Joint Publications

2021-08-27

New report: A Guide to Forest-Water Management

IUFRO contributed to a new FAO-led report launched at World Water Week. This comprehensive global publication provides guidance on the contribution of forests for a holistic approach to water resource management.


Forests and trees play a vital role in meeting the world's increasing demand for water and need to be managed for water-related ecosystem services, according to a new guide co-published by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the United States Forest Service and partners, and launched on 25 August at World Water Week.

Among other things, the guide calls for enhanced forest management that prioritizes the provision of water-related ecosystem services. This is needed to ensure forests also fulfill their potential as a nature-based solution to address water security, helping ensure sufficient quality water to sustain resilient communities and ecosystems.

"We are convinced that the valuation of ecosystem services is the starting point for managing forests and all the benefits they provide," said Shirong Liu, IUFRO Vice-President and Deputy Coordinator of the IUFRO Task Force on Forests and Water Interactions in a Changing Environment. Professor Shirong Liu signed the foreword of the publication together with Dr. Mette Wilkie, Director, Forestry Division, FAO.
 

Find the report and its French version at: https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/forests-water-interaction-changing-environment/activities-and-events/

Read a media release at: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1434541/icode/

Find a download link at:  https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb6473en