The Role of Tropical Forests in Supporting Biodiversity and Hydrological Integrity : A Synoptic Overview

Conservation of high-biodiversity tropical forests is sometimes justified on the basis of assumed hydrological benefits - in particular, the reduction of flooding hazards for downstream floodplain populations. However, the "far-field" link between deforestation and distant flooding has been difficult to demonstrate empirically. This simulation study assesses the relationship between forest cover and hydrology for all river basins intersecting the world's tropical forest biomes. The study develops a consistent set of pan-tropical land cover maps gridded at one-half degree latitude and longitude. It integrates these data with existing global biogeophysical data. The study applies the Water Balance Model - a coarse-scale process-based hydrological model - to assess the impact of land cover changes on runoff. It quantifies the impacts of forest conversion on biodiversity and hydrology for two scenarios - historical forest conversion and the potential future conversion of the most threatened remaining tropical forests. A worst-case scenario of complete conversion of the most threatened of the remaining forested areas would mean the loss of another three million k

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Douglas, Ellen M., Sebastian, Kate, Vörösmarty, Charles J., Wood, Stanley, Chomitz, Kenneth M.
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2005-06
Subjects:	AGRICULTURAL LAND, AGRICULTURAL LAND USE, AGRICULTURAL POLICY, AGRICULTURE, ANNUAL RUNOFF, BASINS, BIODIVERSITY, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, BIOGEOGRAPHY, BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, BIOLOGY, BIOSPHERE, BOUNDARIES, CARBON CYCLE, CARBON STORAGE, CATCHMENT, CHANNEL, CLIMATE, CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE VARIABILITY, CLIMATIC CHANGE, CONIFEROUS FORESTS, CONSERVATION, CROPLAND, CROPS, DATA SETS, DECIDUOUS FORESTS, DEFORESTATION, DISCHARGE, DRAINAGE, EARTH, ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES, ECOSYSTEM, ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY, ECOSYSTEMS, ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, EROSION, EROSION CONTROL, EVAPOTRANSPIRATION, FLOODING, FLOODPLAINS, FLOODS, FOREST, FOREST AREAS, FOREST CLEARING, FOREST CONSERVATION, FOREST CONVERSION, FOREST COVER, FOREST DWELLERS, FOREST PRESERVATION, FOREST SYSTEMS, FORESTS, GEOSPHERE, GRASSLAND, GRASSLANDS, GRAZING, GRAZING LANDS, GREENHOUSE GAS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, HUMAN ACTIVITIES, HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, HYDROLOGICAL MODELS, LAND COVER, LAND COVER CHANGE, LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION, LAND PRODUCTIVITY, LAND USE, LAND USE CHANGE, LAND USE PRACTICES, LAND USES, LAND-USE, LATITUDE, LOGGING, LONGITUDE, MOUNTAINS, NORTH AMERICA, OCEANS, PASTURE, PASTURELAND, PEAK FLOWS, PHYSICS, PLANT SPECIES, POINT, POTENTIAL IMPACTS, PRECIPITATION, PRESERVATION, RAINFALL, REMOTE SENSING, RIVER BASINS, RIVER SYSTEMS, RUNOFF, SAVANNAS, SOIL, SOIL MOISTURE, SOIL PHYSICS, SOIL PROPERTIES, SOIL WATER, SOIL WATER CONTENT, SOILS, SOUTH AMERICA, SOUTHEAST ASIA, STORMS, STUDY AREA, TIMBER, TIMBER TRADE, TREES, TROPICAL FORESTS, TROPICS, UNEP, UPLAND LAND, UPLANDS, VEGETATION, WATER BALANCE, WATER CYCLE, WATERSHED, WATERSHED MANAGEMENT, WATERSHEDS, WILDLIFE, WOOD,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/06/5860911/role-tropical-forests-supporting-biodiversity-hydrological-integrity-synoptic-overview http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8323
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!