Forest use strategies in watershed management and restoration: application to three small mountain watersheds in Latin America

Abstract

The effect of forests on flow and flood lamination decreases as the magnitude and intensity of torrential events and the watershed surface increase, thus resulting negligible when extreme events affect large catchments. However the effect of forests is advantageous in case of major events, which occur more often, and is particularly effective in soil erosion control. As a result, forests have been extensively used for watershed management and restoration, since they regulate water and sediments cycles, preventing the degradation of catchments.

Keywords

• water and sediments cycle, water and sediments dynamics, forest, watershed management and restoration.