FOREST HYDROLOGY IN CHINA: INTRODUCTION TO THE FEATURED COLLECTION

摘要

Chinese people have long recognized the importance of forests and water in environment, societal development, and civilization. The philosophical thoughts are well reflected in many ancient paintings and stories that picture the harmony of forests, water, and mountains, and in fact, well-respected Chinese rulers are known for their contributions to harnessing large rivers such as the mighty Yellow and the Yangtze Rivers in China's 5,000 years' history. Unfortunately, China's natural forests and water resources have been severely damaged in the past century due to overpopulation, years of wars, mismanagement and exploitative use, and global environmental change. As a result, China has suffered chronic environmental problems at the national scale, notably soil erosion, flooding, and water pollution and shortage in its recent history. While China's unprecedented socioeconomic growth increasingly stresses forest and water resources, it also provides opportunities to reverse earlier damage. In the past three decades, China has implemented several nationwide forest restoration and protection programs such as the "Three North Shelterbelts Project," the "Natural Forest Protection Programme," and the "Green for Grains Program" that aim at reducing soil erosion and flooding, improving water quality, and curbing further ecosystem degradation. Although a full assessment of the projects' success is not available, it is widely believed that they have resulted in positive effects on water resources and overall ecosystem health of headwaters of major river basins.