Linking hydrological connectivity to sustainable watershed management in the Loess Plateau of China

Abstract

Water shortages in arid and semi-arid ecosystems can cause changes to the structures and functions of landscapes and respective ecosystem services. A useful framework for understanding the effects of land use changes at the watershed scale and, therefore, allowing us to provide efficient management strategies to decision-makers is hydrological connectivity. In the context of sustainable development, the implementation of vegetation and engineering strategies for watershed management is crucial, particularly in the Loess Plateau region of China. Here, we briefly review the application of hydrological connectivity in integrated watershed management, specifically applied to the Chinese ones. A case study is presented to put forward a potential way to optimize the current environmental patterns with connectivity situations. Our proposal posits that hydrological connectivity can serve as a nature-based solution to meet the growing need for scientifically informed integrated watershed management in water-scarce ecosystems, particularly in light of the escalating effects of climate change.