Forest Management for Water Stress Mitigation under Climate Change: An Economy-Wide Approach

Given the current context of water scarcity and climatic change, achieving a balance between water supply and demand will prove challenging without the implementation of supply-side measures. An alternative, nature-based solution to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events and ensure a more st...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Ortuzar Fernández, Iban, Xabadia i Palmada, Àngels, Zabalda, Javier
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10256/28194
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10256/28194
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palavra-chave:Boscos -- Gestió
Forest management
Cost-eficàcia
Cost effectiveness
Canvis climàtics -- Mitigació
Climate change mitigation
Descrição
Resumo:Given the current context of water scarcity and climatic change, achieving a balance between water supply and demand will prove challenging without the implementation of supply-side measures. An alternative, nature-based solution to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events and ensure a more stable and reliable water supply for both ecosystems and human communities is forest management. Well-managed forests act as natural water reservoirs, storing and regulating freshwater flows that gradually replenish groundwater reserves and maintain river flows during dry periods. Yet, albeit these benefits are widely recognized, the relationship between forest management and improved water supply within economic decision support models remains largely underexplored. To this aim, this paper proposes a methodological framework to assess the long-term economic benefits of increased water discharges resulting from forestry practices in three different catchments located in Mediterranean mid-mountain areas under different scenarios of future climate and socioeconomic change, namely the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. The results show that the examined forest management practices are cost-efficient strategies for the delivery of watershed services and the generation of positive economic outcomes, although with noticeable differences among basins, interventions and climate and socioeconomic scenarios