An Economic Model for Urban Watershed Forestry Investments

As recognized at the international level, the principal aims of watershed investments consist in regulating water supply and ensuring the permeability of the territory. If properly designed, they can produce other effects—ecosystem services—such as protection of existing blue infrastructures, soil erosion prevention, groundwater-level preservation, and renewable energy-food provision for local community in the city. Especially in contexts with different urbanization levels, these interventions play an important role in the production of hydrological services (e.g., household utilities of drinking water) and renewable energies. To ensure sufficient water resource level in urban area, the implementation of forestry projects allows obtaining more permeable soil surface for better water supply and quality, that can also be used for household practices. In literature, the integration of forestry practices with watershed planning is known as urban watershed forestry projects (UWFPs). Although the International and European directives highlight the requirement to promote sustainable practice to improve water quality and supply for the community requirements, the UWFPs are rarely considered as priority action. In the present research work, an economic evaluation model for UWFP was proposed. The model aimed to individualize the optimal location of urban forestry projects in order to maximize the permeable soil useful to regulate the water resource management taking into account the specific socio-economic situation and the water supply quality and level. The use of multi-criteria evaluation logic allows characterizing the proposed case through a mathematical system with algebraic linear function between financial variables and parameters on ecosystem services regarding water resources regulation and renewable energies production. The mathematical system is written in the programming environment using optimization algorithms. The advantages and limits of the analysis tool as well as future research perspectives were described in the last part of the paper.