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

Forest Ecology and Management

Volumn 259, Issue 7, 2010, Pages 1277-1290

  McVicar, Tim R ^a   Van Niel, Tom G ^a   Li, LingTao ^a   Wen, ZhongMing ^b   Yang, QinKe ^b   Li, Rui ^b   Jiao, Feng ^b  

^a CSIRO   (Australia)

^b INSTITUTE OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION   (China)

Author keywords

Afforestation; Ecohydrology; Environmental management; Grain for Green Project; Land use planning; Loess Plateau; Re vegetation; Scenario planning; Soil erosion; Stream flow; Vegetation suitability mapping; Water yield

Indexed keywords

AFFORESTATION; ECO-HYDROLOGY; LAND-USE PLANNING; LOESS PLATEAU; SCENARIO PLANNING; SOIL EROSION; WATER YIELD;

AGRICULTURE; CATCHMENTS; DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS; ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT; HYDRAULICS; LAND USE; PLANNING; REFORESTATION; RIVERS; SEDIMENTOLOGY; SOIL MECHANICS; SOILS; STREAM FLOW; TARGETS; VEGETATION; WATER;

MAPPING;

AFFORESTATION; DATA ACQUISITION; DIGITAL ELEVATION MODEL; ECOHYDROLOGY; ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION; FOREST DYNAMICS; GULLY; LAND USE PLANNING; LOESS; NATIVE SPECIES; PARSIMONY ANALYSIS; PLATEAU; REVEGETATION; STREAMFLOW; WATER YIELD;

ECOLOGY; EROSION; GRAIN; HYDROLOGY; LAND USE; MAPPING; PLANTS; REFORESTATION; SEDIMENTATION; SOIL; STREAM FLOW;

CHINA;

POACEAE;

EID: 76649084239     PISSN: 03781127     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.05.002     Document Type: Article

References (91)

