Hydrologic Impacts of Forest Disturbance, Conversion and Restoration

A global database comparing the impacts of disturbance, conversion, and restoration of native forests on hydrological processes of great importance for water security. The database is focused on local comparisons or a limited number of hydrological processes and land-use types, spanning 1049 cases from 287 primary studies in 58 countries and 12 biomes. The database includes changes in six hydrological processes (i.e. interception, overland flow, evapotranspiration -total and as a share of rainfall, infiltration, and streamflow, and land-use types (logged, degraded, burned, clear-cut, and restored native forests, monoculture tree plantations, orchards/agroforestry areas, pasturelands, and croplands). Even this database is not focused on evaluating water balances or considers water closure regimes, values on these processes can be used as indicators of changes in water processes across native forest cover and other land use types.