Creed, IF, Jones, J, Archer, E et al. (19 more authors) (2019) Managing Forests for Both Downstream and Downwind Water. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 2. 64. ISSN 2624-893X
Abstract
Forests and trees are key to solving water availability problems in the face of climate change and to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. A recent global assessment of forest and water science posed the question: How do forests matter for water? Here we synthesize science from that assessment, which shows that forests and water are an integrated system. We assert that forests, from the tops of their canopies to the base of the soils in which trees are rooted, must be considered a key component in the complex temporal and spatial dimensions of the hydrologic cycle. While it is clear that forests influence both downstream and downwind water availability, their actual impact depends on where they are located and their processes affected by natural and anthropogenic conditions. A holistic approach is needed to manage the connections between forests, water and people in the face of current governance systems that often ignore these connections. We need policy interventions that will lead to forestation strategies that decrease the dangerous rate of loss in forest cover and that – where appropriate – increase the gain in forest cover. We need collective interventions that will integrate transboundary forest and water management to ensure sustainability of water supplies at local, national and continental scales. The United Nations should continue to show leadership by providing forums in which interventions can be discussed, negotiated and monitored, and national governments must collaborate to sustainably manage forests to ensure secure water supplies and equitable and sustainable outcomes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Creed, Jones, Archer Van Garderen, Claassen, Ellison, McNulty, Van Noordwijk, Vira, Wei, Bishop, Blanco, Gush, Gyawali, Jobbágy, Lara, Little, Martin-Ortega, Mukherji, Murdiyarso, Ovando Pol, Sullivan and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
Keywords: | Climate Change, Forest, Water, policy, Hydrologic cycle, mitigation, adaptation, sustainability |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Oct 2019 09:33 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 22:02 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Frontiers Media S.A. |
Identification Number: | 10.3389/ffgc.2019.00064 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:151875 |