Evolution of watershed resilience research in China: a bibliometric analysis

Climate change and intensified human activities have exacerbated watershed risks in China, necessitating resilience enhancement. Existing reviews remain limited in systematic integration and watershed-scale focus. To bridge this gap, this study conducts the first comprehensive bibliometric review using CiteSpace, systematically analyzing 443 core publications from CNKI Core Database (1998–2025), following PRISMA guidelines. Bibliometric indicators and visualization graphs were employed to systematically analyze research progress, research fields, and research hotspots. The analysis identified three evolutionary phases: the Emergence Stage (1998–2005, 29 publications), Variable Growth Stage (2006–2017, 161 publications), and Rapid Growth Stage (2018–2025, 253 publications). Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified ten major research clusters. The study highlights a theoretical predominance of static frameworks and a methodological reliance on subjective weighting approaches in over 50% of the assessments. By synthesizing existing research, a key innovative contribution is the proposal of a spatiotemporal coupling framework that integrates temporal resilience phases with spatial hierarchies spanning nodal, connectivity, and systemic scales. This review maps Chinese watershed resilience research, diagnosing spatial concentration, methodological limitations, and collaboration gaps. These findings advance the theoretical understanding of resilience evolution in China's unique context and provide evidence-based guidance for enhancing methodological rigor and integrating resilience into watershed governance practices.