What is Ecohydrology
The Ecohydrology concept was developed and defined within the framework of the strategic plans for the fifth and sixth phases of the UNESCO International Hydrologic Programme (IHP-V: 1996-2001 and IHP-VI: 2002-2007, respectively). Theme 2 of IHP-V, “Ecohydrological processes in the surficial environment”, focused on developing an integrated approach to manage land and water.
Following up on this, theme 3 of IHP-VI, “Land habitat hydrology”, further develops Ecohydrology as an interdisciplinary approach at the landform/land use scale.
Furthermore, one of the proposed themes in the strategic plan for the seventh phase of IHP (IHP-VII: 2008-2013), “Ecohydrology and environmental sustainability”, aims to “incorporate environmental sustainability at the landscape level by improving our understanding of water-landscape level management of the environment, taking fully into account the interactions among ecosystems and their surrounding habitats”.
Ecohydrology: a new vision for aquatic ecosystem management
Traditional approaches to water management consider the hydrologic factors as responsible for triggering ecological responses. Management of aquatic ecosystems was “one-way”, focusing the role of hydrology on biota. Ecohydrology establishes a new paradigm for aquatic ecosystems management since it considers the dual regulation between hydrology and biota. Thus, applying this concept at the river basin scale it is possible to restore the evolutionary established processes of aquatic ecosystems. This will increase or reinstate the carrying capacity of ecosystems, allowing them to be sustainable and adaptable to increasing impacts, as the ones resulting from global changes.
