Post-1949, China increased its forest cover from 10% to 25%, but scientists found an unexpected side effect: Tree planting shifted water away from East & Northwest towards the Tibetan Plateau

China's extensive reforestation programmes have significantly increased forest cover across the country. However, this large-scale greening effort has also altered the movement of water through the water cycle and affected freshwater availability in different regions. Increased vegetation growth was associated with reduced freshwater availability in key eastern and north-western regions, while availability increased over the Tibetan Plateau. Understanding how reforestation influences this redistribution...