Abstract
After several decades of catchment research, most forest hydrologists agree that deforestation leads to increased annual catchment yields and augment groundwater recharge and dry-season flow. Nevertheless, millions of people in the semi-arid tropics have good reasons — a deep knowledge of the land after using it for many generations — to state the very opposite, ie that deforestation implies dry springs and streams. In this paper a model is presented which attemps to show that both of the above views are correct, but only if the hydrological consequences of deforestation are related to the diversity in land management, hydroclimate and landscape characteristics. The possibility of closing the dichotomy of opinion between people and professionals is discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agarwal, A.: Between need and greed — The wasting of India; the greening of India. In: Agarwal, A.; D'Monte, D.; Samarth, U. (eds.), The fight for Survival. Centre for Science & Environment, New Delhi 1987.
Barnes, C. J.; Jacobsson, G.; Smith, G. D.: The diffuse recharge mechanism in the Australian arid zone. SSSA Journal, in press (1994)
Beven, K.; Germann, P.: Macropores and Water Flow in Soils. Wat. Res. 18, 5, 1311–1325 (1982)
Blackie, J. R.; Edwards, K. A.: The Mbeya research project. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal, Special issue: Hydrological Research in East Africa (1979)
Bonell, M.: Progress in the understanding of runoff generation dynamics in forests. J. Hydrol. 150, 217–275 (1993)
Bosch, J. M.; Hewlett, J. D.: A review of catchment experiments to determine the effect of vegetation changes on water yield and evapotranspiration. J. Hydrol. 55, 379–380 (1982)
Brandt, M., SMHI (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute), Sweden.
Brown, H. E.: Evaluating watershed management alternatives. J. of Irrigation and Drainage Division, Proc. of Am. Soc. of Civ. Eng. 97, 93–108 (1971)
Bruijnzeel. L. A.: (De)forestation and dry season flow in the tropics: a closer look. J. of Trop. For. Sci. 1(3), 229–243 (1988)
Burch, G. J.; Bath, R. K.; Moore, I. D., O'Loughlin, E. M.: Comparative hydrological behavior of forested and cleared catchments in Southeastern Australia. J. Hydrol. 90, 19–42 (1987)
Burt, T. P.: Storm Runoff Generation in Small Catchments in Relation to the Flood Respone of Large Basins. In: Beven, K. J.; Carlin, P. (eds.), Floods — Hydrological, Sedimentological and Geomorphological Implications. Wiley, Chichester 1989.
Christiansson, C.; Mbegu, A.; Yrgård, A.: The hand of man — soil conservation in Kondoa eroded area, Tanzania. SIDA's Regional Soil Conservation Unit, RSCU, Nairobi, Kenia 1993.
Cornish, P. M.: The effects of logging and forest regeneration on water yields in a moist eucalypt forest in New South Wales, Australia. J. Hydrol. 150, 301–323 (1993)
Drangert, J.-O.: Who Cares About Water? Household water development in Sukumaland, Tanzania. Ph. D. thesis, Dept. of Water and Env. Studies, Univ. of Linköping, Sweden 1993.
Falkenmark, M.: Fresh Water — Time for a Modified Approach. Ambio 15(4) (1986)
Germann, P. F.: Rapid drainage response to precipitation. Hydrol. Proc. 1: 3–13 (1986)
Görgens, A.; Lee, J.: Hydrological impacts of forestry: a research planning study. Water Research Commission, Republic of South Africa 1992.
Hamilton, L. S.; King, P. N.: Tropical forested watersheds — hydrologic and soils responses to major land use conversions. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, USA 1983.
Herwitz, S. R.: Infiltration-excess caused by stemflow in a cyclone-prone tropical rain-forest. Earth Surf. Processes Landforms 11, 401–412 (1986)
Hewlett, J. D.: Forest water quality: an experiment in harvesting and regenerating piedmont forest. Res. Pap. School For. Resour., Athens, Ga. 1979.
Hibbert, A. R.: Forest treatment effects on water yield. In: Sopper, W. E.; Lull, H. W. (eds.), International Symposium on Forest Hydrology, Pergamon Press Ltd. 1967.
