The need of ecohydrological research in tropical forests for healthy watersheds

Tropical forests play a critical role in providing clean water and maintaining healthy watersheds, yet they face numerous threats such as deforestation, land use change, climate change. To address these challenges, there is growing need for ecohydrological research that can inform planning management strategies watersheds. Ecohydrology an emerging science seeks to understand the functional interactions between hydrology biota. It quantifies explains relationships hydrological processes biotic dynamics well linkages among upland, riparian, aquatic components on watershed scale. However, most of studies have been concentrated temperate regions, tropical are lacking. This article argues high time launch identifying functions driving forces regulate quality quantity water, their water-based ecosystem services The outlines main challenges facing highlights importance interdisciplinary collaboration long-term monitoring effective research. also provides examples successful projects forests, discusses potential benefits investing forest conservation management. Overall, this emphasizes watersheds calls more attention resources be devoted field.