Abstract
Watersheds (also known as water catchments and river basins) are recognised in contemporary science as important natural systems in which to investigate the complex socioecological foundations of health. A watershed is the spatially bound geophysical unit within which surface and shallow groundwater drain to a single collecting stream or river (see appendix). Watersheds are physical and abstract systems: they are open and hydrologically permeable, yet can be represented as functionally distinct. Collectively, watersheds comprise a complex hierarchical network, and thus exemplify the upstream and downstream nature of ecosystems. Watersheds include the social actors, relationships, and institutions located within their boundaries. This means that distant individuals residing within the same watershed might share a more common history of social and environmental exposure than nearer individuals located closer to each other, but in separate watersheds.
Document Type
Other
Date of Publication
12-1-2018
ISSN
2542-5196
Volume
2
Issue
12
PubMed ID
30526933
Publication Title
Lancet Planet Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
School
Centre for Ecosystem Management
RAS ID
29655
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
First Page
510
Last Page
510
Comments
Jenkins, A., Capon, A., Negin, J., Marais, B., Sorrell, T., Parkes, M., & Horwitz, P. (2018). Watersheds in planetary health research and action. The Lancet Planetary Health, 2(12), e510-e511.
Available here.