Hornbeck, J. W.; Pierce, R. S.; Federer, C. A.: Streamflow changes after forest clearing in New England. Wat. Resour. Res. 6(4), 1124–1132 (1972)
Hornbeck, J. W.; Adams, M. B.; Corbett, E. S.; Verry, E. S.; Lynch, J. A.: Long-term impacts of forest treatments on water yield: a summary for northeastern USA. J. Hydrol. 150, 323–344 (1993)
Hsia, Y. J.; Koh, C. C.: Water yield from clearcutting a small hardwood basin in central Taiwan. Proc. of Hamburg Symp., Aug-1983, IAHS Publ. no. 140, 215–220 (1983)
Jayasuriya, M. D. A.; Dunn, G.; Benyon, R.; O'Shaughnessy, P. J.: Some factors affecting water yield from mountain ash(Eucalyptus regnans) dominated forests in south-east Australia. J. Hydrol. 150, 345–367 (1993)
Johansson, L.: Swedeforest Consulting AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
Kovner, J. L.: Evapotranspiration and water yield following forest cutting and natural regrowth. Soc. Am. Foresters Proc. 106–110 (1956)
Kothyari, U. C.; Garde, R. J.: Annual runoff estimations for catchments in India. J. of Wat. Resour. Plan. and Managem. 117(1), 1–10 (1991)
Ledec, G.; Goodland, R.: Wildlands — their protection and management in economic development. The World Bank, Washington, USA 1988.
Lloyd, J. W.: A review of aridity and groundwater. Hyd. Proc. 1, 63–78 (1989)
Mhando, M. L.: Water use by forest plantation at Sao Hill, Tanzania. Forest Division, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 1984.
Pereira, H. C.: The role of forestry in the management of tropical watersheds. Keynote paper, World Forestry Congress 10, Paris 1991.
Pilgrim, D. H.; Chapman, T. G.; Doran, D. G.: Problems of rainfall-runoff modelling in arid and semi-arid regions. Hyd. Sci. J. 33, 379–400 (1988)
Ross, S. M.: Organic matter in tropical soils: current conditions, concern and prospects for conservation. Prog. in Physical Geography 17,3, 265–305 (1993)
Sandström, K.: Hydrological implications of deforestation and land degradation in semi-arid East Africa. Submitted; J. Hydrol. (1994)
Shallow, P. G.: River flow in the Cameron highlands. Hydro-electric Techn. Memo. No. 3, Central Electricity Board, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1956.
Sharda, V. S.; Samraj, P.; Chinnamani, S.; Lakshmanan, V.: Hydrological behaviour of the Nilgiri sub-watersheds as affected by Bluegum plantations, part II. Monthly water balance at different rainfall and runoff probabilities. J. Hydrol. 103, 347–355 (1988)
Sharma, M. L.; Barron, R. J. W.; Craig, A. B.: Land use effects on groundwater recharge to an unconfined aquifer. Div. of Wat. Resour., CSIRO, Canberra, Australia, Report 91/1 (1991)
State of the World: World Watch Institute, Washington, USA 1994.
US Department of State: The World's Tropical Forests: A policy, strategy, and program for the United States. Department of State Publication 9117, Washington, DC 1980.
Valentin, C.: Surface crusting, runoff, and erosion on steeplands and coarse material. IBSRAM Tech. Notes, no. 3, Bangkok 1989.
Van Lill, W. S.; Kruger, F. J.; van Wyk, D. B.: The effect of afforestation withEucalyptus Grandis hill ex maiden andPinus Patula schlecht. et cham. on streamflow from experimental catchments at Mokobulaan, Transwaal. J. Hydrol. 48, 107–118 (1980)
Verry, E. S.: The effect of aspen harvest and growth on water yield in Minnesota. IAHS-AISH publ. 167, 553–562 (1987)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sandström, K. Differences in groundwater response to deforestation — a continuum of interactions between hydroclimate, landscape characteristics and time. GeoJournal 35, 539–546 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00824371
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00824371