Governance Options for Addressing Changing Forest-Water Relations

From a systems perspective, governance represents a key driver when it comes to the potential for addressing rapid environmental, climate, social and even technological change. As our knowledge of forest-water interactions and their potential to improve human welfare expands, new opportunities emerge to optimise the strategic use of natural resources in ways that may bring multiple spinoff benefits to those who depend on these resources for their livelihood and prosperity.
Even without considering the constraints of the ‘new normal’ and the challenges imposed by climate change, land use practices could be modified in ways that can potentially optimise natural resource availability across space and time. On the other hand, the increasing threat posed by both climate change and the rise of the ‘new normal’further intensifies the need to better understand forest-water interactions, and to raise our proficiency at puttingthem to good use.