We are at a crossroads in time and history that can no longer be avoided. The threats and challenges posed by rapid population growth, climate change and the massive anthropogenic transformations of the terrestrial landscape (Alkama and Cescatti, 2016; Steffen et al., 2015b; Watson et al., 2018, 2016), especially where forests, water and their interaction are concerned, require a far more rapid response to and resolution of this debate than has hitherto been possible. The demand-side, catchment-centric approach to forest and water management is occasionally used as a tool to argue that increasing forest cover can only diminish...

The  document  provides  a  country-by-country  summary  of  the  current  state  of  knowledge  on  the  relationship  between  forest  management  and  water  resources.  Based  on  available  research  publications,  the  Editor-in-Chief  of  this  document  contacted  local  scientists  from  countries  where  the impact of forest management on water resources is an issue, inviting them to submit a chapter. 

This informative policy brief developed by WeForest and partners consolidates new scientific research on the forest-water-climate relationship. The new research reveals that five forest processes are more important than previously thought, and that management to support them can result in short and long-term benefits: forests promote precipitation; trees and forests are natural cooling systems; forests generate air and moisture flows; trees and forests can improve groundwater recharge; forests can moderate flooding.

There is now a solid body of scientific information for understanding and interpreting the relationships between forests and water in both temperate and tropical regions. However, there is also a parallel and deeply entrenched “popular narrative” that often runs counter to the consensus views of the forest hydrology scientific community. The purpose of this report is to: summarize the scientific consensus on the hydrological impacts of forest management in relation to the popular narrative; propose recommendations to community forestry policymakers and practitioners; and propose recommendations to the Center for People and Forests...

A publication explaining the importance of protected forests to sustainable drinking water supplies for the world's biggest cities. Running Pure is a research report sponsored by the World Bank/WWF Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use. Till recently, biodiversity was the central value in the arguments for protected areas. This report seeks to develop wider arguments for protection, focusing on the potential role of protected areas in helping to maintain water supply to major cities.