1. Araújo M.B., and Rahbek C. How does climate change affect biodiversity?. Science 313 (2006) 1396-1397
2. Austin M.P. Searching for a model for use in vegetation analysis. Vegetatio 42 (1980) 11-21
3. Austin M.P. Spatial prediction of species distribution: an interface between ecological theory and statistical modelling. Ecol. Model. 157 (2002) 101-118
4. Battaglia M., Mummery D., and Smith A. Economic analysis of site survey and productivity modelling for the selection of plantation areas. Forest Ecol. Manage. 162 (2002) 185-195
5. Booth, T.H. (Ed.), 1996. Matching Trees and Sites. Proceedings of an International Workshop Held in Bangkok 27-30, March 1995. ACIAR Proceedings No. 63.
6. Booth T.H., and Jones P.G. Identifying climatically suitable areas for growing particular trees in Latin America. Forest Ecol. Manage. 108 (1998) 167-173
7. Booth T.H., and Jovanovic T. Identifying climatically suitable areas for growing particular trees in Africa: an example using Grevillea robusta. Agroforest. Syst. 54 (2002) 41-49
8. Booth T.H., Jovanovic T., and New M. A new world climatic mapping program to assist species selection. Forest Ecol. Manage. 163 (2002) 111-117
9. Bormann H., Breuer L., Gräff T., and Huisman J.A. Analysing the effects of soil properties changes associated with land use changes on the simulated water balance: a comparison of three hydrological catchment models for scenario analysis. Ecol. Model. 209 (2007) 29-40
10. Cao S., Chen L., Liu Z., and Wang G. A new tree-planting technique to improve tree survival and growth on steep and arid land in the Loess Plateau of China. J. Arid Environ. 72 (2008) 1374-1382
11. Cao S., Chen L., Xu C., and Liu Z. Impact of three soil types on afforestation in China's Loess Plateau: growth and survival of six tree species and their effects on soil properties. Landscape Urban Plan. 83 (2007) 208-217
12. Cao S., Chen L., and Yu X. Impact of China's Grain for Green Project on the landscape of vulnerable arid and semi-arid agricultural regions: a case study in northern Shaanxi Province. Journal of Applied Ecology 46 (2009) 536-543
13. Cao S., Xu C., Chen L., Liu Z., and Wang X. Attitudes of farmers in China's northern Shaanxi Province towards the land-use changes required under the Grain for Green Project, and implications for the program's success. Land Use Policy 26 (2009) 1182-1194
14. Chen L.D., Gong J., Fu B.J., Huang Z.L., Huang Y.L., and Gui L.D. Effect of land use conversion on soil organic carbon sequestration in the loess hilly area, Loess Plateau of China. Ecol. Res. 22 (2007) 641-648
15. Chen L.D., Huang Z.L., Gong J., Fu B.J., and Huang Y.L. The effect of land cover/vegetation on soil water dynamic in the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena 70 (2007) 200-208
16. Chen L.D., Wei W., Fu B.J., and Lu Y.H. Soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau in China: review and perspective. Prog. Phys. Geogr. 31 (2007) 389-403
17. Cheng J.M., and Wan H.E. Vegetation Construction and Soil and Water Conservation on the Loess Plateau, China (2002), China Forestry Publishing House Beijing (in Chinese)
18. Congalton R.G. Accuracy assessment and validation of remotely sensed and other spatial information. Int. J. Wildland Fire 10 (2001) 321-328
19. Donohue R.J., Roderick M.L., and McVicar T.R. On the importance of including vegetation dynamics in Budyko's hydrological model. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (2007) 983-995
20. Douglas I. Land degradation, soil conservation and the sediment load of the Yellow River, China: review and assessment. Land Degrad. Rehabil. 1 (1989) 141-151
21. Drescher M., Perera A.H., Buse L.J., Ride K., and Vasiliauskas S. Uncertainty in expert knowledge of forest succession: a case study from boreal Ontario. Forest Chron. 84 (2008) 194-209
22. Elith J., and Burgman M.A. Habitat models for population viability analysis. In: Brigham C.A., and Schwartz M.W. (Eds). Population Viability in Plants: Conservation, Management and Modeling of Rare Plants (2003), Springer-Verlag, New York 203-235
23. Elith J., Graham C.H., Anderson R.P., Dudík M., Ferrier S., Guisan A., Hijmans R.J., Huettmann F., Leathwick R., Lehmann J., Li A., Lohmann G., Loiselle A., Manion B., Moritz G., Nakamura C., Nakazawa M., Overton McC., Townsend Peterson J., Phillips A., Richardson S.J., Scachetti-Pereira K., Schapire R., Soberón R.E., Williams J., Wisz S., and Zimmermann M.S. Novel methods improve prediction of species' distributions from occurrence data. Ecography 29 (2006) 129-151
