Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factors

The Water Yield (WY) service is the basis for cross-border cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin (LMRB) and has become the focus of disputes among LMRB countries in recent years. However, most studies have mainly focused on runoff changes in the LMRB, and there is a lack of research on basin...

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Main Authors: Chenli Liu, Daming He, Hong Wang, Ronghua Zhong, Xingwu Duan, Bowen Deng, Enwei Zhang, Yawen Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006557
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author Chenli Liu
Daming He
Hong Wang
Ronghua Zhong
Xingwu Duan
Bowen Deng
Enwei Zhang
Yawen Li
author_facet Chenli Liu
Daming He
Hong Wang
Ronghua Zhong
Xingwu Duan
Bowen Deng
Enwei Zhang
Yawen Li
author_sort Chenli Liu
collection DOAJ
description The Water Yield (WY) service is the basis for cross-border cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin (LMRB) and has become the focus of disputes among LMRB countries in recent years. However, most studies have mainly focused on runoff changes in the LMRB, and there is a lack of research on basin-scale WY service. The cross-border changes in the WY service in the LMRB and the factors behind those changes are largely unknown. Thus, this study explores the cross-border spatiotemporal changes in the WY in the LMRB from 2000 to 2018, using the InVEST model, and identifies the key driving factors influencing the WY. The results reveal that the WY distribution in the LMRB exhibits a spatial pattern of high in the south and low in the north. Notably, Laos has the highest average total WY (1847.85 × 108 m3), while China has approximately 12.43 % (593.88 × 108 m3) of the total WY in the basin. From 2000 to 2018, the annual average WY in the LMRB shows a significant decrease of 8.23 mm/yr, with Thailand and Cambodia having the largest declines. However, China shows a lower decrease rate in the WY (3.81 mm/yr) than the whole basin and downstream regions. Precipitation (PRE), Potential Evapotranspiration (PET), Temperature (TEM), Actual Evapotranspiration (AET), and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) are the primary factors influencing spatial variations in the WY. Among them, the PRE and NPP were positively correlated with the WY, whereas the PET, TEM, and AET were negatively correlated with it. These results provide valuable insights into cross-border water resource utilization and water security regulation among countries in the LMRB and are of great strategic significance to promote the sustainable development of the LMRB.
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spelling doaj-art-7cdfd45364784a88b68e3e12f2fd9f2e2025-08-20T02:40:27ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-07-0117611372510.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113725Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factorsChenli Liu0Daming He1Hong Wang2Ronghua Zhong3Xingwu Duan4Bowen Deng5Enwei Zhang6Yawen Li7Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China; GIS Technology Resarch Center of Resource and Environment in Western China, Ministry of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Yunnan, China; Yunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, ChinaYunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-security, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, China; Corresponding authors.School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, ChinaYunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, ChinaYunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, China; Corresponding authors.Yunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, ChinaYunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, ChinaYunnan Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion Prevention and Green Development, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, ChinaThe Water Yield (WY) service is the basis for cross-border cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin (LMRB) and has become the focus of disputes among LMRB countries in recent years. However, most studies have mainly focused on runoff changes in the LMRB, and there is a lack of research on basin-scale WY service. The cross-border changes in the WY service in the LMRB and the factors behind those changes are largely unknown. Thus, this study explores the cross-border spatiotemporal changes in the WY in the LMRB from 2000 to 2018, using the InVEST model, and identifies the key driving factors influencing the WY. The results reveal that the WY distribution in the LMRB exhibits a spatial pattern of high in the south and low in the north. Notably, Laos has the highest average total WY (1847.85 × 108 m3), while China has approximately 12.43 % (593.88 × 108 m3) of the total WY in the basin. From 2000 to 2018, the annual average WY in the LMRB shows a significant decrease of 8.23 mm/yr, with Thailand and Cambodia having the largest declines. However, China shows a lower decrease rate in the WY (3.81 mm/yr) than the whole basin and downstream regions. Precipitation (PRE), Potential Evapotranspiration (PET), Temperature (TEM), Actual Evapotranspiration (AET), and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) are the primary factors influencing spatial variations in the WY. Among them, the PRE and NPP were positively correlated with the WY, whereas the PET, TEM, and AET were negatively correlated with it. These results provide valuable insights into cross-border water resource utilization and water security regulation among countries in the LMRB and are of great strategic significance to promote the sustainable development of the LMRB.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006557Water yield serviceInVEST modelTrend analysisDriving factorsLancang-Mekong River
spellingShingle Chenli Liu
Daming He
Hong Wang
Ronghua Zhong
Xingwu Duan
Bowen Deng
Enwei Zhang
Yawen Li
Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factors
Ecological Indicators
Water yield service
InVEST model
Trend analysis
Driving factors
Lancang-Mekong River
title Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factors
title_full Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factors
title_fullStr Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factors
title_full_unstemmed Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factors
title_short Water yield service in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Cross-border changes and driving factors
title_sort water yield service in the lancang mekong river basin cross border changes and driving factors
topic Water yield service
InVEST model
Trend analysis
Driving factors
Lancang-Mekong River
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25006557
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