Land-use changes in the small watershed of the Loess Plateau,hilly-gully region, China

As more and more farmland is converted to forestry, the need for effective decision support regarding the use of land in the fragile ecological environment of the Loess Plateau hilly-gully area. The Luoyugou watershed was chosen as the study area to calculate the single dynamic degree, integrated dynamic degree, and change indexes of land use, as well as the land-use type transition matrix. This was done by interpreting the TM and SPOT images of the Luoyugou watershed in 1986, 1995, and2004 and making statistical analysis. The results of ou statistical analysis show that the conversion of slope farm land to terrace and forest land plays a dominant role in land-use changes in the Luoyugou watershed from 1986 to2004. The land-use changes are mainly driven by popula tion growth, socio-economic development, consume spending, and investment in forest ecology.

Hydrological impacts of afforestation-A review of research in India

We review the current status of experimental studies in India to understand the linkages between afforestation and hydrology. This discipline deals with the use and management of water, social awareness of environmental problems, and ecosystem limitations on provision of watershed services by river basins in the mountain regions of India. Our review begins with examination of experimental works in tropical countries and proceeds to discussion of initiatives of Indian research institutes and Government organizations towards establishing experimental watersheds to understand the impacts of land cover changes on hydrologic regimes in the Indian sub-continent. This is followed by the review of the experimental work carried out by various authors to assess the impact of land cover changes on major water balance components such as, runoff, groundwater, evapotranspiration and sediment yield. The spatial scales of these experiments have been limited to small watersheds or field plots. This paper also describes impacts of human interventions （such as planta- tions of exotic forest species to restore degraded landscapes） on the water balance components in diverse hydro-geo-environmental conditions in the Indian sub-continent. We focus on identifying the research areas which require immediate attention to develop tools to assist planners and policy makers in assessing and managing the water resources in these complex environments. The review is largely based on research results reported during the last 20 to 30 years.