Assessment Of The South-to-North Water Transfers Project (Middle-Route) On The Invasion Of Plant Species

The South-to-North Water Transfers Project will provide a new pathway, water dispersal, for plant invasion. We compared the difference in flora between the water supplying area (i.e., the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region) and water receiving areas of the Project. A modified Australian and New Zealand Weed Risk Assessment system (WRA) were used to identify vascular plants occurring in the water supplying area but absent in the water receiving areas with invasive potential. Consequently, a secondary screening system concerning the dispersal and productive capacities was applied for further evaluation. There are 145 species absent in the water receiving areas but occurring in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region. Of which, 41.4% were non-invasive plants, 43.4% required further investigation, and 7 species were invasive. These 7 species were aquatic and wetland species, implying that the project might influence the wetland and aquatic ecosystems in the project's water receiving areas.The Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction (GARP) was employed to predict those seven species' distribution. The east side along the project's water conveyance system would be especially concerned. Those area, mostly farmlands, with low biodiversity and scattered low and marshy lands, would be easily invaded by those plants. Therefore it is important to monitor the farmlands, marshes, rivers and lakes in those area for avoiding invasion and stabilization of the ecosystems.