Groundwater Systems and Eco-hydrological Features in the Main Karst Regions of China

P5; Different karst water features and related water resources are present both in southern and northern China. There are over 3,358 well-developed karst ground river systems with total discharges in the dry season of about 420×108 m3 in the main karst regions in the southern part of China.Exploitation rates are only 8-15%. Over 100 larger karst spring systems in the main karst regions of northern China cover a catchment area from 500 km2 to over 4,000 km2, of which the average discharge appears to be from about 1 m3/s to 13 m3/s and the exploitation rates are 70-80%. Six aspects of the ecohydrological features of some typical karst regions in China comprising water environment, ecological features, materials and structures between parent rock and soil, bio-geological processes and palynological studies (spore-pollen) are discussed. Qualitative evaluation of eco-geology and rocky desertification in the karst regions should be based on the main karst ecological conditions as well as artificial, i.e., man-made impacts.