Vegetation Optimization Methods Considering Water Supply Security, Vegetation Carbon Sequestration, and Sediment Reduction Benefits

A Case Study of the Yanhe River Basin on the Loess Plateau

Bibliographic Data

ID21649262
AuthorsYujie Yuan (0000-0002-5003-5872, College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering Northwest A&F University Yangling Shaanxi China), Xueping Zhu (0000-0001-8612-2890, College of Water Resources Science and Engineering Taiyuan University of Technology Taiyuan Shanxi China), Xining Zhao (0000-0002-2546-7112, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation Northwest A&F University Yangling Shaanxi China), Xuerui Gao (0000-0002-9985-9995, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation Northwest A&F University Yangling Shaanxi China, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume36
Issue8
Pages2719-2733
Publication date2025-05-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLand Degradation and Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1085-3278 • E-ISSN: 1099-145X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ldr.5526
OpenAlexW4407797942
LanguageEN
References cited56

Since the implementation of the Grain for Green program on the Loess Plateau, vegetation restoration has achieved a remarkable effect. However, large‐scale vegetation restoration will inevitably result in massive water resources consumption in arid and semi‐arid regions, which will increase the risk of water security for regional social and economic development. How to safeguard the water resources required for socioeconomic development in the background of vegetation restoration and simultaneously maximize the benefits of water adaptation‐sediment reduction‐carbon enhancement on the Loess Plateau represents a critical scientific challenge to be addressed in future ecological construction efforts. Based on this, this study aimed at the Yanhe River Basin (YRB), a representative basin for vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau, and creatively proposed a vegetation optimization regulation method with water supply capacity as the constraint while aiming to maximize the benefits of carbon sequestration and sediment reduction. Results indicated that under the current vegetation pattern, water deficit in the YRB by 2030 would be 27.22% and 3.00% under the SSP2‐4.5 and SSP5‐8.5 scenarios, respectively. By optimizing the original vegetation pattern—reducing high water‐consuming vegetation, increasing drought‐tolerant shrubs (797–1006 km 2 ), and decreasing fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) by 4.00%–5.84% under the SSP2‐4.5—the basin's water supply (W s ) would increase by 41.36%–44.13%, while net primary productivity (NPP) would decrease by 1.83%–2.39% and soil erosion (SED) would increase by 2.86%–3.71%. Under the SSP5‐8.5 scenario, by increasing FVC (6.03%–8.00%), increasing drought‐tolerant shrubs (813–1295 km 2 ), and reducing forest and grassland, the water resources required for basin's socioeconomic development would be guaranteed (1.60 × 10 8 m 3 –1.61 × 10 8 m 3 ). The optimized vegetation scheme also significantly increased NPP (13.38%–14.64%) and decreased SED (13.28%–15.24%) under the SSP5‐8.5. The results offer valuable insights for the development of vegetation management programs and provide critical technical support for sustainable water resource management on the Loess Plateau

Carbon dioxide · Carbon sequestration · Drainage basin · Geography · Geomorphology · Geotechnical engineering · Loess · Loess plateau · Sediment · Structural basin · Water resource management · Environmental Science · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies · Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications · Soil erosion and sediment transport · Ecology · Geology · Soil Science

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