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Abstract
To determine the cause of the severe drought that hit five provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) of Southwest China in 2010, the ecological water demand (EWD) of regional vegetation was explored. The key scientific question was whether the plantation of Eucalyptus and Hevea trees in this area could have led to the breaking of the regional EWD balance, thereby causing a regional drought. Therefore, major research progress and trends related to EWD of vegetation, such as characterization of vegetation water consumption from transpiration and eco-hydrological effects, were explored. Theories, methods, and practices regarding EWD of vegetation, and the correlation between regional vegetation types and droughts were evaluated. Finally, suggestions were made for specific scientific research on temporal and spatial evolution of typical artificial vegetation in Southwest China and on the relationship between EWD from regional vegetation and droughts. Thus, future research should include the following three aspects: (i) historical evolution and distribution pattern of regional artificial vegetation; (ii) water consumption from transpiration, water saving for drought prevention, and water and soil conservation of regional artificial vegetation; and (iii) the relationship between EWD of regional artificial vegetation and regional droughts. The proposed research focus is expected to provide a scientific basis for identifying the causes of regional droughts and the reasonable allocation of water resources. In addition, it will be of great importance in guiding restoration and reconstruction of regional artificial vegetation.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos 31270751 and 31160155), the Applied Basic Research Program of Yunnan province, China (No. 2007C022M), and the Scientific Researching Project of Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China (No. 110714) for financially supporting this work. The authors also appreciated the assistance of Xuehua Wang from Southwest Forestry University, Profs Songbai Song and Guangjun Zhang from Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Profs Zhanli Wang, Xingmin Mu, and Yongqing Ma from the Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Ministry of Water Resources of P. R. China, with the preparation of the revised manuscript. The authors acknowledge the constructive comments and suggestions from anonymous reviewers and Prof. Blasi.