Forests are commonly known for the goods that they provide - timber, fuelwood, fodder and other non-timber forest products. Less commonly known is the fact that forests also provide a number of crucial ecosystem services, for example, their role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, protecting upstream watersheds, conserving biodiversity and gene-pools for future generations and in providing landscape beauty. Forest environmental services also include regulation of the water cycle and climate, soil formation, nutrient recycling, and plant pollination. While the ever-increasing demand for forest goods is widely recognized, the increased demand and need for forest services is often not as well known.
One reason for this is the failure of markets, and society in general, to adequately value these services in economic or financial terms. Consequently, forest environmental services are rarely accounted for in national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics and few well-developed markets exist for them. However, today there is growing awareness of the need to adequately acknowledge and measure the value of these services, so that decisions involving forest land use change are based on the true worth of forests, rather than on the immediate tangible goods that they provide. There is also an urgent need to develop appropriate mechanisms, market-based or otherwise, that can generate income flows to communities or institutions protecting forests and providing these services, so that there is a direct incentive for them to continue doing so.
Forests and Water Linkages
Water in theory is the most renewable of resources. Yet, careless use, population growth, and increasing demand all mean that provision of adequate safe supplies of water is now a major source of concern, expense, and even international tension. The links between forests and watersheds are complicated and vary with geography, weather patterns, and management. Forests in catchments generally result in cleaner water downstream, thus significantly reducing the costs of purification (to what extent depends on the level and type of contamination). In addition, particular forests such as tropical moist cloud forests appear to increase flow into catchments as well as ameliorate local flooding.
Water in theory is the most renewable of resources. Yet, careless use, population growth, and increasing demand all mean that provision of adequate safe supplies of water is now a major source of concern, expense, and even international tension. The links between forests and watersheds are complicated and vary with geography, weather patterns, and management. Forests in catchments generally result in cleaner water downstream, thus significantly reducing the costs of purification (to what extent depends on the level and type of contamination). In addition, particular forests such as tropical moist cloud forests appear to increase flow into catchments as well as ameliorate local flooding.With water shortages increasing in many parts of the world, the importance of this link is being rapidly realized today. Twenty-eight per cent of the world's forests are located in mountains and these forests are the source of some 60-80% of the world's fresh water resources. They are also natural barriers for landslides, torrents, and floods. Tropical Montane Cloud Forests (TMCFs), which have unique hydrological values and high rates of species endemism, are today being lost faster than any other major forest ecosystem. However, nearly 30% of the world's major watersheds have lost more than three-quarters of their original forest cover.
Recognizing this problem, some countries have already started protecting or replanting trees on degraded hill slopes to safeguard their water supplies. Generating more knowledge on this forest environmental service, and developing appropriate payment or compensation mechanisms between upstream watershed service providers and the downstream beneficiaries, will be a key challenge for the forestry sector in the coming years.
Recognizing this problem, some countries have already started protecting or replanting trees on degraded hill slopes to safeguard their water supplies. Generating more knowledge on this forest environmental service, and developing appropriate payment or compensation mechanisms between upstream watershed service providers and the downstream beneficiaries, will be a key challenge for the forestry sector in the coming years.
