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Home > Highlights > Do Forests Really Prevent Floods?
Do Forests Really Prevent Floods?
Every year, the media is dominated by stories about floods in Asia - floods that bring death, misery and poverty to millions of people, and economic havoc to developing nations. and every year the floods are blamed almost universally on upland farmers and loggers clearing and degrading forests. But in reality, the direct links between deforestation and floods are far from certain.
The conventional wisdom that forest prevents floods has clouded the perspectives of decision-makers. As a result, reforestation and forest protection policies recieve much greater emphasis than more holistic watershed and river-basin management.
Not only are reforestation and forest protection policies of dubious effect in preventing floods, they can severely undermine the efforts of the upland rural poor to combat poverty through farming and forestry activities. Policy makers must reevaluate the widely helf belief that forest are giant 'sponges' that soak up heavy rainfall and slowly release fresh water freshwater needs. More attention should be given to watershed management practices that evaluate, plan, restore and organize watershed use to provide desired environmental services while supporting livelihoods.
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