Aida Bargués Tobella, researcher at Agrotecnio, has co-authored a chapter on the critical role that trees and forests play in regulating the water cycle
A new FAO report, in which Agrotecnio researcher Aida Bargués Tobella has participated, highlights the importance of synergies between forests, trees and agriculture in moving towards more sustainable agri-food systems. Bargués Tobella, who specialises in soil and agroforestry sciences, co-led a chapter on the key role that trees and forests play in regulating the water cycle. The report, produced in collaboration with the Stockholm Environment Institute, Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy, was presented at COP30 in Brazil.
Agriculture and forests are often considered conflicting and competing land uses, especially in regions where land is scarce. However, there is growing scientific evidence demonstrating the many ways in which forests and trees can improve agricultural productivity and resilience.
The report “Climate and ecosystem service benefits of forests and trees for agriculture” published by the FAO summarises the latest scientific evidence on how trees and forests regulate climate, rainfall and water availability, which affects the productivity and resilience of agricultural systems and farmers. It also highlights their contribution to pollination, soil health and biological pest control. The document calls for policies, investments and management actions to translate this evidence into concrete measures.
Aida Bargués (Agrotecnio)
Trees and forests play a key role in regulating the water cycle
The chapter led by Aida Bargués Tobella (Agrotecnio) and Malin Lundberg Ingemarsson (Stockholm International Water Institute) focuses on the interactions between trees, forests and water. In this document, to which eight other researchers have contributed, it details how forests and trees, located on or around agricultural land, can provide a wide range of water-related ecosystem services that are critical to agriculture, including improving soil water recharge (green water), regulating water flows, mitigating water damage, and purifying water.
“The water-related ecosystem services that trees and forests provide to agriculture are not sufficiently monitored or valued,” explains Aida Bargués, adding that “this means that they are not properly recognised in the agricultural sector or in agricultural policies, which can lead to economic losses.”
The scientific group behind this chapter emphasises the importance of adopting an integrated approach to landscape and natural resource management, including forests and water, at different scales to ensure that the benefits of forests and trees for agriculture are optimised.
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