24. Elster C. Reasons for reforestation success and failure with three mangrove species in Colombia. Forest Ecol. Manage. 131 (2000) 201-214
25. Frankenberger J.R., Brooks E.S., Walter M.T., and Steenhuis T.S. A GIS-based variable source area hydrology model. Hydrol. Process. 13 (1999) 805-822
26. Franklin J. Predictive vegetation mapping: geographic modelling of biospatial patterns in relation to environmental gradients. Prog. Phys. Geogr. 19 (1995) 474-499
27. Fu B.J., and Chen L.D. Agricultural landscape spatial pattern analysis in the semi-arid hill area of the Loess Plateau, China. J. Arid Environ. 44 (2000) 291-303
28. Fu B.J., Chen L.D., Ma K.M., Zhou H.F., and Wang J. The relationships between land use and soil conditions in the hilly area of the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, China. Catena 39 (2000) 69-78
29. Fu B.J., Meng Q.H., Qiu Y., Zhao W.W., Zhang Q.J., and Davidson D.A. Effects of land use on soil erosion and nitrogen loss in the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China. Land Degrad. Dev. 15 (2004) 87-96
30. Fu B.J., Wang J., Chen L.D., and Qiu Y. The effects of land use on soil moisture variation in the Danangou catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena 54 (2003) 197-213
31. Fu B.J., Zhang Q.J., Chen L.D., Zhao W.W., Gulinck H., Liu G.B., Yang Q.K., and Zhu Y.G. Temporal change in land use and its relationship to slope degree and soil type in a small catchment on the Loess Plateau of China. Catena 65 (2006) 41-48
32. Gao Q., Zhang X., Huang Y., and Xu H. A comparative analysis of four models of photosynthesis for 11 plant species in the Loess Plateau. Agric. Forest Meteorol. 126 (2004) 203-222
33. Guisan A., Lehmann A., Ferrier S., Austin M.P., Overton J.M.C., Aspinall R., and Hastie T. Making better biogeographical predictions of species' distributions. J. Appl. Ecol. 43 (2006) 386-392
34. Guisan A., and Zimmermann N.E. Predictive habitat distribution models in ecology. Ecol. Model. 135 (2000) 147-186
35. Gustafson E.J., Shifley S.R., Mladenoff D.J., Nimerfro K.K., and He H.S. Spatial simulation of forest succession and harvesting using LANDIS. Can. J. Forest Res. 30 (2000) 32-43
36. He X.B., Li Z.B., Hao M.D., Tang K.L., and Zheng F.L. Down-scale analysis for water scarcity in response to soil-water conservation on Loess Plateau of China. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 94 (2003) 355-361
37. Hobbs R.J., Arico S., Aronson J., Baron J.S., Bridgewater P., Cramer V.A., Epstein P.R., Ewel J.J., Klink C.A., Lugo A.E., Norton D., Ojima D., Richardson D.M., Sanderson E.W., Valladares F., Vilà M., Zamora R., and Zobel M. Novel ecosystems: theoretical and management aspects of the new ecological world order. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 15 (2006) 1-7
38. Huang B.W. River conservancy and agricultural development on the North China Plains and Loess Highlands: strategies and research. Great Plains Quart. 6 (1988) 218-224
39. Huang Y.L., Chen L.D., Fu B.J., Zhang L.P., and Wang Y.L. Evapotranspiration and soil moisture balance for vegetative resortation in a gully catchment on the Loess Plateau, China. Pedosphere 15 (2005) 509-517
40. Jeffrey J.M. Where does water go when it rains? Moving beyond the variable source area concept of rainfall-runoff response. Hydrol. Process. 17 (2003) 1869-1875
41. Jiang Y., Kang M., Gao Q., He L., Xiong M., Jia Z., and Jin Z. Impact of land use on plant biodiversity and measures for biodiversity conservation in the Loess Plateau in China-a case study in a hilly-gully region of the Northern Loess Plateau. Biodivers. Conserv. 12 (2003) 2121-2133
42. Li G.Y. Ponderation and Practice of the Yellow River Control (2003), Yellow River Conservancy Press, Zhengzhou
43. Li Y.S. Effects of forest on water cycle on the Loess Plateau. J. Nat. Resour. 16 (2001) 427-432 (in Chinese)
44. Liang Y.M., Li R., Cheng J.M., Liu G.B., Chen Y.M., and Liu W.Z. Vegetation Construction on the Loess Plateau (2003), Yellow River Conservancy Press, Zhengzhou (in Chinese and English)
45. Liu W.Z., Hu M.J., Li F.M., and Zhang X.C. Ecological characteristics of soil water and its relation to land and vegetation in a small semiarid watershed in a loess hilly area of China. Int. J. Sust. Dev. World 12 (2005) 326-333
46. Lockwood J.L. An alternative to succession: assembly rules offer guide to restoration efforts. Restor. Manage. Notes 15 (1997) 45-51
