Large‐scale reforestation can increase water yield and reduce drought risk for water‐insecure regions in the Asia‐Pacific. (4th September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Teo, Hoong Chen; Raghavan, Srivatsan V.; He, Xiaogang; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Cheng, Yanyan; Luo, Xiangzhong; Lechner, Alex M.; Ashfold, Matthew J.; Lamba, Aakash; Sreekar, Rachakonda; Zheng, Qiming; Chen, Anping; Koh, Lian Pin
• Is Part Of: Global change biology. Volume 28:Number 21(2022)
• Page Start: 6385
• Page End: 6403
• Publication Date: 2022-09-04
• Subjects: forest–water nexus -- natural climate solutions -- nature‐based solutions -- precipitation -- socio‐ecological systems -- water balance -- water risk -- water stress; Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Troposphere -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Biodiversity conservation -- Periodicals; Eutrophication -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16404
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-1013

Abstract

Abstract: Large‐scale reforestation can potentially bring both benefits and risks to the water cycle, which needs to be better quantified under future climates to inform reforestation decisions. We identified 477 water‐insecure basins worldwide accounting for 44.6% (380.2 Mha) of the global reforestation potential. As many of these basins are in the Asia‐Pacific, we used regional coupled land‐climate modeling for the period 2041–2070 to reveal that reforestation increases evapotranspiration and precipitation for most water‐insecure regions over the Asia‐Pacific. This resulted in a statistically significant increase in water yield ( p < .05) for the Loess Plateau–North China Plain, Yangtze Plain, Southeast China, and Irrawaddy regions. Precipitation feedback was influenced by the degree of initial moisture limitation affecting soil moisture response and thus evapotranspiration, as well as precipitation advection from other reforested regions and moisture transport away from the local region. Reforestation also reduces the probability of extremely dry months in most of the water‐insecure regions. However, some regions experience nonsignificant declines in net water yield due to heightened evapotranspiration outstripping increases in precipitation, or declines in soil moisture and advected precipitation. Abstract : Large‐scale reforestation can bring both benefits and risks to the water cycle. We identified 477 water‐insecure basins worldwide accounting for 44.6% (380.2 Mha) of the global reforestation potential. Using regional coupled land‐climate modelling for the period 2041‐2070 in the Asia‐Pacific, we found that reforestation increases evapotranspiration and precipitation for most water‐insecure regions over the Asia‐Pacific. Precipitation feedback was influenced by soil moisture and precipitation advection.