What is Eco-Hydrology?

The International Journal of Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology includes on their website a short overview of eco-hydrology - which is effectively the study of the ecological aspects of the hydrological cycle. The key hypotheses and the principles of this discipline are outlined below.

Overview

According to the Ecohydrology concept, the overall goal is the enhancement of ecosystem carrying capacity for ecosystem services and resilience, resilience to anthropogenic stress as it relates to the ecological aspects of the hydrological cycle. The study of ecohydrology recognises that approaches to water management that focus on wastewater treatment and regulation of hydrological processes, such as floods and droughts, are crucial but not sufficient. To achieve sustainable water management it is necessary to develop a complementary approach should be based on our improved understanding the functioning of aquatic and terrestrial biota.

Fundamental hypotheses

The regulation of hydrological parameters in an ecosystem or catchment can be applied to control biological processes.
The shaping of the biological structure of an ecosystem(s) in a catchment can be applied to regulate hydrological processes.
Both types of regulation integrated at a catchment scale and in a synergistic way can be applied to the sustainable development of freshwater resources, measured as the improvement of water quality and quantity (providing ecosystem services).

Principles of Ecohydrology

The first principle (which comprises the framework of ecohydrology) is the need for the integrated understanding of water and biota interplay at a catchments scale for identification of threats and opportunities for sustainable water, economy and society. The second principle (or the target of ecohydrology) is an understanding of the evolutionarily established resilience and resistance of ecosystems in their 'natural' state to stress and patterns of ecological succession, to increase their carrying capacity against human impacts. The third principle (methodology) is the use of these ecosystem properties in water management. Overengineering of aquatic systems has been evidence of a lack of understanding of ecological processes by environmental managers.