47. Macdougal E.B. The accuracy of map overlays. Landscape Plan. 2 (1975) 23-30
48. McVicar T.R., Li L.T., Van Niel T.G., Zhang L., Li R., Yang Q.K., Zhang X.P., Mu X.M., Wen Z.M., Liu W.Z., Zhao Y.A., Liu Z.H., and Gao P. Developing a decision support tool for China's re-vegetation program: simulating regional impacts of afforestation on average annual streamflow in the Loess Plateau. Forest Ecol. Manage. 251 (2007) 65-81
49. McVicar T.R., Van Niel T.G., Li L., Hutchinson M.F., Mu X., and Liu Z. Spatially distributing monthly reference evapotranspiration and pan evaporation considering topographic influences. J. Hydrol. 338 (2007) 196-220
50. McVicar, T.R., Wen, Z.M., Van Niel, T.G., Li, L.T., Yang, Q.K., Li, R., Jiao, F., 2005. Mapping Perennial Vegetation Suitability and Identifying Target and Priority Areas for Implementing the Re-Vegetation Program in the Coarse Sandy Hilly Catchments of the Loess Plateau, China. In: CSIRO Land and Water Technical Report, 18/05, Canberra, Australia, p. 68 http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/technical2005/tr18-05.pdf.
51. McVicar T.R., Zhang G., Bradford A.S., Wang H., Dawes W.R., Zhang L., and Lingtao L. Monitoring regional agricultural water use efficiency for Hebei Province on the North China Plain. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 53 (2002) 55-76
52. Meng Q.H., Fu B.J., Tang X.P., and Ren H.C. Effects of land use on phosphorus loss in the hilly area of the Loess Plateau, China. Environ. Monit. Assess. 139 (2008) 195-204
53. Miao Z., and Marrs R. Ecological restoration and land reclamation in open-cast mines in Shanxi Province, China. J. Environ. Manage. 59 (2000) 205-215
54. Mladenoff D.J. LANDIS and forest landscape models. Ecol. Model. 180 (2004) 7-19
55. Mu X.M., Zhang L., McVicar T.R., Chille B.S., and Gao P. Estimating the impact of conservation measures on stream-flow regime in catchments of the Loess Plateau, China. Hydrol. Process. 21 (2007) 2124-2134
56. Mummery D., and Battaglia M. Significance of rainfall distribution in predicting eucalypt plantation growth, management options, and risk assessment using the process-based model CABALA. Forest Ecol. Manage. 193 (2004) 283-296
57. Palmer A.R., and Van Staden J.M. Predicting the distribution of plant communities using annual rainfall and elevation: an example from southern Africa. J. Veg. Sci. (1992) 261-266
58. Ritsema C.J. Introduction: soil erosion and participatory land use planning on the Loess Plateau in China. Catena 54 (2003) 1-5
59. Rozelle S., Huang J., and Zhang L. Poverty, population and environmental degradation in China. Food Policy 22 (1997) 229-251
60. Ryan P.J., Harper R.J., Laffan M., Booth T.H., and McKenzie N.J. Site assessment for farm forestry in Australia and its relationship to scale, productivity and sustainability. Forest Ecol. Manage. 171 (2002) 133-152
61. Sankaran M., Hanan N.P., Scholes R.J., Ratnam J., Augustine D.J., Cade B.S., Gignoux J., Higgins S.I., Le Roux X., Ludwig F., Ardo J., Banyikwa F., Bronn A., Bucini G., Caylor K.K., Coughenour M.B., Diouf A., Ekaya W., Feral C.J., February E.C., Frost P.G.H., Hiernaux P., Hrabar H., Metzger K.L., Prins H.H.T., Ringrose S., Sea W., Tews J., Worden J., and Zambatis N. Determinants of woody cover in African savannas. Nature 438 (2005) 846-849
62. Shen H.Q. China Loess Plateau 1:500 000 Land-Use Map (part of the Loess Plateau Resources and Environmental Remote Sensing Series) (1991), Xi'an Atlas Press, Xi'an
63. Shi H., and Shao M. Soil and water loss from the Loess Plateau in China. J. Arid Environ. 45 (2000) 9-20
64. Shortridge A.M. Geometric variability of raster cell class assignment. Int. J. Geogr. Inform. Sci. 18 (2004) 539-558
65. Skinner M.W., Kuhn R.G., and Joseph A.E. Agricultural land protection in China: a case study of local governance in Zhejiang Province. Land Use Policy 18 (2001) 329-340
66. Sun G., Zhou G., Zhang Z., Wei X., McNulty S.G., and Vose J.M. Potential water yield reduction due to forestation across China. J. Hydrol. 328 (2006) 548-558
67. Van Niel, K.P., 2003. Geographical Issues in Predictive Vegetation Modelling: Error and Uncertainty in GIS Data, Methods, and Models. Ph.D. Geography. Australian National University, Canberra.
68. Van Niel K.P., and Austin M.P. Predictive vegetation modelling for conservation: impact of error propagation from digital elevation data. Ecol. Appl. 17 (2007) 266-280
