Water quality and quantity in forest ecosystems

Conditions and changing capacity. Forest cover helps to maintain clean water supplies by filtering freshwater and reducing soil erosion and sedimentation. Deforestation undermines these processes. Nearly 30 percent of the world’s major watersheds have lost more than three-quarters of their original forest cover. Tropical montane forests, which are important to watershed protection, are being lost faster than any other major forest type. Forests are especially vulnerable to air pollution, which acidifies vegetation, soils, and water runoff. Some countries are protecting or replanting trees on degraded hillslopes to safeguard their water supplies.

Data quality. Global data on current forest cover and historic loss in major watersheds have been compiled by World Resources Institute (WRI). Data on water runoff, soil erosion, and sedimentation in deforested watersheds are available mostly at regional or local levels. Evidence of the importance of forest cover in regulating water quality and quantity is based on experience in forests managed primarily for soil and water protection in the industrial countries and on studies that value forests according to the avoided costs of constructing water filtration plants. Forest degradation by air pollution in Europe is surveyed by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE).