The impact of forest restoration on agriculture in the Verde River watershed, Arizona, USA

Crop yield depends on multiple factors, including climate conditions, soil characteristics, and available water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of projected temperature and precipitation changes on crop yields in the Monocacy River Watershed in the Mid-Atlantic United States based on climate change scenarios. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied to simulate watershed hydrology and crop yield. To evaluate the effect of future climate projections, four global climate models (GCMs) and three representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5, 6, and 8.5) were used in the SWAT model. According to all GCMs and RCPs, a warmer climate with a wetter Autumn and Spring and a drier late Summer season is anticipated by mid and late century in this region. To evaluate future management strategies, water budget and crop yields were assessed for two scenarios: current rainfed and adaptive irrigated conditions. Irrigation would improve corn yields during mid-century across all scenarios. However, prolonged irrigation would have a negative impact due to nutrients runoff on both corn and soybean yields compared to rainfed condition. Decision tree analysis indicated that corn and soybean yields are most influenced by soil moisture, temperature, and precipitation as well as the water management practice used (i.e., rainfed or irrigated). The computed values from the SWAT modeling can be used as guidelines for water resource managers in this watershed to plan for projected water shortages and manage crop yields based on projected climate change conditions.

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Assessment of the Impact of Land-Use Types on the Change of Water Quality in Wenyu River Watershed (Beijing, China)

International Perspectives on Global Environmental Change ◽

10.5772/29387 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yuanzhi Zhang ◽

Yufei Wang

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Land Use ◽

River Watershed ◽

Land Use Types ◽

The Impact ◽

Beijing China

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Local People’s Participation in Mangrove Restoration Projects and Impacts on Social Capital and Livelihood: A Case Study in the Philippines

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11050580 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 580 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roswin B. Valenzuela ◽

Youn Yeo-Chang ◽

Mi Sun Park ◽

Jung-Nam Chun

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Forest Management ◽

Land Tenure ◽

Forest Restoration ◽

Local Community ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

The Philippines ◽

Access To Information ◽

Mangrove Restoration ◽

The Impact

Participatory forest management has been considered as a practical and effective strategy for sustainable forest management, especially in situations where land tenure is not securely settled. For effective forest restoration, local communities, as the cornerstone of participatory management, should be provided with incentives to facilitate their participation and active role. We postulate that participation in mangrove restoration projects can not only provide financial rewards but also yield intangible benefits for communities, i.e., social capital. The study was conducted in the province of Quezon, Philippines, using face-to-face interviews as the main method for data collection. Regression analyses were undertaken to assess the impact of local community participation in mangrove restoration projects on social capital and its potential benefits to people in terms of access to information and services, which are key components of livelihood. Results revealed that people’s participation in mangrove restoration projects contributes to increasing social capital, consequently improving their access to information and services. Local people’s participation is beneficial to communities, as it can improve their livelihoods.

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Water quality and non-point sources of risk: the Jiulong River Watershed, P. R. of China

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2011.792 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 38-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jingjing Zhang ◽

Luoping Zhang ◽

Paolo F. Ricci

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Statistical Methods ◽

Point Sources ◽

The West ◽

Jiulong River ◽

River Watershed ◽

Coupled Equations ◽

River Region ◽

Jiulong River Watershed ◽

The Impact

Retrospective water quality assessment plays an essential role in identifying trends and causal associations between exposures and risks, thus it can be a guide for water resources management. We have developed empirical relationships between several time-varying social and economic factors of economic development, water quality variables such as nitrate-nitrogen, CODMn, BOD5, and DO, in the Jiulong River Watershed and its main tributary, the West River. Our analyses used alternative statistical methods to reduce the dimensionality of the analysis first and then strengthen the study's causal associations. The statistical methods included: factor analysis (FA), trend analysis, Monte Carlo/bootstrap simulations, robust regressions and a coupled equations model, integrated into a framework that allows an investigation and resolution of the issues that may affect the estimated results. After resolving these, we found that the concentrations of nitrogen compounds increased over time in the West River region, and that fertilizer used in agricultural fruit crops was the main risk with regard to nitrogen pollution. The relationships we developed can identify hazards and explain the impact of sources of different types of pollution, such as urbanization, and agriculture.

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The impact of secondary forest restoration on multiple ecosystem services and their trade-offs

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.05.008 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 104 ◽

pp. 248-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yelin Zeng ◽

Mengmeng Gou ◽

Shuai Ouyang ◽

Liang Chen ◽

Xi Fang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Forest Restoration ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Impact

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Impacts of the Sanmenxia Dam on the Interaction between Surface Water and Groundwater in the Lower Weihe River of Yellow River Watershed

Water ◽

10.3390/w12061671 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 1671 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dong Zhang ◽

Dongmei Han ◽

Xianfang Song

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Yellow River ◽

Early Stage ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

River Watershed ◽

Surface Water And Groundwater ◽

Dam Operation ◽

Weihe River ◽

The Impact

Sanmenxia Dam, one of the most controversial water conservancy projects in China, has seriously impacted the lower Weihe River of the Yellow River Watershed since its operation. At the Huaxian Station, the dam operation controls the surface water level and leads to the variation of the surface water–groundwater interaction relationship. The river channel switched from a losing reach during the early stage (1959) to a gaining reach in 2010 eventually. The comparison of tracer (Cl−, δ18O and δ2H) characteristics of surface water in successive reaches with that of ambient groundwater shows that the general interaction condition is obviously affected by the dam operation and the impact area can be tracked back to Weinan City, around 65 km upstream of the estuary of the Weihe River. The anthropogenic inputs (i.e., agricultural fertilizer application, wastewater discharge, and rural industrial sewage) could be responsible for the deterioration of hydro-environment during the investigation periods of 2015 and 2016, as the population and fertilizer consumption escalated in the last 60 years. The use of contaminated river water for irrigation, along with the dissolved fertilizer inputs, can affect the groundwater quality, in particular resulting in the NO3− concentrations ranging from 139.4 to 374.1 mg/L. The unregulated industrial inputs in some rural areas may increase the Cl− contents in groundwater ranging from 298.4 to 472.9 mg/L. The findings are helpful for the improved comprehensive understanding of impacts of the Sanmenxia Dam on the interaction between surface water and groundwater, and for improving local water resources management.

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Effects of Didymosphenia geminata blooms on benthic diatom assemblages in the Restigouche River Watershed, eastern Canada

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2014-0216 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 93 (5) ◽

pp. 317-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Branaavan Sivarajah ◽

Joshua Kurek ◽

Kathleen M. Rühland ◽

John P. Smol

Keyword(s):

Benthic Diatom ◽

Diatom Assemblage ◽

Diatom Assemblages ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Didymosphenia Geminata ◽

Assemblage Composition ◽

River Watershed ◽

And Function ◽

Riverine Systems ◽

The Impact

Nuisance Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) M. Schmidt (didymo) blooms were first reported in 2006 from the Restigouche River Watershed (RRW), eastern Canada. Although government agencies and recreational users are concerned about these blooms, little is known about the impact on biota and (or) the structure and function of the relatively pristine riverine systems of the RRW. Here, we assess whether didymo blooms affect overall benthic diatom assemblage composition by examining epilithic samples from middle stretches of the Patapedia and Upsalquitch rivers. Significant (albeit minor) differences (P < 0.05) in diatom assemblage composition between sites, with and without didymo blooms, were only observed from the Patapedia River. Rarefied diatom species diversity (Hill’s N2) and rarefied richness did not differ significantly among sites, regardless of the presence or absence of blooms. Our data show that didymo blooms have minimal effect on benthic diatom assemblage composition in the RRW.

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