Indicator 3: Capacity of Forests to Provide Water-Related Ecosystem Services
Beyond direct impacts on water quantity and quality, forested landscapes contribute to a wide variety of ecosystem functions. These include making contributions to rainfall both downwind and locally via evapotranspiration, reducing the incidence of soil erosion and flooding, and improving the biodiversity of local aquatic species. The extent to which forests provide these functions depends on local circumstances.
The sub-indicators associated to Indicator 3 are recommended to monitor and evaluate the impact of changes in forest cover on biodiversity, soil erosion, and protective functions. Sub-indicators also cover parameters related to the ability of forest ecosystems for dealing with water-related stress.