ESTIMATION OF WATER CONSERVATION CAPACITY OF WATERSHED FOREST ECOSYSTEM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF VILLAGES: A CASE STUDY OF THE DAOTIAN RIVER BASIN IN CHINA

The water conservation role played by forest ecosystems encompasses intricate processes involving the redistribution of rainfall through the layers of vegetation, litter, and soil.Leveraging a comprehensive approach to assess the water storage capacity, we utilized secondary forest resource survey data to estimate canopy interception precipitation, litter retention capacity, and soil water storage within the Daotianhe River Basin in China's Guizhou province.Adopting a village-centric perspective, we proceeded to analyze the basin-wide water conservation capacity and its spatial variations across the forest ecosystem.The findings indicate the following: The total amount of water conserved by forests in the Daotian River basin is approximately 1907.68 10 3 m 3 , with a water conservation capacity of 23.32 10 3 m 3 /km 2 . Administrative villages exhibiting heightened water conservation capacities are primarily situated in proximity to the main stream of the Daotian River Basin, specifically Beishan Village (7.2%), Hongfeng Village (7.1%), Liujia Village (7.11%), Baichun Village (13.29%), and Huashi Village (9.65%). In terms of spatial distribution, the forests in the study area possess a higher water conservation capacity in the southwest and a relatively lower capacity in the northeast.Notably, the majority of the water conservation function is attributable to the forests in the southwest, contributing to 58.62% of the overall conservation efforts.