Ecosystem Services of Headwater Catchments

This book addresses the evaluation of environmental impacts and services identified in headwaters of different eco-zones around the world. It presents 24 papers selected from contributions to recent meetings of the European Forestry Commission Working Party on the Management of Mountain Watersheds, which is coordinated by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Through its biennial sessions and inter-session activities, the Working Party focuses on the continuous exchange of knowledge and experience between professionals in Europe and other regions of the world confronted with similar issues.

The contributions have been updated and peer-reviewed, and the interdisciplinary team of authors includes experts from the fields of geography, hydrology, chemistry, biology, forestry, ecology and socio-economics. The participatory management of headwater catchments in Europe, Africa, America and Asia was the central theme of the articles, which were divided into four sessions: (1) Headwater Environment and Natural Resources, (2) Enhancing Environmental Services in Headwaters, (3) Environmental Services in the Changing World, and (4) New Challenges for Environmental Education and Active Citizenship. The practical applications shown in the book address the multi-resource concept.

The book offers a unique and valuable resource for environmentalists, engineers, watershed planners and policymakers alike.

Martin Haigh, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of Geography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK. Formerly, he was (Vice-)President of the ‘World Association for Soil and Water Conservation’. He is a Co-Founder of the UNESCO-recognised ‘International Association for Headwater Control’ and co-organiser of most of its international conferences. He is a UK National Teaching Fellow and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. In 2010, he was awarded the Royal Geographical Society’s ‘Taylor and Francis Award for Excellence in Geography Teaching (Higher Education)’. Martin’s current work includes environmental education as well as technical research in landslide prediction and landscape reconstruction in mining and mountainous areas.

Thomas Hofer is Forestry Officer and leader of the Watershed Management and Mountains Team at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Since 2006, he serves as the secretary of the ‘EFC/FAO Working Party on the Management of Mountain Watersheds‘. He has vast field project experience in Asia and Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America. He has coordinated the development of a number of flagship publications on watershed management, sustainable mountain development and forest hydrology.

Eero Kubin, Ph.D. is former president of ‘EFC/FAO Working Party on the

Management of Mountain Watersheds‘, and Management Committee Member of EU COST Action 725. Over 15 years he served as director of the Muhos Research Unit of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, and he is leader of long term research projects on phenology, and environmental aspects of forestry practices. As docent of the Oulu University and Helsinki University he is lecturer on forest ecology and superviser of several doctoral thesis.

Catrin Promper is employee at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management working on natural hazard risk management. She holds a PhD in Geography from university of Vienna and gained international work experience in the Watershed Management and Mountains Team at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). v>