Articles | Volume 21, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4551-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4551-2017
Research article
 | 
13 Sep 2017
Research article |  | 13 Sep 2017

Water-use dynamics of an alien-invaded riparian forest within the Mediterranean climate zone of the Western Cape, South Africa

Bruce C. Scott-Shaw, Colin S. Everson, and Alistair D. Clulow

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Interactive discussion

Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (further review by Editor) (18 Apr 2017) by Dominic Mazvimavi
AR by Bruce Scott-Shaw on behalf of the Authors (04 May 2017)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (further review by Editor) (06 May 2017) by Dominic Mazvimavi
AR by Bruce Scott-Shaw on behalf of the Authors (09 May 2017)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (13 May 2017) by Dominic Mazvimavi
AR by Bruce Scott-Shaw on behalf of the Authors (18 May 2017)  Author's response    Manuscript
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Short summary
In South Africa, the invasion of riparian forests by alien trees has the potential to affect the limited water resources. To justify alien clearing programs, hydrological benefits are required. Spatial upscaling of measured sapflows showed that an alien stand used 6 times more water per unit area than the indigenous stand. A gain in groundwater recharge and/or streamflow would be achieved if the alien species were removed from riparian forests and rehabilitated back to their natural state.