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Between 2001 and 2020, reforestation and grassland restoration programs changed Chinese vegetation cover, intensified evapotranspiration, redistributed precipitation over up to 7,000 kilometers, and reduced freshwater availability in regions concentrating population, agriculture, and economic activity, according to recent scientific study
Between 2001 and 2020, reforestation and tree restoration in China altered the water cycle, reduced water availability across 74% of the territory, and increased supply in the Tibetan Plateau, according to a study published on October 4th in the journal Earth’s Future.
Changes in Vegetation Cover and National Effects
China’s efforts to slow down soil degradation and address climate change through tree planting and grassland restoration have caused wide-ranging and unexpected changes in water distribution across the country, according to new scientific research.
The study analyzed the period between 2001 and 2020 and found that changes in vegetation cover reduced the amount of freshwater available to humans and ecosystems in the eastern region influenced by monsoons and the arid northwest region.
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These two areas together represent 74% of China’s land area. In the same timeframe, water availability increased in the Tibetan Plateau, which accounts for the rest of the national territory.
Researchers point out that the redistribution of water did not occur uniformly, even with the overall intensification of the hydrological cycle associated with changes in land use on a national scale.
Evapotranspiration and the Functioning of the Water Cycle
According to scientists, three main processes move water between continents and the atmosphere: evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation. Evaporation removes water from surfaces and soil, while transpiration releases absorbed water from plants into the atmosphere.
The combination of these two processes is called evapotranspiration. This indicator varies according to vegetation cover, water availability, and the amount of solar energy reaching the land surface, explained study co-author Arie Staal.
Grasslands and forests tend to increase evapotranspiration. The effect is particularly intense in forested areas because trees have deep roots capable of accessing water even during prolonged droughts.
In the case of China, the expansion of such vegetation covers accelerated the transfer of water to the atmosphere, altering the balance between local loss and return through precipitation.
The Great Green Wall and Forest Expansion
China’s largest reforestation project is the Great Green Wall, located in the arid and semi-arid north of the country. Initiated in 1978, the initiative was created to contain the expansion of deserts.
Over five decades, the project has contributed to a significant increase in national forest cover, which rose from about 10% of the territory in 1949 to over 25% today, an area equivalent to the size of Algeria.
Last year, government representatives announced that the country had completed the encirclement of its largest desert with vegetation, although tree planting continues as a strategy to combat desertification.
In addition to the Great Green Wall, other large-scale programs have reinforced forest advancement in various regions of the country in recent decades.
National Programs and Global Impact
Among the main projects are the Grains for Green Program and the Natural Forest Protection Program, both initiated in 1999. The first encourages farmers to convert agricultural land into forests and grasslands.
The second program prohibits logging in primary forests and promotes reforestation of degraded areas. Together, these initiatives have transformed extensive rural and forest landscapes across Chinese territory.
Together, China’s ecosystem restoration efforts account for 25% of the net global increase in leaf area observed between 2000 and 2017, according to the data cited in the study.
This rapid growth of vegetation, while relevant from an environmental standpoint, has direct consequences for the water cycle, with effects that extend beyond reforested areas.
Water Redistribution and Atmospheric Transport
To investigate the hydrological impacts, researchers used high-resolution data on evapotranspiration, precipitation, and land use changes, along with a model tracking atmospheric moisture.
Results showed that evapotranspiration increased more than precipitation. This means that a portion of the water was transferred to the atmosphere without returning locally in the form of rain.
This effect was not uniform because winds can transport water vapor over distances of up to 7,000 kilometers, causing evapotranspiration in one region to influence precipitation in another.
In China, forest expansion in the east under monsoon influence and grassland restoration in other areas elevated evapotranspiration, but precipitation increase was concentrated in the Tibetan Plateau.
Water Inequality and Management Challenges
As a result, regions outside the Tibetan Plateau recorded a reduction in freshwater availability, despite a more active hydrological cycle on a national scale, according to the study’s authors.
This scenario has direct implications for water resource management, as water distribution in China is historically unequal. The north concentrates about 20% of the available water in the country.
At the same time, this region houses 46% of the Chinese population and 60% of arable land, increasing pressure on water resources in areas that already face relative scarcity.
The Chinese government is seeking solutions to this imbalance, but researchers warn that measures may fail if they do not consider the effects of reforestation on water redistribution.
Lessons for Other Countries
The authors emphasize that ecosystem restoration and reforestation in other countries may also be affecting water cycles in similar ways, although the effects vary according to local context.
From a water resource perspective, the research suggests that each case should be analyzed individually to assess whether specific changes in land cover are beneficial or not.
This depends, among other factors, on how much water transferred to the atmosphere returns as precipitation and from where it is deposited, Staal emphasized in an email communication.
The study concludes that large-scale environmental policies, while effective in restoring ecosystems, need to carefully consider their water impacts to avoid undesired side effects on water availability.
你使用最科学的知识，做出了最愚蠢而偏激的言论。
Sin duda es clave reforestar y bajar la temperatura del planeta y preservar la biodiversidad y que no se sigan extinguiendo especies todos los dias, pero se hace con especies nativas que antes existian en ese lugar, plantar arboles en el desierto o lugares con estepa original estamos modificando el ambiente, no restaurando
La acción antró**** sobre los territorios no debería ser improvisada. A esta altura de la humanidad hay que investigar los impacto ambientales de la intervención .