, they have low productivity and provide low levels of ecological services. For example, dwarfed trees have been observed throughout reforestation regions where annual precipitation was less than 400 mm (McVicar et al 2010). These trees vividly illustrate the low growth rates and poor health that can result when trees are poorly suited to the local conditions.…”

Section: Failing To Account For Environmental and Vegetation Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greening China Naturally

Cao

Sun

Zhang

et al. 2011

AMBIO

101

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China leads the world in afforestation, and is one of the few countries whose forested area is increasing. However, this massive "greening" effort has been less effective than expected; afforestation has sometimes produced unintended environmental, ecological, and socioeconomic consequences, and has failed to achieve the desired ecological benefits. Where afforestation has succeeded, the approach was tailored to local environmental conditions. Using the right plant species or species composition for the site and considering alternatives such as grassland restoration have been important success factors. To expand this success, government policy should shift from a forest-based approach to a results-based approach. In addition, long-term monitoring must be implemented to provide the data needed to develop a cost-effective, scientifically informed restoration policy.

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“…Generally, the introduced vegetation consists of nonnative plants that tend to consume more water (Sun et al, 2006;Cao et al, 2011;McVicar et al, 2010). Average annual rainfall in this area ranges from 300 to 650 mm , while average annual pan evaporation can reach as high as 1669 mm (Xie and Wang, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of deep soil moisture to land use and afforestation in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

Yang

Wei

Chen

et al. 2012

Journal of Hydrology

215

126

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s u m m a r ySoil moisture is an effective water source for plant growth in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Characterizing the response of deep soil moisture to land use and afforestation is important for the sustainability of vegetation restoration in this region. In this paper, the dynamics of soil moisture were quantified to evaluate the effect of land use on soil moisture at a depth of 2 m. Specifically, the gravimetric soil moisture content was measured in the soil layer between 0 and 8 m for five land use types in the Longtan catchment of the western Loess Plateau. The land use types included traditional farmland, native grassland, and lands converted from traditional farmland (pasture grassland, shrubland and forestland). Results indicate that the deep soil moisture content decreased more than 35% after land use conversion, and a soil moisture deficit appeared in all types of land with introduced vegetation. The introduced vegetation decreased the soil moisture content to levels lower than the reference value representing no human impact in the entire 0-8 m soil profile. No significant differences appeared between different land use types and introduced vegetation covers, especially in deeper soil layers, regardless of which plant species were introduced. High planting density was found to be the main reason for the severe deficit of soil moisture. Landscape management activities such as tillage activities, micro-topography reconstruction, and fallowed farmland affected soil moisture in both shallow and deep soil layers. Tillage and micro-topography reconstruction can be used as effective countermeasures to reduce the soil moisture deficit due to their ability to increase soil moisture content. For sustainable vegetation restoration in a vulnerable semi-arid region, the plant density should be optimized with local soil moisture conditions and appropriate landscape management practices.

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Parsimoniously modelling perennial vegetation suitability and identifying priority areas to support China's re-vegetation program in the Loess Plateau: Matching model complexity to data availability

Cited by 105 publications

References 69 publications

Impacts of forest changes on hydrology: a case study of large watersheds in the upper reaches of Minjiang River watershed in China

Impacts of forest changes on hydrology: a case study of large watersheds in the upper reaches of Minjiang River watershed in China

Greening China Naturally

Response of deep soil moisture to land use and afforestation in the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China

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