Ecohydrology
In the face of increasing climate instability, demographic growth and human migration, there is an urgent need to reverse the degradation of water resources and stop further decline in biodiversity. Ecohydrology uses the understanding of relationships between hydrological and biological processes at different scales to improve water security, enhance biodiversity and further opportunities for sustainable development by lessening ecological threats and maximizing greater harmony within catchment processes.
The Ecohydrology programme aims to advance the integration of social, ecological and hydrological research, and to generate outcomes that enable the development of effective policies and practices for integrated water resources management. The International Hydrological Programme (IHP) supports research, networking and capacity building initiatives aimed at improving the understanding of the interlinkages of ecohydrological processes at the catchment scale.
Objectives include improving the understanding of the role of different types of terrestrial and wetland ecosystems, sharing knowledge on the integration of ecohydrological technologies with good agricultural and environmental practices, promoting model development to reduce hydropeaking impacts on ecosystems by integrating specific environmental science knowledge, as well as developing catchment scale ecohydrological early warning systems.
Guidelines will be developed for the integration of various types of biological and hydrological regulations to improve water quality, biodiversity and freshwater systems. Regional ecohydrological solutions on the impact of global changes on hydrologic cycles and coastal ecosystems to address the increasing vulnerability of aquatic resources will be shared and improved.
Focal Areas
For more information on each focal area and the implementation plan, please follow the links below:
- Focal area 5.1: Hydrological dimension of catchment – identification of potential threats and opportunities for a sustainable development
- Focal area 5.2: Shaping of the catchment ecological structure for ecosystem potential enhancement ─ biological productivity and biodiversity
- Focal area 5.3: Ecohydrology system solution and ecological engineering for the enhancement of water and ecosystem resilience and ecosystem services
- Focal area 5.4: Urban Ecohydrology – storm water purification and retention in the city landscape, potential for improvement of health and quality of life
- Focal area 5.5: Ecohydrological regulation for sustaining and restoring continental to coastal connectivity and ecosystem functioning
