Dataset Information

Grassland restoration reduces water yield in the headstream region of Yangtze River.

ABSTRACT: Large-scale ecological restoration programs are considered as one of the key strategies to enhance ecosystem services. The Headstream region of Yangtze River (HYZR), which is claimed to be China's Water Tower but witnessed the rapid grassland deterioration during 1970s-2000, has seen a series of grassland restoration programs since 2000. But few studies have thoroughly estimated the hydrological effect of this recent grassland restoration. Here we show that restoration significantly reduces growing-season water yield coefficient (WYC) from 0.37?±?0.07 during 1982-1999 to 0.24?±?0.07 during 2000-2012. Increased evapotranspiration (ET) is identified as the main driver for the observed decline in WYC. After factoring out climate change effects, vegetation restoration reduces streamflow by 9.75?±?0.48?mm from the period 1982-1999 to the period 2000-2012, amounting to 16.4?±?0. 80% of climatological growing-season streamflow. In contrary to water yield, restoration is conducive to soil water retention - an argument that is supported by long-term in-situ grazing exclusion experiment. Grassland restoration therefore improves local soil water conditions but undercuts gain in downstream water resources associated with precipitation increases.

SUBMITTER: Li J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5438355 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Grassland restoration reduces water yield in the headstream region of Yangtze River.

Li Jia J Liu Dan D Wang Tao T Li Yingnian Y Wang Shiping S Yang Yuting Y Wang Xiaoyi X Guo Hui H Peng Shushi S Ding Jinzhi J Shen Miaogen M Shen Miaogen M Wang Lei L

Scientific reports 20170519 1

Large-scale ecological restoration programs are considered as one of the key strategies to enhance ecosystem services. The Headstream region of Yangtze River (HYZR), which is claimed to be China's Water Tower but witnessed the rapid grassland deterioration during 1970s-2000, has seen a series of grassland restoration programs since 2000. But few studies have thoroughly estimated the hydrological effect of this recent grassland restoration. Here we show that restoration significantly reduces grow ...[more]

PMID: 28526833

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Project description:BackgroundEnhancing water provision services is a common target in forest restoration projects worldwide due to growing concerns over freshwater scarcity. However, whether or not forest cover expansion or restoration can improve water provision services is still unclear and highly disputed.PurposeThe goal of this review is to provide a balanced and impartial assessment of the impacts of forest restoration and forest cover expansion on water yields as informed by the scientific literature. Potential sources of bias on the results of papers published are also examined.Data sourcesEnglish, Spanish and Portuguese peer-review articles in Agricola, CAB Abstracts, ISI Web of Science, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and SciELO. Databases were searched through 2015.Search termsIntervention terms included forest restoration, regeneration/regrowth, forest second-growth, forestation/afforestation, and forestry. Target terms included water yield/quantity, streamflow, discharge, channel runoff, and annual flow.Study selection and eligibility criteriaArticles were pre-selected based on key words in the title, abstract or text. Eligible articles addressed relevant interventions and targets and included quantitative information.ResultsMost studies reported decreases in water yields following the intervention, while other hydrological benefits have been observed. However, relatively few studies focused specifically on forest restoration, especially with native species, and/or on projects done at large spatial or temporal scales. Information is especially limited for the humid tropics and subtropics.Conclusions and implications of key findingsWhile most studies reported a decrease in water yields, meta-analyses from a sub-set of studies suggest the potential influence of temporal and/or spatial scales on the outcomes of forest cover expansion or restoration projects. Given the many other benefits of forest restoration, improving our understanding of when and why forest restoration can lead to recovery of water yields is crucial to help improve positive outcomes and prevent unintended consequences. Our study identifies the critical types of studies and associated measurements needed.

Dataset Information

Grassland restoration reduces water yield in the headstream region of Yangtze River.

Publications

Grassland restoration reduces water yield in the headstream region of Yangtze River.

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