The Assessment of Hydrological Availability and the Payment for Ecosystem Services: A Pilot Study in a Brazilian Headwater Catchment

摘要: The assessment of water availability in river basins is at the top security agenda. Historically, stream flow discharge Brazilian watersheds was relevant for dam dimensioning, flood control projects and irrigation systems. Nowadays, it plays an important role creation sustainable management plans catchment scale aimed to help establishing legal policies on resources laws, namely, those related payment environmental services clean production. Headwater catchments are preferential targets these laws their quality. general objective this study evaluate first-order sub-basins a headwater catchment. specific objectives were: (1) assess rank them accordingly; (2) analyze feasibility production sub-basins. measurements were conducted during five years (2012 2016), headwaters watershed Sao Domingos River Turvo/Grande Watershed, represented as 4th-largest hydrographic unit management—UGRHI-15 Paulo State, Brazil. A doppler velocity technology used remotely measure open-channel collect data. values obtained periodic measurements, beginning each month. results subject descriptive statistics that analyzed temporal spatial data morphometric characteristics. flows showed space–time variations magnitude between studied availability, assessed based average net discharges. set ecological processes supported by forests fundamental controlling recharging aquifers preserving volume sub-basin. upstream inflows influence downstream To avoid scarcity, rivers located must not consider basin area single homogeneous unit, because may be source conflicts. Understanding relationship response conservationist practices installed uphill influenced anthropic actions crucial assessment. should considered great potential ecosystem services, with respect “provider-receiver” principle, context payments (PES).