69. Van Niel K.P., Laffan S.W., and Lees B.G. Effect of error in the DEM on environmental variables for predictive vegetation modelling. J. Veg. Sci. 15 (2004) 747-756
70. Van Niel T.G., and McVicar T.R. Assessing positional accuracy and its effects on rice crop area measurement: an application at Coleambally Irrigation Area. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 41 (2001) 557-566
71. Van Niel T.G., and McVicar T.R. Experimental evaluation of positional accuracy estimates of a linear network using point- and line-based testing methods. Int. J. Geogr. Inform. Sci. 16 (2002) 455-473
72. Walter M.T., Walter M.F., Brooks E.S., Steenhuis T.S., Boll J., and Weiler K. Hydrologically sensitive areas: variable source area hydrology implications for water quality risk assessment. J. Soil Water Conserv. (2000) 277-284
73. Wang, H.J., Zhang, S.G., and Team Members of the Comprehensive Scientific Expedition on Loess Plateau, 1991. Soil Resources and Its Utilization in the Loess Plateau (In Chinese). Science Press, Beijing.
74. Wang N.B., Shen H.Q., Zhao C.X., and Lu J.F. China Loess Plateau 1:500 000 Resources and Environmental Remote Sensing Series Maps (1992), Xi'an Map Press, Xi'an (in Chinese)
75. Wei W., Chen L.D., Fu B.J., Huang Z.L., Wu D.P., and Gui L.D. The effect of land uses and rainfall regimes on runoff and soil erosion in the semi-arid loess hilly area, China. J. Hydrol. 335 (2007) 247-258
76. Wei X., Sun G., Liu S., Jiang H., Zhou G., and Dai L. The forest-streamflow relationship in China: a 40-year retrospect. J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc. 44 (2008) 1076-1085
77. Wilkinson S., Henderson A., and Chen Y. SedNet User Guide. Client Report for the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology (2004), CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia p. 98
78. Wu Q.X., and Yang W.Z. Forest and Grassland Vegetation Construction and Its Sustainable Development in Loess Plateau (1998), Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese)
79. Xu X.Z., Zhang H.W., and Zhang O.Y. Development of check-dam systems in gullies on the Loess Plateau, China. Environ. Sci. Pollut. 7 (2004) 79-86
80. Xu Z.G., Bennett M.T., Tao R., and Xu J.T. China's Sloping Land Conversion Programme four years on: current situation and pending issues. Int. Forest Rev. 6 (2004) 317-326
81. Yang Q.K., McVicar T.R., Van Niel T.G., Hutchinson M.F., Li L.T., and Zhang X.P. Improving a digital elevation model by reducing source data errors and optimising interpolation algorithm parameters: an example in the Loess Plateau, China. Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinform. 9 (2007) 235-246
82. Yang R.J., Fu B.J., Liu G.H., and Ma K.M. Research on the relationship between water and eco-environment construction in Loess Hilly and Gully region. Environ. Sci. 25 (2004) 37-42 (in Chinese with an English abstract)
83. Yuan J.Z., and Zhang H.X. Optimized Models for Estimating Forest Vegetation on the Loess Plateau (1991), Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese)
84. Zhang H.C., He K.M., and Liu X. Fitting soil moisture environment of trees growth on loess plateau in semi-arid region. J. Soil Water Conserv. 15 (2001) 1-5 (in Chinese with an English abstract)
85. Zhang H.C., Liu X., and He K.M. Grading of Robinia pseudoacacia and Platycladus orientalis woodland soil's water availability and productivity in semi-arid region of Loess Plateau. Chin. J. Appl. Ecol. 14 (2003) 858-862 (in Chinese with an English abstract)
86. Zhang L., Dawes W.R., and Walker G.R. Response of mean annual evapotranspiration to vegetation changes at catchment scale. Water Resour. Res. 37 (2001) 701-708
87. Zhang X.P., Zhang L., McVicar T.R., Van Niel T.G., Li L.T., Li R., Yang Q.K., and Liang W. Modeling the impact of afforestation on mean annual streamflow in the Loess Plateau, China. Hydrol. Process. 22 (2008) 1996-2004
88. Zhang, Z.F., 2006. Formation and Prevention of Soil and Water Loss in the Southern Mountains of Ningxia Province, China. In. Hydraulic Engineering Network (in Chinese) http://www.shuigong.com/papers/zhili/20060403/paper19216.shtml.
89. Zhao J.R., Sun L.D., and Zhu J.Z. Shrubs for Soil and Water Conservation on Loess Plateau (1994), China Forestry Publishing House, Beijing (in Chinese)
90. Zhou N.G., and Luo W.X. Silviculture of Loess Plateau (1997), China Forestry Publishing House, Beijing
91. Zhu J.Z., Zhou X.C., and Hu J.Z. On the objectives of plantation establishment on Loess Plateau. China Water Resour. 16 (2004) 28-30 (in Chinese)