Ecohydrology: A management tool for aquatic ecosystem and SDGs implementation

Abstract

The availability and quality of water resources are not only to support human health and well-being, but also are providing the functioning of essential ecosystems, including rivers, wetlands, lakes and coastal ecosystems. The contamination of the aquatic ecosystem certainly carries a substantial loss, not only for the environment but also for human beings who use the goods and services of the environment. Water related problems often cannot be managed and overcome completely because of sectoral approach, monodisciplinary and unintegrated. Trans disciplinary science dealing with the interaction of hydrological processes and the dynamics of biology and/or ecology in various spatial, temporal conditions and human life practices around its environment is called ecohydrology. The ecohydrology concept is agreed to solve water related problems in the world. It is included in one of UNESCO IHP VIII themes to support SDGs achievement. This article aims to demonstrate the concept of ecohydrology in supporting sustainable water resource management. Based on the implementation of ecohydrology concept in three different demonstration sites, the results showed that it has been agreed as the solution to improve and restore river basin and lake ecosystem functions and services. It is important to note that the implementation of ecohydrology should consider economic valuation, political and government support as well as local society involvement in order to get effective and sustainable solutions for managing water resources.